“Stay calm... stay calm,” she chanted aloud. She was letting her imagination run away with her common sense. She told herself over and over again that she had locked that door.
She would not let Harris win. She would not let him scare her. Harris could not get to her. He did not have a key. There was no way he could get in again. She had made it her business to have all the locks at the school changed. Oh, why hadn’t she taken Lynn’s advice and had the place wired for a security alarm system? For heaven’s sakes, now was not exactly a great time to think of it!
Despite her assertion, she made a mad dash through the apartment, turning on lights as she went She paused in the tiny foyer, listening. There was no unusual sound that she could detect. Ever so slowly she released the deadbolt lock. Her hands were shaking so badly it took her three tries before she managed to complete the maneuver. Amber stood listening through the door while praying, her heart hammering loudly inside of her chest.
“Calm down, girl. Think!” She repeated over and over to herself as she ever so cautiously opened the door. Darkness enveloped her. She flicked on the light at the top of the landing, her eyes peering into every corner of the L-shaped staircase and the hallway.
“Nothing!” She sighed, hurrying down on winged feet.
“Silly,” she whispered aloud but was unable to breathe easily until she tested the locked door. She felt stupid, yet she still turned on all the outside lights.
Amber doubled-checked every window and lock in the school. Her ascent was slower, but nonetheless it was made in record time. She felt as if she had played right into Harris’s hands. She’d allowed him to frightened her.
He obviously wanted to get back at her for firing him. He’d done an excellent job! He had her trembling with terror. How could she have let him manipulate her so easily?
The slashed tire and the destruction of her home were his way of dealing with the situation. Not once had he claimed responsibility for his own reckless behavior. Drinking on the job and being unreliable were the reasons she had fired him. She had not even known about his history then. She sighed, realizing she was using logic to understand an irrational mind.
If only she could stop shaking. She gave up trying to be strong and made two calls, one to John McClure, the other to Lynn.
As she replaced the receiver, she accepted that deep down she was furious with Ray. She needed him here with her, not halfway around the globe. How could they have a future? He was never around when she needed him. A single tear trickled down her cheek as she hugged her upraised knees.
“Okay, Amber, tell me what he said, word for word,” John McClure asked yet again.
“No! John, it’s two fifteen in the morning. Please, can’t this wait until morning?” They’d been at it for hours, and she was at the point of screaming.
“Come on, honey,” Lynn coaxed, squeezing Amber’s shoulder affectionately. “One last time, then the nice man will go home and let us all get some sleep.” The last was accompanied by a meaningful glare at the government agent.
“Last time, I promise.” He effectively hid a smile. Amber nodded, wiping impatiently at the unwelcome moisture accumulating in her eyes.
“I had just gotten home from dinner—”
“What time was it?”
“Eleven thirty, quarter to twelve. What difference does it make? I’ve told you this a hundred times. I’m beginning to feel like the criminal here, John.” Amber rose from the chair, suddenly feeling hemmed in. She crossed to the mantel, absently fingering a photograph. The grandfather clock was the only sound in the room.
“I’ll put on some water for tea,” Lynn said to no one in particular.
“No, that’s not—” Amber began.
Lynn put in, “It will give me something to do besides hit the nice man over the head.” She sent the agent a hard look before heading for the kitchen.
“I know this is hard on you, but please concentrate.”
Amber frowned, but her voice was steady when she said, “It was while I was getting ready for bed. The phone was ringing when I came out of the shower. He didn’t identify himself. But then he didn’t have to. I knew his voice. Harris started telling me how happy he had been here—blaming me for sending the police after him. He said he wanted to pay me back for firing him. He wanted to make sure I knew he was responsible for the paint on my walls. He kept calling me bitch.”
“Do you have any idea if the call sounded like it was long-distance?”
“I don’t know. How could I tell? I don’t understand any of this. I tried to talk to him, reason with him, but that only seemed to make him angrier.”
“Did he make any reference to his location? It’s important. He may be still in the area.”
