Chapter Thirty
I an gestured down the hall. “First door on the left.” Ian’s second bedroom was kept as an office. The room held a table and stacks of boxes ready to be taped together and sent full of books to customers.
I slipped open the closet doors and flattened myself against a wall, closing the doors after me. I slowly slid to the floor and drew my knees to my chest. All around me, Ian’s stock of books murmured words of comfort, but my pulse beat faster than Wanda’s flamenco records.
Truth will prevail , one book whispered. Its author had liked clichés. I hoped this one was true.
Live out your life in truth and justice, quoted a work by Marcus Aurelius.
The doorbell rang. A sheriff’s deputy was here.
Outside of the books’ encouragement, I couldn’t hear much. My side touched the trailer’s outer wall, and snatches of conversation reached me. Sounds of sniffing—Sailor—came from just outside the door. He let out a friendly bark.
“Hush, Sailor,” I whispered, eliciting another playful yip. This was not time to play.
“Sailor,” Lalena shouted from the other room, “stop barking at your toy. I’ll get it out in a moment.”
His collar jangled as he left the guest room. I dropped my jaw to breathe more quietly through my mouth, and although my knees ached in my crouched position, I didn’t dare move.
After a few minutes, the front door closed. Then came the sound of a car starting up—presumably the deputy, leaving. Still, no one came to release me. I silently praised Ian’s and Lalena’s prudence.
At last, Lalena slid open the closet door. “All clear, but stay away from the windows.”
“What did they say?” I bent to stretch my achy back and legs, then followed Lalena to the living room, where I sat well away from view.
“It wasn’t Sam—it was some other deputy, looking for you. She didn’t say much. When I suggested you’d be at the library, she said Sam was up there now.”
Soon he’d be searching my apartment. I remembered the underwear and bras hanging to dry in my bathroom. That was the least of my problems.
“In other words, if I’m spotted, I’ll be arrested for murder.”
No one spoke. They didn’t need to.
“We’ll help you, won’t we, Ian?” Lalena said.
“What can we do?” Ian said.
“Someone killed Tyrone,” I said. “Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office is focused on finding evidence to support their theory that I strangled Tyrone with a zip tie.
” The thought nauseated me, and I flattened a palm to my stomach.
“It’s up to me to find the real murderer.
If it had to do with his business dealings in Baltimore, you’re my only hope. ”
He wheeled back a few inches. “I’ve told you everything I know.”
“Could Josie be right and there’s someone else here from your old gang?” Lalena asked Ian.
“It’s all we have to go on.”
“Why would they come out here?” Ian said.
“Why did Tyrone come out here?” I countered.
“To escape someone or something,” Lalena said.
“Exactly,” I said. “Maybe he brought a colleague.”
“There’s no one new in town who’s not part of the construction operation,” Ian pointed out. “No one I’ve seen, anyway.”
This was true. Wilfred was small enough that we made a note when a new UPS driver stopped by.
“Except the woman at the retreat center. Lise,” La lena said.
“She’s okay,” I said quickly. “And Tyrone is dead, so you’re safe from him. Would you be willing to go to the Empress and see if you recognize anyone else from Baltimore? It’s a thin lead, but it’s all I have to go on.”
Ian looked into his lap.
“If you’re right,” I added, “you won’t see anyone you know. It’s perfectly safe.”
Now Ian met my gaze. “If I’m not right? I don’t want to run into anyone from my old life. Even if it’s not Byron, it’s a world I don’t want to stir up again.”
I understood Ian’s hesitation. But what else could I do? It wouldn’t be long before the sheriff’s office would catch up with me, and I had no idea what other tricks Beata might have up her sleeve.
I drew an audible breath. “If you see one of them, we might have found a murderer.”
We were silent. Ian fidgeted with the arm of his wheelchair; I held Sailor in my lap; Lalena paced the living room. I was helpless unless Ian agreed to check out the construction site.
Finally, Lalena took charge. “This is what we’ll do. Ian, you’ll go to the Empress and pretend you want to talk to Orson about books in the new brewpub. It would be nice to have a shelf of novels customers could read while they kick back with a beer.”
“Books on parapsychology?” I asked. I imagined customers sampling IPAs while they learned about Victorian ghost photography.
“He can find other books,” she said. “Josie, you’ll stay here. Ian can tell us if he sees anyone he knows.”
“I need to go, too.” Whoever Ian recognized, I wanted to see firsthand. If Aunt Beata had anything to do with it, maybe I’d sense her energy. Forewarned was forearmed.
Lalena shook her head. “No. It’s too risky. In exactly two seconds, someone will report you to the sheriff’s office.”
“I’ve got to go along,” I said. “This is my mess to sort out, not yours.”
The tension was high among us, except for Sailor, who panted at Lalena’s feet with a rubber hot dog in his mouth.
Lalena caved first. “Okay, but you’re going in disguise.” She smiled, slowly, until she nearly glowed. “Hang on. I’ll be back in a minute.” With Sailor at her feet, she crossed the lane to her home.
I took advantage of the few minutes alone with Ian. “What are you not telling me?”
“You know everything I know,” he said.
“You’re clearly afraid. Tyrone is gone. What’s eating you?”
He tapped the wheel of his chair as he considered his words. “It’s hard to explain, more a feeling than anything. I should be safe. Byron—Tyrone, as you know him—is dead. But I don’t feel safe.”
I understood “feelings” like this.
The door burst open, and Lalena arrived with an armload of clothing. “This is what we’re going to do,” she said. “Josie, you’re Ian’s mom.”
“My mother’s dead,” Ian said.
“Honey, I’m sorry.” Lalena kissed him on the cheek. There was still so much they didn’t know about each other. “Today, Josie will be your mom. She’s come to see you because you’re planning to marry me, and she wants to check me out.”
Ian shot her an inquiring glance. “We’re getting married, huh?”
“That’s the story.” Lalena gave Ian a stern look. “It also explains why you’ve been gone. You took a few days with her in Portland. Now you’re showing her Wilfred. I’ll come, too.” She plunked a box of hair dye on the table. “Let’s get started.”