“Karen called in sick today. I tried to reach her at school.”
He shook his head. “Maybe she just wanted a day off. She definitely wasn’t sick.” He smiled, and she thought his smile was just a little plastic.
“I guess you’re right, then—she must just have wanted a day off. Oh, well, I’m going to go ahead and get out of here,” she told him. “Len, how late are you staying? Don’t you have to be to work early tomorrow?”
“I won’t be staying late. A woman from my station is coming in after her husband heads to work. She has Thursdays off, so she’ll stay until tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks again, Len. Thanks very much.” She rose on her toes to kiss his cheek. He moved as she did, and his lips brushed hers.
She drew back quickly, smiling a plastic smile of her own. “Well, see you tomorrow night, then.”
He nodded, and Ashley started down the hallway. She turned and saw that he was still watching her, so she waved and hurried off.
When she reached the elevators, she realized that she’d set her phone on vibrate, then stuck it in her purse without thinking, so there was no telling how many calls she’d missed. And it was long past five, David Wharton must have left city hall a long time ago.
She checked. As she had feared, she’d missed his call.
She swore to herself, punching the elevator button, then getting into the empty car, thinking nothing of it. As she followed the instructions to get her messages, she stepped out into the parking garage.
Automatically, she started walking toward her car just as she opened David Wharton’s message. He sounded excited.
“Ashley! Damn it, how can you be not answering your phone? Anyway, the owner of the property is listed as Caleb Harrison. But get this. You’re not going to believe who last sold that property. You are just not going to believe it!”
CHAPTER 17
Ashley was so stunned when she heard the name that she stood dead still.
And it was then that she heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind her.
Goose bumps instantly broke out as if something inside was warning her that it wasn’t just a noise, it was a menace. She turned around slowly. There were a lot of cars in the garage, the shadows they cast creating great pools of darkness. But she saw nothing. No one moving. No one coming toward her.
A sharp slam sounded from ahead, and she realized that a young woman in a nurse’s uniform had just gotten out of her car. Ashley still hadn’t moved. The woman offered her a smile as she passed by.
Ashley gave herself a shake and started walking again. She heard an echo of footsteps. Not sharp, just an echo…as if someone was being as furtive as possible. She stopped and turned and looked around, fingering the strap of her bag. She still had the gun on her. “Who is it?” she called out, spinning around.
Again, nothing. She started walking once again. And again she heard the footsteps….
She was almost at her car. She could hear the sound, growing closer, close….
She stopped, pulled the gun out and spun around, both hands on her weapon, just as a car came around the corner. The woman driving widened her eyes and let out a scream. Ashley quickly lowered the weapon, damning herself.
“It’s all right, police business!” she shouted, wincing. Police business? Like hell. She was a forensic artist, not a sworn officer of the law, wielding a weapon in a public garage. She had to get a grip.
She stopped and then…
Heard the footsteps. Flat and hard, coming from behind her. She turned, her hands still on the gun, but she didn’t raise it.
Thank God.
She let out a sigh. “Len! What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be on guard duty. You scared the hell out of me.”
“Me! I scared you? You’re the one with a gun. Are you still supposed to have that weapon, Ashley? Shouldn’t you have turned it in when you went civilian?”
“Yes, I have to turn it in.”
“What happened? Was there another incident? Why are you so spooked?”
“Why aren’t you on guard duty?”
“My replacement came early, so I came chasing after you for a ride home, since I got dropped off in a patrol car today. Now, your turn. What are you doing with that gun?”
“I thought I heard…”
“Ashley, even assuming someone was following you the other night, they have to be long gone by now. Why are you still so afraid?”
“Because there’s still something seriously wrong where Stuart is concerned. I know it. And I’m afraid someone doesn’t want me pursuing it.”
“Wow,” he murmured, looking at her eyes. “You really are worried.”
“I’m all right. I’m just going to find out what is going on.”
Len looked around the garage. “Ashley, you’ve got to be careful with that gun. This is a busy place.”
“No, Len, it’s not. Not when it’s late. Then it’s a big place full of shadows where you have no idea who might be skulking around behind the cars.”
He sighed. “You working tomorrow?”
“Yes.”