“No. But what am I going to tell Brit? ‘Oh, by the way, you know the guy you’re trying to catch for killing someone, well, this morning he called and left a number where I could reach him. Sorry I didn’t tell you right away but my dead mother told me not to tell you until after lunch.’”
She snatched her banana clip from her hair and started popping it open and closed. “I’m losing it. I swear, I should walk over to the loony ward and have them fit me for a straight jacket.”
“You’re not crazy.” Tanya said. “So Brit hasn’t called back?”
“He left a message.”
“Okay. You tell him that you tried to call this morning, but he didn’t answer. Then you got busy.”
“Too busy to call him and tell him something that I know is important to his case?” Cali shook her head. Tears started to sting her eyes. “Everything just feels so mixed up. I read the police file on Stan, and the whole police force thinks that he killed those two guys.”
“But you still don’t believe it?”
Cali shook her head. “I know he’s not a good person. But I don’t think he’d kill someone. And it’s not just because Mom said it in my dreams. At least I don’t think it is.”
Stress pinched Cali’s stomach. “And Brit said I might have to testify, and I’m going to have to tell the truth, so when they ask me if I think he did it, I’m going to have to say no. And I know Brit’s going to flip.”
Tanya shook her head. “If everything you told me about Stan is true, if he’s looking for the bracelet, I can see why you think Stan didn’t kill those guys. It makes sense to believe that he doesn’t have the rest of the jewelry. And like you said, the one with the jewelry is probably the one who killed those other two. You’re using logic here.”
“Logic?” Cali said. “Remember, I’m the girl whose dead mother is haunting her dreams, telling her what’s happening in the future. And I must believe it because I didn’t call him.”
“Hey, I’m Catholic, I grew up talking to dead people, well dead saints, but it’s the same thing. Anyway, I’m jealous that you got to talk to someone. Do you know how many candles I’ve lit and asked for advice? And not one of them has ever spoken a word back to me, awake or asleep.”
Cali dropped her face into her palms. “I need a vacation from my life. No, I need my life back to normal.”
The door squeaked open, and Cali looked up. Brit stood there—six feet of wonderful. Cali’s heart started to race.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Cali met his gaze.
“Hey.” He nodded at Tanya but focused on Cali. And she suddenly found it hard to breathe.
Tanya stood from the edge of the desk. “Gotta go.”
“Did I come at a bad time?” Brit moved in, watching Tanya skirt out. He tucked one hand in his jeans’ pocket and carried a bag in the other.
“No. I was about to call you.” She looked at the clock.
He glanced at the flowers. “You got them?” He set the bag on the table. “I brought us lunch. Cheeseburgers.”
“Thanks.” Cali looked at the roses. “They’re beautiful.”
“You okay?” Leaning down, he kissed her. Nothing heavy, just sweet. “Am I allowed to do that here?” He glanced back as if to make sure the door was closed. His eyes twinkled, and she saw the heat in his gaze. “Want to join me in the supply closet?”
Nervous, she snatched the clip from her hair and started opening and closing it again. Finally, she just blurted it out. “Stan called.”
Brit’s facial expression flipped from lover to cop.
Her stomach flipped with it, but it wasn’t the good flip this time.
His posture tightened. “When? What did he say?”
She moistened her lips. “I didn’t speak with him. He left messages. I tried to call you to tell you.”
“That was this morning. And you didn’t leave a message.” His brow wrinkled. “He called you this morning and you’re just now telling me. Did he threaten you?”
She shook her head. “No, he wanted me to call him back.”
“You called him?” Suspicion deepened his voice. He held up a hand. “He left a number?”
She nodded. “I didn’t erase the messages.”
“You should have gotten to me immediately. The moment you received these calls.”
He jerked the phone in front of him. “How do I listen to the messages?”
~
Brit pulled into the hotel’s parking lot the same time as Quarles. Brit’s mind had replayed the messages the freak had left Cali. “Cali, baby. Listen, I’m sorry for scaring you. I love you. You know I love you. Call me. I need your help.” He’d left a phone and room number. Brit had called and gotten the hotel’s address. Then he’d dialed Quarles to meet him here.
Quarles jumped out of his car. “Duke and Mark are a minute away, too. Let’s wait on them before going in. You got a vest in your car?”