When he saw the drone flying in front of his face, Jeff yelled, “What the hell?!” He covered his mouth, hoping whoever had just walked in the front door of the apartment didn’t hear his voice from the balcony.
The lens of the attached camera peered at him as the drone ascended. Jeff glanced up at the blinking red light on its belly before the drone scudded away.
The sound of jingling keys jerked him back to his current danger. He closed the sliding door behind him and looked for a place to hide. The two wicker chairs on either side of a glass-topped, gold-plated table offered no cover, so he suctioned his back to the wall between the living room and bedroom sliders.
After a moment, he scooched to his right so he could peek into the living room. Frank’s wife!
Lettie Belcher trod into the apartment wearing a pant suit and a look of exhaustion. She threw her purse on the entryway table and kicked off her heels as she walked, leaving them where they fell. She fanned her face and adjusted the wall thermostat before heading toward the sliding door.
Jeff jerked his head back and shuffled to the other door. He pulled the bedroom slider open as Lettie did the same to the living room slider. He jumped into the bedroom and waited for her to go on the balcony. Now’s my chance! I’ll run to the front door.
Lettie, however, didn’t step onto the balcony. Instead she slid closed the screen door, leaving the glass door open. “Get some fresh air in here.”
Jeff heard her walking through the living room now. He hurried back onto the balcony, closing the bedroom slider behind him. He returned to his position against the wall. Maybe she’ll take a shower or a nap.
She didn’t do either. Instead she sat on the couch and was about to turn on the TV when the apartment door opened again.
Jeff gritted his teeth. Seriously? Now who’s here?
He heard Lettie’s voice. “What are you doing home?”
“I took off for lunch. I need to talk to you.”
That’s Frank. Great. I’m going to be stuck out here all night!
“You just got a promotion. You should eat lunch at your desk.”
“It’s important. Did you deposit $9,000 into our account?”
Jeff’s ears perked up. The money! He turned to face the wall and craned his neck to peek through the screen door.
Lettie jumped up from the couch and met her husband in the entryway. “What are you doing snooping around the account for?”
“I didn’t. One of those PIs asked me about it.”
Lettie took a menacing step forward as she glared down at her husband. “What do you mean? How did he find out?”
“I think he has connections with the TBI. I don’t know. Does it have anything to do with the windfarm? Is that why you wanted me to move it?”
Lettie hauled off and slapped Frank, slamming him to the floor!
Holy shit! Jeff had to cover his mouth to keep from screaming the words.
“What did I tell you about questioning me?!”
Cowering on the floor, Frank raised a defensive hand. “Lettie, I’m sorry. But he wanted to know where it came from.”
Lettie kicked her husband in the stomach. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him you got it from your brother. I said he makes a lot of money, and he gives you some sometimes.”
“Did he believe it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Why is he looking into our affairs? Did you say something to them to make them suspicious?”
“I wouldn’t know anything to say.” Frank lowered his hand and pushed himself into a seated position on the floor. “Suspicious of what?”
“Nothing.” Lettie walked back into the living room.
Frank stood up but didn’t move from his spot. “Lettie, just so I know how to answer if I’m asked again – or how not to answer – should you just tell me what’s going on?”
Lettie clenched her fists and lunged at her husband, backing him against the wall. She clutched his slender neck and started choking him. With his back still pressed against the wall, she lifted him by the neck so that his feet dangled two inches above the floor. “There you go questioning me again!”
Red-faced and gagging, Frank grabbed his wife’s wrists, but he couldn’t break her grip.
Oh my god! She’s going to kill him! Jeff reached for the screen door.
Lettie threw her husband to the floor. Without another look at him, she walked back to the couch. “I’m not happy about this.”
Jeff moved away from the screen just in time not to be seen. He returned his back to the wall and listened.
In between coughs, Frank sputtered out, “I’m sorry.”
Lettie turned on the TV. “Sorry isn’t going to cut it. You know what to do.”
Jeff waited for a response but heard nothing. What? What does he have to do? The next sound he heard was of the sliding door opening. He jerked his eyes toward the bedroom slider. Still shut. Where was that… Jeff looked back the other way and saw Sherman stepping onto the balcony of the apartment next door. Shit! Don’t let him see me! Don’t let him see me!
Sherman lit a cigarette and was about to sit down when he snapped his fingers. He left the cigarette in an ashtray and returned indoors.
Jeff released a sigh of momentary relief. He heard a thwacking sound from inside the Belchers’ living room, followed by a cry of pain. He peeked through the screen door again and gasped.
Lettie was holding a riding crop, ready to strike again at Frank’s ass. As if that weren’t enough to shock the peeping PI, Frank was also now wearing one of the maid uniforms.
Holy shit!
“Blake, is that you?”
Stunned, Jeff turned his attention to the other balcony to see Sherman smiling at him.
“I thought that was you.” Sherman pointed to the balcony. “This is your apartment?”
Jeff whispered. “Yes. I got turned around.”
“Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t want to disturb the neighbors.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” Sherman did his best Tarzan yell while beating his chest.
Jeff waved his hands toward the ground, trying to get him to be quiet. “Shh!”
Sherman laughed. “It’s fine. No one cares how loud you are during the day.”
Jeff heard a scream from inside the Belchers’ apartment – only this time, it didn’t come from Frank. He turned toward the screen door and saw a horrified Lettie pointing at him. Shit!
“Burglar! Frank, get him! I’ll call the police!”
Frank Belcher, in his little maid uniform, ran toward the screen door as ordered. Jeff bolted through the other sliding door and into the bedroom, but before he could get to the bedroom door, Lettie blocked it. She hit him with the riding crop again and again.
Jeff shielded himself, but each blow stung his forearms, even through his coat sleeves. “Stop it! I’m not a burglar!” As he backed away from her, he tripped onto the bed, and Lettie came flying on top of him. Jeff struggled to push the weight off.
“I got the handcuffs, honey!”
Lettie took the cuffs from her husband and slapped them around Jeff’s wrists.
Frank got his first good look at the intruder. “Jeff Woodard?”
Emory sat at his desk, researching Lettie Belcher’s family on his laptop, when his cell phone rang. He checked the ID but didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
“Emory, it’s Jeff.”
“Hey Jeff. So Frank told me his wife’s brother gave her the money.”
“It was a lie.”
“I know. How do you know?”
“I’ll tell you about it when I see you. Is Virginia there? I just tried calling her cell again.”
Emory glanced at her desk. “She’s still not back.”
“By the way, it’s possible Corey wasn’t being paranoid when he talked of drones watching him. I saw one hovering over Frank Belcher’s balcony.”
“How did you happen to see that?”
“That is something I wanted to talk to you about. I need you to do me a favor.”
“What is it?”
“I need you to bail me out.”