I slammed the door after them and slid the security bolt. I leaned against the door and closed my eyes. Morelli had looked great. T-shirt and jeans and a red flannel shirt worn open like a jacket. And he’d smelled good, too. The scent still lingered in my foyer, mingling with jelly doughnuts. I took a deep breath and had a lust attack. The lust attack was followed by a mental head slap. I sent him away! What was I thinking? Oh yeah, now I remember. I was thinking he’d just said I was frightening.
I was running this through while I walked to the bathroom. I was up and awake now. Might as well get on with the day. I switched the light on and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
**********************
I THOUGHT SATURDAY would be a good day to follow Dotty around. I had no real reason to think she was helping Evelyn. Only instinct. But sometimes instinct is all you need. There’s something special about childhood friendships. They might be set aside for reasons of convenience, but they’re seldom forgotten.
Mary Lou Molnar has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Truth is, we haven’t got a whole lot in common anymore. She’s Mary Lou Stankovik now. She’s married and has a couple kids. And I’m living with a hamster. Still, if I had to tell someone a secret, it would be Mary Lou. And if I was Evelyn, I’d turn to Dotty Palowski. It was close to ten by the time I reached South River. I cruised past Dotty’s house and parked a short distance down the street. Dotty’s car was in the driveway. A red jeep was parked curbside. Not Evelyn’s car. Evelyn drove a nine-year-old gray Sentra. I pushed my seat back and stretched my legs. If I was a man lurking in front of a house, I’d be suspect. Fortunately, no one paid much attention to a woman.
Dotty’s front door opened, and a man stepped out. Dotty’s two kids jumped out after him and ran around him in circles. He took them by the hand, and they all walked to the jeep and got in.
The ex-husband on visitation day.
The jeep pulled away and five minutes later Dotty locked the house up and got into her Honda. I followed her easily, out of the neighborhood, onto the highway. She wasn’t looking for a tail. Never picked me up in her rearview mirror.
We went straight to one of the strip malls on Route 18 and parked in front of a chain bookstore. I watched Dotty get out of her car and cross the lot to the store. She was barelegged, wearing a sundress with a sweater. I would have been cold in the outfit. The sun was shining but the air was cool. I guess Dotty had run out of patience for warm weather. She pushed through the doors and went straight for the coffee bar. I could see her through the plate glass window. She ordered a coffee and took it to a table. She sat with her back to the window and looked around. She checked her watch and sipped her coffee. She was waiting for someone.
Please let it be Evelyn. It would make everything so easy.
I left my car and walked the short distance to the store. I browsed the section to the rear of the coffee bar, staying hidden behind racks of books. I didn’t know Dotty personally, but I worried that she might recognize me, all the same. I scanned the store for Evelyn and Annie. I didn’t want them to see me, either.
Dotty looked up from her coffee and focused. I followed her line of sight, but I didn’t see Annie or Evelyn. I was looking so intently for Annie and Evelyn that I almost missed the red-haired guy making his way toward Dotty. It was Steven Soder. My first reaction was to intercept him. I didn’t know what he was doing here, but he was going to ruin everything. Evelyn would run when she saw him. And then it hit me, brain surgeon that I am. Dotty was waiting for Soder.
Soder got a coffee and took it to Dotty’s table. He sat across from her and slouched in his chair. An arrogant posture. I could see his face, and he didn’t look friendly. Dotty leaned forward and said something to Soder. He made a crooked smile that was close to a snarl and nodded his head. They had a brief conversation. Soder stuck his finger in Dotty’s face and said something that turned Dotty white. He stood, made one last parting remark, and left. His coffee remained, untouched, on the table. Dotty collected herself, made certain Soder was out of sight, and then she left, too. I followed Dotty to the parking lot. She got into her car, and I ran for mine. Hold the phone. No car. Okay, I know I’m a little dingy sometimes, but I usually remember where I’ve parked the car. I trotted up and down the aisle. I tried one aisle over. No car. Dotty pulled out of her space and headed for the exit. A sleek black car followed a short distance behind Dotty. Jeanne Ellen.
“Damn!”
I rammed my hand into my bag, found my cell phone, and pounded out Ranger’s number.
“Call Jeanne Ellen and find out what she did with my car,” I said to Ranger. “
A minute later Jeanne Ellen called me. “I might have seen a black CR-V in front of the deli,” she said.
I punched the end button so hard I broke a nail. I dropped the phone back into my bag and stomped off, down the strip mall to the deli. I found my car and checked it over. There were no scratch marks from where Jeanne Ellen had popped the lock. No loose wires from hot-wiring. Somehow she’d gotten into the car and moved it without leaving a trace of herself. This was a trick Ranger could easily accomplish, and I couldn’t hope to pull off. The fact that Jeanne Ellen could do it really grated on me. I left the strip mall and returned to Dotty’s house. No one was home. No car in the driveway. Probably Dotty had taken Jeanne Ellen straight to Evelyn. Fine. Who cares. I’m not even making any money on this. I did an eye roll. It wasn’t fine. If I go back to Mabel with nothing, she’ll start bawling again. I’d walk on molten lava and shards of glass before I’d face more of Mabel crying.
