After dropping off Booby, Jeff drove his rental car to the Mountain Light Holistic Center. Once he walked through the front doors, he saw at the counter a different woman from his previous visit. He was about to ask her for the location to Randy Graham’s office when he saw the man himself heading for the front door. Jeff intercepted him. “I need to have a word with you, Doctor.”
Randy nodded toward the door. “I’m heading off to an appointment in town.”
“This will just take a moment.”
“I really don’t have time.”
Jeff stepped in his way. “Have you been questioned by the TBI about Corey Melton’s death?”
“Why would I be?”
“I wonder how you would explain to them the fact that you pass yourself off as a counselor with only a certificate for holistic voodoo you can get from a six-hour online course.”
Randy crossed his arms in a faux show of confidence. “I’ve never claimed to be a licensed therapist. I’ve done nothing illegal.”
“You’re misleading people into thinking you’re qualified to offer counseling.”
“I give advice.”
“I wonder if the authorities will buy your fuzzy semantics when I tell them you were counseling, or giving advice to, someone who committed suicide.”
“The police said Corey was murdered.”
“That’s just one of their theories. You hid behind patient confidentiality to avoid talking to us earlier, but that little certificate of yours doesn’t grant you any measure of patient confidentiality protection. You’re going to answer my questions, or I swear I’ll publicize your credentials, get the authorities involved and do everything I can to shut you down.”
Randy took a moment to weigh his options. “What do you want to know?”
“What was your therapy for Corey?”
“With fears, you want to address the root cause of the fear, but with a lot of phobias, a root cause is elusive or impossible to find. In those cases I help people focus on mastering that irrationality so they can face those obstacles from a place of peace instead of a place of fear.”
“So you did direct him to go to the rooftop of the building where he works?”
“The only way to overcome fear is to face it, so part of the therapy is to meditate in a location of discomfort and to continue doing so for days, weeks or months – until you can walk up to that edge as calmly as you could walk down the street.”
“How long had Corey been going to the roof?”
“He started about six weeks ago.”
“Besides you, who knew that he was going up there?”
“No one that I know of. His wife, maybe. He joked a lot, but he was a very private person. It’s not the sort of thing he would’ve talked about.”
“Okay. Now about that alibi of yours.”
“I’m still not going to tell you her name. I think we’re done here.” Randy walked out the front door and held it open, but the PI was stuck in place. “Aren’t you leaving?”
Jeff pulled a card from his pocket. “I’ve been a little tense, so I thought I’d redeem this yoga coupon you gave me.”
Randy sneered at him. “Enjoy.”
“Oh, by the way, I’ll make sure to check my tires and engine before I pull out of your parking lot this time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just an FYI.” Jeff let the front door close and watched Randy walk to his car. He returned the card to his pocket and approached the woman at the counter. “Could you tell me where Randy’s office is?”
The woman pointed to the front door. “You just saw him leave.”
“Yes, but I forgot to give him my card.”
“You can give it to me, and I’ll make sure he gets it.”
Damn! Jeff gave her one of his business cards, which she placed under the counter. “Aren’t you going to take it to his office?”
“I’m working here. I can give it to him when he gets back. Is there anything else?”
Jeff slapped the yoga card onto the counter. “Where’s the yoga class?”
She pointed to the hallway at the left. “In the Yoga Center. Go out the door at the end of this hallway, and follow the walkway to the next building.”
“Thanks.” Jeff followed her direction to the outdoor walkway, where he stopped an approaching employee. “Excuse me. I have a meeting with a Randy Graham. Could you tell me where his office is?”
The young man pointed to a one-story structure encircled by trees. “That’s his office.”
“The whole building?”
“Yes sir.”
Jeff frowned at him. “Don’t call me sir. I’m like three years older than you.” He waited for the younger man to leave before heading to Randy’s. He tried the door. Locked. He pulled from his pocket a home-fashioned L-shaped strip of copper and a custom-made pick with a tulipwood handle and aluminum blade. With little effort, he turned the tumbler and opened the door.
The office itself was unremarkable – a large desk in the center of tacky-art-covered walls. “Randy Graham has sippy cup taste on a crystal glass budget.” Behind the desk was another door. He tried the doorknob, but it wouldn’t turn. “Locked too. A bit of overkill.” He picked the lock and flicked the light switch on the other side. “Oh my god!”
Filtered light exposed a room much more interesting than Randy’s office. Jeff stepped inside and toured the sandalwood-scented space to take in all the tantric elements within its leather-quilted walls – erotic Indian artwork of copulating deities, a massage table with stirrups, a shower/steam room, a meditation circle with a trove of feathers and shelves holding a variety of oils, straps, Ben Wa balls and other sexual enhancements.
“Hello, Mr. Grey.” Jeff turned off the light and locked the door again, returning to Randy Graham’s main office.
He noticed a large monitor on the wall. The screen was black, but he could hear it running. Sleep mode. He tapped the keyboard on the table below it. A split screen of twelve different video feeds appeared, each showing high-definition views of various areas at the complex – including the parking lot. He watched cars coming in and out of the lot for a few seconds before commenting, “He could’ve seen us arriving and known which car was mine. He had plenty of time to screw with my tire. Of course, he didn’t know us then so he would’ve never even noticed us.”
Virginia prepared herself for her first encounter with Becky since she accused her bereaved friend of having an affair. I’ll just apologize. I know her parents and in-laws were leaving this morning, so she’ll be all alone. No distractions. We can talk it out.
Virginia parked on the street and walked up the driveway to Becky’s house and across the walkway to the front door. As she did, movement between the living room curtains caught her attention. She glanced at first before peering with urgent interest. What?!
Virginia couldn’t believe her eyes. In the middle of the living room, Becky was seated in a chair from the dining room table, but not by choice. Standing before her, back to the window, was a man in a black ski mask. Becky was tied to the chair – a ball gag in her mouth and a knife held to the side of her neck.