Chapter Fourteen #2
“Right,” Liam said. “So if you see someone like, say, Derek from the gyro truck, approaching Nina’s house, don’t assume he’s innocent. No one should be here without Nina’s invitation.”
Everyone was looking at Nina, so she nodded. She had agreed to this, as long as Liam didn’t directly accuse Derek of wrongdoing.
“Derek from the gyro truck?” Raz asked. “I know he has a major crush on Nina, but do you think that means he’s her stalker?”
“So you know about his attraction to Nina?” Liam asked.
Renee laughed. “He moons after her like a puppy dog, but he never does anything.” She glanced at Nina. “Does he?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think Derek is my stalker, but at this point, we can’t eliminate anyone.”
“When are we going to do this?” Anders asked.
“Monday night,” she said. “Liam is going to spend the weekend and Monday morning he’ll make a show of getting ready to leave. Monday afternoon, he’ll drive away, hide his car behind a storage facility not far from here, then slip back.”
“We don’t think the stalker will risk showing up in daylight,” Liam said.
“During the day I’m here with Nina and Sky.
I think he’s much more likely to attack when Nina is alone.
So those of you who are interested in participating can slip over here one at a time after your shifts on Monday.
A few of you can hide in the house, but the rest of you will have to be outside, so come dressed for that. ”
“Don’t feel bad if you’re not comfortable participating,” Nina said. “I appreciate you all so much, just for being here tonight to listen.”
“Are you kidding?” Chase rubbed his hands together. “I wouldn’t miss this.”
* * *
“Nina! Have you seen my passport? I can’t find my passport!” Liam stood in the open front door of Nina’s house Monday afternoon, shouting back into the living room like some sixties sitcom clueless husband. If Nicholson was anywhere within half a mile of the place he was bound to hear.
“It’s in the front pocket of your backpack!” Nina shouted, on cue. She grinned at him. He had spent an hour yesterday taking things in and out of the car, making a big show of carrying out a large suitcase.
Now, at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, he was pretending to leave for the airport. Nina came to the doorway, and they exchanged a showy kiss, then he moved to his car while she stood on the doorstep, waving goodbye.
He forced himself to keep his speed down as he drove away from the house. In his mind, this was the riskiest part of their plan—this half an hour when Nina was truly alone. She had agreed to spend the time locked in the bathroom, knife in hand, Sky and Angel by her side.
He drove a mile toward town, then turned down a narrow side road and snaked up a hill to a driveway almost hidden in the trees.
From here he made his way to a line of storage sheds and parked RVs and boats.
He parked the SUV behind the last shed, scanned the area for any sign that someone was watching, then grabbed his backpack and darted to the cover of the shed.
He had practiced this run Saturday evening. It had taken him exactly thirty-two minutes to get to Nina’s back door, which included crawling the last two hundred yards, hidden by a snowbank he had purposely shoveled around the backyard, on the pretense of making paths for the dogs.
A little over half an hour later, he let himself in the back door and locked it again behind him, then hurried to the bathroom. “I’m home,” he said softly, as he turned the knob to open the door.
Nina grinned at him. “I knew it was you by the way the dogs were wagging their tails.”
Both dogs surrounded him, tails still wagging. He hugged Nina close, then patted the dogs. “Now all we have to do is wait.”
Because they needed Nicholson to believe Nina was alone, Liam spent the rest of the afternoon in the bathroom, reading or working on his laptop. He piled blankets in the bathtub and made a decently comfortable lounging area, and Nina and the dogs took turns keeping him company.
Nina tried to remain as visible as possible for the next few hours, opening all the shades and washing windows or cleaning in view of anyone passing by.
Raz was the first to arrive. They never actually saw her.
At four thirty she texted that she was positioned in shrubbery at the entrance to their housing development.
I’ve got my winter camo on and a thermos of coffee and some sandwiches, ready to check out everyone who drives past, she wrote.
I’ll let you know if I see anyone suspicious.
Chase was next. Cerise and I are behind your garage, he texted. We’ll watch the back of the house in case he tries to come in that way.
The others gradually filled in their chosen observation points—Connor concealed in the shadows beneath a tall spruce behind the house, and Renee in the branches of the tree above him.
Brian stationed himself across the street, while Anders parked his van down the street.
I’m pretending to be a camper here for the night, he texted.
I can see everything from the back window, and it’s a lot warmer than sitting out in the snow.
And if Nicholson shows up and then leaves, I can follow him.
Everyone was in place by 7:00 p.m. Nina slipped into the bathroom. “I made chicken wraps for dinner,” she said.
Liam looked up from what he had come to think of as his nest in the bathtub. Angel, who had been curled at his feet, also sat up. “Sounds good,” he said, and accepted the plate she passed him.
“I’m off to eat my dinner alone, in front of the TV,” she said. “With the drapes open.”
“Go ahead and close them,” Liam said. “It’s what you usually do, and he’ll still be able to see your silhouette behind them.”
“Good idea.”
She moved into the living room and was crossing the floor to close the drapes when the doorbell rang.
Sky raced into the room, barking. Nina’s phone signaled an incoming message. There’s a pizza delivery guy standing on your doorstep, Anders texted. Tall, skinny dude with a long ponytail.
Nina checked the security peephole. A freckled man in a blue parka and a ball cap with the name of a local pizzeria shifted from foot to foot. He held a cardboard pizza box, and while she watched, he pressed the doorbell again.
Nina opened the door a scant inch. “I didn’t order a pizza,” she said.
“A friend sent it as a gift,” he said.
“What friend?”
“I don’t know. There’s a note.” He pointed to the envelope taped to the top of the box. “Is it your birthday or something?”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Do you want the pizza or not?”
She didn’t want the pizza. But she wanted to see what the note said. “Leave the box on the doorstep,” she said.
“It’s gonna get cold.”
“I don’t care. I’m not opening the door.”
The man scowled at her. “I’m supposed to hand it over in person.”
“Is the pizza already paid for?”
“Yeah.”
“Did he leave a tip?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Suit yourself.” He set the pizza down none too gently and sauntered back to his car.
Moments later came a text from Raz. Pizza guy just left.
Nina texted Anders. Is anybody else at my front door?
All clear, he typed back. They’d have to be pretty far away to avoid your porch light. It’s a bright one.
Nina removed the security chain and eased open the door. She grabbed the pizza box, then slammed the door shut and locked it again.
Liam appeared in the hallway. “Was that the front door?”
She held up the pizza box. “Someone sent us a pizza.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. But there’s a note.” She carried the pizza into the bathroom and set it on the counter, then peeled off the note and opened it. The message was scrawled in blue ink on the back of a pizza order form. Darling, I’m much smarter than you think. But don’t worry. We’ll be together soon.