Chapter 14 #2
What if she thought I was avoiding her? What about her whispered promise? Would I really let my paranoia ruin what promised to be another epic evening? I could already hear my therapist telling me that I was overreacting. He also told me I should trust my wife while he was banging her.
As I headed back to town to grab the paper I didn’t need for my printer and some random stuff, I caught a glimpse of burnt umber from the corner of my eye.
No fucking way.
I whipped the car around and drove slowly past the boutique hotel and what do you know.
I found the vehicle I sought parked out front—and not where they’d claimed to be going.
It could be they were only visiting their friend for the evening and never planned to spend the night. Could be they were actually tourists.
I had to know.
Since Nicky wouldn’t finish for another two hours, it seemed like a fine time to grab a coffee from the shop facing the hotel. A counter ran the length of the big window at the front offering a perfect view. I sipped my java slowly, wondering if I wasted my time, only luck was with me still.
The woman from the night before emerged, wearing the same white parka with the addition of sunglasses to protect her eyes from snow glare. She got into the hideous orangey car and drove off, leaving the guy behind, assuming he remained in the hotel.
He didn’t. He emerged moments later, glanced up and down the street, and headed off at a brisk pace, hands shoved in his pockets. I abandoned my half-drunk coffee and quickly followed.
To my surprise, I saw the dude entering my grocery store but not apparently to buy anything.
I entered and immediately slid behind a display where I could peek unobserved.
The stranger addressed a cashier who waved over Enzo.
A short conversation ensued before the man pulled out his wallet and tried to hand over some money.
Enzo shook his head.
The man pulled out more, and I could see Enzo hesitate before once more shaking his noggin to the negative. Enzo then pointed to the door and the man left.
Follow him or find out why he tried to bribe Enzo?
The latter seemed more important and would put to rest my suspicion—or not.
I stepped out from behind the display and Enzo spotted me immediately.
“Back so soon?” Enzo asked with a forced smile.
“Yeah. All that fresh air makes a man hungry,” I lied.
“I’m glad you’re here actually, because I was going to call. We’ve had some people asking about you and that lizard you brought in.”
“Oh?” I tried to play it casual.
“Apparently when you came in with the reptile, one of my employees took a pic and posted it online. It’s led to some interest. In the last day, I’ve had both a man and a woman come in to ask about you and the lizard.”
“What did you tell them?” I asked.
“Me? Nothing, however, they already know who you are. You never told me you were a famous author,” Enzo accused.
“Bah, hardly famous.”
“You are here to write?”
I saw no harm in nodding. “Yeah. So did they say why they were interested in the lizard?” I now knew Percy wasn’t some lost pet so they weren’t owners searching.
“The woman claimed she was a journalist and wanted to do a piece on people with strange pets. She tried to get me to tell her where you were staying. I, of course, told her that was none of her business.”
Enzo might have, but someone else must have spilled since they ended up on my doorstep.
“What of the guy? What did he want?”
Enzo stiffened and his lip curled. “He tried to bribe me. Apparently, he’s aware you sometimes come into the store and he wanted to be notified the next time you visited.”
In other words, he wanted to know when the chalet would be empty.
Like now.
“I hope you told him to shove it.”
“But of course. The nerve of some people.”
“Appreciate it, Enzo,” I said and showed him my gratitude by sliding him twenty euros.
“Not necessary,” Enzo stated, trying to hand it back.
“Think of it as a tip for your excellent service. Also, should those people return, you can tell them the lizard took off. Probably for the best. I’m not a pet kind of guy.
Now, I should grab some groceries and get back to the chalet.
The book won’t write itself.” Spoken with false joviality.
Meanwhile, my mind had already dropped into defense mode.
My gut proved right. Those two individuals were interested in me, or more specifically, Percy. Did they know I’d found a dragon?
At least they weren’t here for Nicky and Zaza. I’d been worried her ex had located them.
Much as I wanted to race back to the chalet, I couldn’t. Nicky would be done in the next half hour, but to save time, I fetched Zaza.
Soon as I entered the basement daycare, Zaza saw me and lit up.
“Bru. Bru. Bru,” she squealed, running for me, arms wide.
What the fuck? Did she say my name? I quickly dropped into a crouch to catch the bundle of energy and got a wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek as my reward. Funny how it no longer made me cringe.
I stood with Zaza on my hip as a volunteer stood, hands clasped, waiting patiently to apparently give me a summary of the baby’s day.
She played. She ate. Shat. Napped. Played some more. Sounded like a great day.
While the daycare didn’t expect payment, I knew donations were welcome, so I handed over a tithe to a volunteer who beamed and gushed her thanks.
It took me but a second to buckle Zaza into her seat and then we headed to the resort. We parked and waited, my mind whirring as Zaza sang in the back and clapped her hands.
I lost some of my hearing when she shrieked at the sight of her mother.
“Mamma!”
Nicky slid into the car, face slightly sweaty, her ponytail losing wisps, but smiling. “Hello, you two.”
“Mamma!” Zaza squealed, winking her chubby hands in Nicky’s direction.
Nicky reached between the seats to grab sticky fingers and murmur in Italian which led to Zaza chortling.
When Nicky turned back around and buckled in, I pulled out of the parking spot. “How was your day?”
“Good. Busy,” she added with a laugh. “Yours?”
“Fine.” I wasn’t about to tell her what I’d discovered and stress her out.
However, Percy had no such qualms.
The moment we walked in, the dragon popped out of a cupboard and yelled, “The intruders returned!”