Chapter 37 Leah
Leah
Leah stretched and smiled. She hated that she’d slept through Jackson leaving but his scent remained on the pillowcase; her body still tingled from his touch.
She could tell from the shallow light coming in around the curtains that it was early, but she bet he’d left some time ago.
It would take him a while to reach the office even at this hour.
She sighed at the thought of another week with no Jackson.
Spoiled by the best two days of her life, time without him held no flavor.
Yes, she had work to keep her busy. Yes, she had friends to call on—and she could do with a catch-up with Florence, whose dating life had more variety than Ben there were only the last couple of chapters to transcribe.
Leah loved seeing how each thread pulled tighter as the climax of the story loomed, this last book tying up the clever narrative arc that had run across the whole series.
Clayborne Knight’s reluctant steps toward retirement were made all the more poignant by Esther’s knowledge that this would be her last book.
Her fears and regrets echoed in every passage and mauled Leah’s heart with their poetry.
It was hard for her to stay objective, but transcribing Clayborne’s last adventure made her feel closer to her old friend, like she was honoring her in the best way she could.
On impulse, Leah reached for Esther’s old diary. Flipping through the pages, she read another couple of entries. She’d been eking out the diary, two or three entries at a time, and with half of it ripped out, she was getting nearer and nearer to the end but no closer to solving the mystery.
June 10th, 1972
If I have to hear one more thing about Mother’s anniversary party, I’ll scream. I don’t care how many guests are coming or what food is being served! It’ll be a bore from start to finish!!
June 12th, 1972
I had another run in with The Creep this evening.
He asked me out again. I said no, again.
He’d had a lot to drink by the end of the night and he’s just so grabby!
He’s big and intimidating. He even towers over Hazel, who’s far taller than I am.
It puts me on edge and he spoiled the whole evening.
No Atherton tonight because he’s out of town but I’m glad he wasn’t there to get involved.
Leah’s heart kicked up a gear—this was it. This was the moment.
She couldn’t stop now and so she raced on to the end. Reaching the pages where the diary finished too soon with Esther’s scribbled capitals, Leah smothered a curse. The answer wasn’t here!
Who the hell was he? And what had happened?
The knowledge remained just beyond her reach and she shoved the diary to one side in frustration.
Over lunchtime, she forced herself to scour the local rental listings online, searching for anything even vaguely in her budget.
Hoping the house wouldn’t sell was no longer an option.
Jackson needed the money, so she needed to find a new home.
One unfurnished room looked like a possibility; she’d worry about furniture later. Leah rang and left a voicemail.
With a sudden craving for iced coffee, she opted for a change of scenery and decided to drive into Pine Springs, intent on using the library for a few hours. She needed some fresh designs to post online, her new social channels already swelling with supporters.
As she pulled out of the driveway, a dark gray saloon tucked in behind her car, cruising far closer than necessary to her rear bumper.
The sun bounced off its windshield. Leah slowed to let the driver pass; they slowed, too.
She frowned and signaled to take a turn.
The sedan followed. A stop sign approached.
When Leah came to a halt to let a semi pass through, the gray car pulled up so tightly behind her that she couldn’t read the plate.
It was annoying and slightly unsettling.
She squinted again, but the driver was a silhouette through the tinted glass.
It looked like the same vehicle she’d seen parked on the driveway after lunch with Florence.
A Chevy Impala? A Lexus? She cursed herself for not knowing the difference.
The road ahead cleared and Leah pulled away. The sedan followed. It trailed her all the way into Pine Springs, turning off as she took a right into the lot at the end of Main Street. She forced her shoulders to relax as she gathered up her things from the passenger seat and locked the doors.
Florence waved through the hair salon’s window when she passed by with her takeout cup, calling her inside. The door tinkled as Leah pushed it open.
“Hey, stranger.” It looked like Florence was between customers. “Someone’s caught the sun! What have you been up to?”
Leah lifted a hand to her cheek. “I spent the weekend in South Haven.”
“You weren’t alone, I take it?” Her friend waggled her eyebrows.
“Jackson took me to his family’s beach house.” She smiled and, yeah, blushed a little, too. “It was heavenly.” Toward the rear of the salon, another stylist chatted to a young woman with auburn hair. Ella Langley and Riley Green sang a low-volume duet.
“I’m so jealous. The guys I date think I should be grateful to be taken to a sports bar.” Florence sighed. “I want to hear more! Fill me in tonight at book club?”
“For sure. And we’re having a barbecue next weekend if you can make it. Though it’s Father’s Day so you might already have plans?”
“We’re taking my dad out for lunch but I might be able to join you afterwards. Depends on the time.” The bell above the door rang again and they both turned. “This is my next customer. I’ll see you later but we need a proper night out soon. Let’s live it up!”
They fixed on a date and Leah left the shop, walking another hundred and fifty yards, past Jerry’s Pizza (undoubtably the best pizza in town) and the hardware store, to the library.
She climbed a single stone step and pushed open the large wooden door.
The air inside was blissfully cool. It was so tempting to browse the shelves.
When weren’t books a distraction? She ran her hands slowly along one of the rows of colorful covers.
Behind her, the main door swung wide again; Leah glanced over her shoulder to see a bulky figure looming at the threshold. Oh, fuck. Either The Tank had another message to deliver or his library books needed returning.
As her skin prickled and her mouth dried, Leah realized she’d never told Jackson about their first run-in. His exhaustion and then the excitement of the beach weekend had driven it from her mind.
The unease of her car journey bloomed into a queasy clutch of concern.
Whatever the reason The Tank was here, she had no desire for another conversation.
Backing away along the row, she drew his eyes as she ducked around the end of the shelving.
He glared—no sunglasses this time—and set off after her.
Pine Springs Library was midsized and regrettably quiet on this weekday afternoon. Her ears on stalks for the big man’s footsteps and the sound—any sound—of people, she wove in and out of bookshelves, clutching her iPad to her chest and fighting for calm.
He can’t do anything to you in here.
But Leah felt like prey. The fact that he was between her and the main door made her palms sweat and her blood pressure spike.
Sneakers nearly silent, she kept on moving.
There was no one in the reference section, no one using the digital library corner.
She couldn’t see the information desk and the seating area lay in the middle of a hexagon of shelves—way too exposed.
Rounding the end of the Crime and Mystery section, Leah locked eyes with The Tank as he appeared at the other end of the shelves. A grim smile lifted his thin lips and he began to move purposefully down the aisle toward her. Her hands curled into fists.
“Can I help you?”
Finally. Finally! She could have hugged the young woman who placed herself between Leah and her hunter.