“Nothing that I can remember. He could have been anywhere.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!” She raised her voice. “I know you’re only doing your job, but you’re getting on my last nerve. I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to say that.” She stopped, suddenly more upset with herself than him. He was here to help her.
“Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, Amber. But there may be something... something seemingly unimportant that may help us find him. We can’t afford to overlook anything. He’s dangerous. We’ve got to get him before he goes after another child. What did he say after that?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Amber, we are almost finished.”
“Thank the Lord,” Lynn said coming back into the room, carrying a tray.
“Amber, how did he make you feel? Were you frightened? Did he threaten you?”
“Of course I was frightened. Why else would I have called you and Lynn?”
“Then he threatened you?”
“No, not really. It wasn’t so much what he said, it was how he said it. He was so angry. I remember being so disturbed by the anger in his voice that I couldn’t remember if I’d locked the side door. So I ran downstairs and checked all the locks in the building. I didn’t calm down until Lynn got here.”
John nodded, making another notation in his ever present notebook.
“He mentioned Mrs. Kennedy—said something about not being able to keep his room in her boarding house. I think he was very comfortable there. That’s not surprising. Rosa Kennedy is one of the best cooks in town, and she loves having a house full of people.”
“She complains between college terms when every room in her house isn’t taken. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Daniels have both lived in her house for years, not to mention Mrs. Abernathy. She’s a real mother hen, pampers everyone.” Lynn speculated, “That may have been the first real home he’s ever had.”
“You may have something there. Thanks, ladies. Mrs. Baldwin, you’re going to spend what’s left of the night here?”
“Yes. I think we’ll all sleep better if I do.”
“That’s not necessary. I had all the locks changed, and the security system will be installed in the morning. I’m perfectly safe, aren’t I?” She looked pointedly at the agent. “For all we know, he could be out of state. To ease your mind, I will have a man stationed outside,” he answered.
“No. I don’t want someone trailing me everywhere I go. That’s guaranteed to make me nervous.”
“He’ll be here for your protection.”
“Amber, be reasonable. Until Harris is caught you may be in danger.”
“So could half the population of Shelly.”
“He’s made threats against you. You said yourself, he blames you for firing him,” Lynn persisted.
“I won’t live like a prisoner in my own home.” Amber shuddered at the thought.
“You won’t know our man is here, Amber. He’ll be stationed outside the house, across the road. He will periodically check the grounds during the evening hours. If you have a problem, you have only to signal him from your front window,” he explained.
“I don’t want to be followed everywhere I go. It will scare the community. They’ll think I need a bodyguard to go to the grocery store or to the cleaners. We’ll end up losing the students we have left.”
“Amber!”
“Lynn, I mean it I’ve had enough.”
“We’ll do it your way. No shadow, okay?”
Amber nodded.
“Just one man outside in an unmarked car.”
“Okay.”
“If you suddenly remember anything, give me a call. Doesn’t matter what time it is. I would like to install a listening device on the telephones. That way if he calls again, we can put a trace on it. Okay?”
“Fine. Thanks for coming.”
“It’s my job.” Lousy timing, John McClure decided with Ray being out of the country. Harris’s victims were teenage boys, not beautiful women. Yet there was something about the tone of the call that had him worried.
‘ ‘I’ll see you out,” Lynn volunteered before Amber could offer.
“I’ll have someone out first thing in the morning to take care of the telephones. Get some sleep.”
“Good night,” Amber said, trying to smile but failed miserably.
Once they were out of earshot Lynn asked, “Are you sure she’s safe? If necessary, I could try again to persuade her to stay on with us until Harris is behind bars.”
“She doesn’t want to leave her home. Who can blame her? One thing is for sure, she is fortunate to have good friends like you and your husband, as well as Ginger and Wayne Adams,” he said as he unlocked the door.
“What if he calls again?”
“He’s welcome to call. That way we can track him. Stop worrying. We’re not about to give up. I want this guy.” He patted her shoulder. “Lynn, rest easy. Help will be as close as the front window.”
“That’s good to know. Thanks, John.”
“Be sure and lock this behind me. Oh, remind her to call if she remembers anything else.”
