Chapter Twenty-Three

In the morning the world looked brighter to Deidre. On the way to her car, she hummed a familiar tune and stopped to look at the colorful fall mums growing next to her walkway. She opened the back gate to her yard and stood motionless in her tracks. She could see another note on her windshield.

Hesitantly, she slid it from under the wiper blade. It read “This is for real—Stop.”

As she stood trying to figure out what to do next, Mrs. Olson opened her back door.

“Deidre, Deidre dear,” she called. “Would you come over here for a minute? I don’t want to shout.”

Slowly, Deidre walked over to her.

“I noticed that you have a man staying with you some nights,” Mrs. Olson began. “Not that I try to snoop on what you’re doing, but I do have trouble sleeping at night.”

Here it comes, Deidre thought. Just what I need on top of everything else, a morality lecture.

“Mrs. Olson—” she began but was cut off.

“Oh, please. Call me Inga. Anyway, I wanted to tell you how happy I am for you. I used to watch you and wonder why such a pretty young lady didn’t have a man in her life. And especially now, I feel better knowing you have someone with you most nights.”

“Why, thank you, Inga,” Deidre responded, shocked by what her neighbor said. “But what do you mean by ‘especially now’?”

Inga looked at her as if she were about to tattle on someone. She looked over her shoulder before leaning closer to Deidre, and in a hushed voice said, “The night before last, you were late getting home from work. I happened to look out my kitchen window and saw the figure of a man by your car. He was fidgeting with something on your windshield. Then, the same night, I woke at about three in the morning—I’m a light sleeper, you know. I looked out my window and the same figure was by your truck, doing the same thing. I thought of calling the police, but I didn’t want people to think I’m nosey or anything. But last night I saw the same man out there again, at least I think he was the same man. Anyway, I thought you’d like to know.”

Deidre was stunned. “Could you see who it was?” she asked expectantly.

“No, it is just too shadowy where you park. All I could see was his figure.”

“You keep calling this person a man. How do you know that, Inga?

“He’s either a man or an awfully large woman. He stood taller than your sheriff’s van. And his shoulders were so broad. He was a very large man. I thought he looked athletic, narrow waist, and he moved with ease.”

“Mrs. Olson, Inga,” she corrected herself. “Thank you so much. You’ve been a big help to me. And thank you for understanding about the man who visits me. It’s such a comfort having him with me, especially since someone’s been lurking around my home. I’ll bring him over and introduce you soon.”

“That would be nice, dear. I’d like to meet him. Have a good day, and be careful.”

 

 

By the time Deidre arrived at work, she was beyond being frightened. She was enraged, and she stormed through her morning meeting. As soon as the deputies were dispatched to their assignments, she stomped down the stairs to her vehicle.

In minutes, she was wheeling out of town. She had a few things she wanted to tell Ed Beirmont. Her truck skidded to a stop in his driveway, and Deidre sprinted up the stairs to his deck. She pounded on his door.

Ed opened the inner door, but not the screen. “Can I come in?” Deidre demanded.

“Do you have a warrant?” Ed countered.

“No, I don’t have a warrant.”

“Then why are you here?” Ed asked in an emotionless voice.

“Someone’s been messing around my vehicles at night. That person was seen on three occasions, and his description fits you.”

Ed never raised his voice. “I’m only one of ten thousand people in this county. Do you have a reason for singling me out? Was there a witness able to ID me? If not, I’d like you to get off my property.”

Reality began to set in for Deidre as she calmed down. “No, but he was your size and build.”

“So your witness never saw the person’s face? Why are you talking to me? I can name a half-dozen people in town my size. If that’s all you have to go on, I’d like you to quit harassing me. I’ve done nothing to cause this visit.” Ed looked her square in the eye, but he never so much as raised his voice.

“Before I leave,” Deidre narrowed her eyes to mere slits, “I want you to know that your scare tactics aren’t going to work. If you think you can intimidate me into backing off, you’re wrong. I’m pissed, and when I get that way, I only work harder. If I were you, Ed, I’d watch your every move. I will be, you can be sure of that.”

Deidre walked away without waiting for a response. As she drove back to town she thought, That was a waste of time. Calm down, girl, and screw your head on straight. Nothing will get done if you don’t.

By the time she reached her office, she had stopped shaking and her heart rate was almost back to normal. Time to straighten up my desk. The weekend’s coming. By tomorrow night, John and I will be alone for forty-eight hours. I wonder what he wants to talk about. Not work, I hope.

The rest of her day went smoothly. Deidre checked with Judy about meeting the next week and confirmed they would get together on Thursday. She still felt like she was treading water with the two cases, and she wondered if they’d ever find Skinny’s killer or the person who injected Jill with meth.

Deidre was home at her normal time for a change, and she waved at Inga, who was looking out her kitchen window. She ate a microwave meal, missing John’s home cooking but more so his banter. John planned to move in on Monday, and she wondered what it would be like to have him around so much of the time. Wonderful, she hoped.

She fell asleep in her recliner during the ten o’clock news, woke at eleven and dragged herself to bed. The next morning she was relieved to see that there was nothing stuck to her windshield.

The only thing of consequence that happened on Friday during work was that Ben called. He had contacted Mac and Melissa, and they had verified they would meet at his office in Duluth. Other than that, Friday seemed to last forever, and by three o’clock she was ready to knock off early. John was waiting for her when she walked in the back door of her home.