CHAPTER 14
When the gloved man was sure the other two had left, he said, "Listen, Lina, I'm Rick James, a private investigator. I'm sorry for the theatrics but I needed to talk to you. Alone."
As he anticipated, the moment he released her she ran out of the closet and to the front door. Then she stopped, looking behind her.
He slowly walked out of the closet, taking off his ski mask and gloves. Dropping them to the floor, he looked up at Lina, his hands and feet spread out.
The tears still wet on her face, she held her ground but shifted her body so she could see him more clearly. When he didn't move, she pressed her back against the wall, her hand still on the knob.
He waited until she crossed her arms under her breasts. Then he reached for his card and held it out to her.
She bit her lip, looked at his face, his card, his face again. With one push of air, she advanced, tremulously taking his card and reading the content.
Before raising her eyes to his, she curled his card in her hand, hiding it over her arm with her hand. Frowning, she walked past him toward the living room, turning her head only to see that he was following her lead.
When Rick sat down, Lina asked, "Do you want coffee? Tea?"
"No. Please, sit."
Her feet pushed under her butt, she placed one hand behind her neck. He, in turn, changed position so that he was at an angle to her.
Leaning forward, he said, "Look, I shouldn't be here. I'm just going on a hunch."
"But you went through all this trouble."
"Lady, I've been doing this for 30 years. It's not a question about your being in danger. I just don't have more to go on to convince the police to open an investigation."
Sitting cross legged now, she asked, "Did someone hire you to spy on us?"
Finger rubbing the side of his mouth, he said, "Not at first. This woman, she wanted to know about your brother. Told me there'd been an accident and that she'd wanted to set up some kind of scholarship."
Before he could speak, she said, "Are you talking about my brother's accident?"
He nodded, but she continued, creasing her forehead, "This woman, is she the reason I got my scholarship?"
"Possibly, but rich types are usually harmless. And they always pay cash."
"So why are you here?"
"The woman came back and wanted to know more about you."
"Me?" she asked, pushing up her knees and holding her ankles, her chin on the space between her knees.
"It hasn't been a year, okay? So I checked her out. Turns out she changed her name and started a film company called FlyRize. Some of the actors have been reported missing around the time of some murders. Like your brother's girlfriend."
"Oh my god, he was devastated."
"I figured, but do you know his new girl is another actor at FlyRize?"
Lina's mouth popped at that. Scrambling for her cell on the table, Rick grabbed her wrists.
"Listen to me, if you try to warn him, he's not going to believe you. And it'll tip off Laura that you're on to her."
"But--" she started, one tear already rolling down her cheek.
Moving his hands down to squeeze her hands, he said, "You heard them. He wants to marry her. But this woman I'm talking about, I think she wants you dead first. Because you're here."
Lina bit her lip. Trying to rub her the wetness from her eye, she felt Rick's grip.
"Don't you see? She's trying to cut off all of your brother's lifelines," he said, moving closer to her face, "Laura's a decoy. If you leave, he dies."
Pulling back, she covered her mouth with one hand. Gurgling something incoherent, she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath she opened them and saw that Rick was back on the sofa.
"What are you asking me to do?" she whispered.
"Give them a day. Then call him and tell him you need him home. I can sleep on the couch tonight and tomorrow while my wife's out of town. But you need to get them back on Monday morning, okay?"
When she nodded, he said, "Next week I'm going out of town to find some more info on this woman. I promise you, I'll keep you people safe."
Outside, Jeremy waited. Not sure what to make of the detective, he figured he must be another actor. But he knew his instructions: Wait for her to be alone, then attack.
But at 2a, it was clear the detective wasn't leaving. Maybe they're lovers? he asked himself. He decided the scene could wait another day, and left.
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