“I will. Good night.”
Lynn found Amber in the same spot She hadn’t moved an inch. She sat staring at the photograph she had purchased at the Caldwell Gallery. It graced the wall above the sitting area near the window. Judging from the look on her features, her thoughts weren’t exactly pleasant.
“We’re locked in as cozy as twin peas in a pod. How does a fresh hot drink sound?” Her eyes went to the untouched tray she’d prepared earlier.
“Lynn, you’ve done enough.”
She shrugged. “A hot drink will help us both sleep.”
“No, I wasn’t talking about the tea. You don’t have to interrupt your life this way. You have a family who needs you. I can’t imagine Alex was too happy when you took off in the middle of the night.”
“Alex is a very understanding man. That’s one of the reasons why I married him. The other is he’s sexy as all get out!” Much to her relief that prompted a laugh.
“You’ve been so good to me,” Amber said, going over and giving Lynn a hug.
“Glad you noticed. Why don’t you go pop into bed while I fire up the old range.”
Amber was just too tired to put up much of an argument. She climbed into bed, trying not to think of how big and empty it seemed. She did not bother to change from the lounging pajamas she had hastily pulled on a couple of hours ago. Hours... goodness, it seemed like a couple of years. She pressed her fingers to her temples, her head was pounding.
“What’s wrong?” Lynn asked as she came in with a tray.
“Nothing serious. Just a headache.”
“Aspirin in the bathroom?” Lynn asked, heading in that direction after handing Amber a steaming mug.
“Mmm...” she mumbled, almost too tired to sit up. “Thanks,” she said when Lynn dropped two tablets into her palm. “I bet Alex would love to get his hands around my throat. Every time the poor man looks up, I have you off and running.”
“Will you stop. Alex happens to be very fond of you,” Lynn said, picking up her own mug.
Amber sighed heavily. “Did you find everything you need for tonight? There are extra blankets and towels in the hall linen closet.”
“I’m just fine.”
“I’m glad you’re here. Remember, it’s just for one night. Tomorrow I’ll get that alarm system installed.”
“Amber, our guest bedroom is—”
“I know, always available. I appreciate it,” she said, blinking back tears. She was so exhausted, but she doubted she would be able to sleep. “That phone call really threw me. It’s not like me to be such a baby about being alone. For heaven’s sake, I should be use to it.”
“You’ve been very brave tonight. Now stop being so hard on yourself.”
“Oh, Lynn, I just want it to be over,” she whispered unable to completely hide her torment.
“It will be, honey. Now try to get a little sleep. The sun will be up soon enough.”
“You’ll call if you can’t find something?”
“Will not... Night,” she called, crossing to the door.
“Night,” Amber echoed. She hadn’t expected to sleep, but she did, soundly.
She dreamed that she lay beneath Ray’s strong male frame. His lips were a gentle pressure upon hers, as she opened her mouth as sweetly and hungrily as a new plant to the moist warmth of the spring rain. He groaned, huskily, his tongue stroking hers. The pleasure—oh, the sweet magic.
“Ray,” she whispered his name softly in her sleep, curling her arms around the cushiony softness of the pillow. She sighed again as his lips journeyed along her throat. His lean strong hands were incredibly gentle as they encircled her throat his thumb meeting in the hollow, caressing the scented place. Suddenly, strong fingers tightened, pressing down into her windpipe. She tried to scream, but no sound emerged.
Amber’s eyes flew open, her entire body stiffened in alarm as she realized the hands that had tightened around her throat were thin, but nonetheless strong. The face above hers hadn’t been Ray’s but Harris’s. Her whole body shook.
“A dream,” she soothed herself, blinking rapidly, forcing herself awake—concentrating on her breathing, slowing it until it returned to normal. Her eyes traveled around the room, lingering on the familiar furnishings in her bedroom.
“Only a dream,” she repeated, hugging her empty arms. “Ray... oh, Ray—I need you.” Tears that burned her eyes didn’t fall no matter how much she ached for their release. The sun was creeping toward the horizon when she finally managed to fall back to sleep.