Текст книги "Trigger Snappy"

Автор книги: Camilla Chafer

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Chapter Fourteen

After one hour, two more angry former friends and one door slam later, I reconvened with Solomon and Delgado in Juliet and Rob's living room. Juliet and Rob sat on the couch opposite me, their faces confused and upset. I figured I'd probably look the same if someone came to my house and tried to convince me that Lily was hell-bent on screwing up my life.

"I can't believe this. You're telling me Rose, Chloe and Rebecca all think I sent those nasty texts? And now you say Penelope is trying to have me sent to jail? I don't believe it," said Juliet, shaking her head.

"I've known Penelope for years," added Rob. He had Juliet's hand between both of his and his eyes were dark from lack of sleep. "She's not that kind of person. She tries really hard; and she's been great in helping us cope with the current situation. No one else has helped as much as she has."

I focused on Juliet as I spoke. "That's part of the issue. Someone has gone to a lot of effort to alienate everyone else around you. Penelope is the only person you have left. You have no one else to turn to, except Rob. A person like that gains power."

"I don't know what you mean. Penelope doesn't have any power over me. She doesn't tell me what to do. She simply supports me."

"Power comes in a lot of different ways. It could be as simple as she likes knowing you have no one else to turn to. Or maybe she's planting little seeds of doubt in your mind, preparing you for her next move," I continued.

"This is too much." Juliet wrenched her hand from Rob's and rose, crossing over to the window. She stood with her arms folded, her back to us, and a thick silence filled the room. I hated to be the one to break it, having already disappointed Juliet, and I only arrived ten minutes prior.

"I'm struggling with this," said Rob, saving me from speaking first. "We've had our differences over the years, but... Penelope's terrific, okay? She's really grown as a person, and she loves Juliet. She made a huge effort to get to know her. She'd never hurt her, or hurt us, like this."

Solomon and I exchanged glances. "What kinds of differences?" I asked.

"Robbie's here," said Juliet, just as Rob began to speak. She waved, stepping away from the window to cross to the door.

"Hey, Jules," said the boy, reaching up to hug her as he bounded in. He dropped his backpack on the floor and kicked off his sneakers before running over to his dad. "Mom said I had to show you my math homework. I got a B! I never got a B before!"

"That's great," said Rob, his eyes lighting up as Robbie dived onto the sofa. He slid off again almost immediately. "I left it in my backpack," he said, gliding across the room in his socked feet, barely noticing us in his excitement and glee.

"Did Robbie show you his homework? He worked really hard and practiced to get it right," called a woman, presumably, the boy's mother. Since I intended to interview her anyway, I hoped now would be a good time. It could also provide Juliet a few minutes to absorb the unpleasant information we just imparted.

I couldn't hide my shock as Penelope stepped into the room, stopping dead when she saw us. Despite her obvious surprise, she recovered quickly, plastering on her familiar, wide-mouthed smile. "Hi, Lexi. I didn't see your car outside. Hi, guys."

"Mom, where's my homework? I can't find it."

"Check the front pocket, honey," said Penelope.

I blinked, confused, as Robbie raided his backpack, finally emerging with a lined sheet of paper. One side was covered with childish handwriting. "Got it!" he said, looking up. All I could see in his face were Rob's features. The same slightly upturned nose, the full lips, the same eyes and hair. I wouldn't have identified him as Penelope's son. "Look Juliet. Did you see my B?"

Juliet brushed his hair affectionately. "Sure did. Well done!"

"You’re Robbie's mom?" I asked, recalling my comments about being moms together. No wonder Penelope got so annoyed when I mentioned Juliet being a mom; I didn't know I was talking about the same kid, her kid!

Penelope shrugged. "Yes, obviously!"

"I didn't realize." I exchanged another puzzled glance with Solomon. Why didn't this crucial piece of information ever come up in our many discussions? I didn't recall seeing anything about Rob's relationship with Penelope, not in Solomon’s or my research, and I felt sure it should have come up before now. If we missed this vital information, what else did we miss? It was a worrying thought and one I didn't look forward to addressing with Solomon.

Penelope looked at Delgado, then at Solomon before she said, "Juliet, can I speak to you privately for a moment?"

"Sure," Juliet replied, turning away from us, her features pinched despite the happy attitude she put on for Robbie’s sake. "Come to the kitchen."

Penelope followed Juliet, casting a backwards glance at us. She didn't look happy and I wished I could have been a fly on the wall to hear the discussion they were about to have. Solomon made a slight motion with his head as I caught his eye: follow them. Now that Rob was preoccupied with his son, I slipped out of the room, treading softly as I made my way along the hall to the kitchen.

"...not a good idea," I heard Penelope saying.

"I know. I agree. I'm not comfortable with Robbie staying overnight either, and I'm so sorry that it's messing with your social life..."

"Silly," cut in Penelope. "Don't you dare worry about my social life! You know I'm here for you. We all agreed that Robbie shouldn't stay over again until this thing with you gets all sorted out."

"I hope it's over soon. He'll only be here a couple hours; and I promise, Rob and I will not let him out of our sight. Please, Penelope, Rob will be so disappointed he can’t spend some time with Robbie. Me too."

"Sorry, but no. I just can't leave my son here, not with all those people in the house. It's just too crazy. What if those people have guns, and Robbie gets hurt? Your PI isn't that good. She didn't even know I'm Robbie's mom. What else has she missed? Look, don't answer that. It's not my business. Just think of him, Juliet, not yourself."

At the insult, I stuck my tongue out in the direction of the kitchen. It wasn't mature, no, but it was unseen and felt good, all the same.

"You're right. I'm being selfish. It's not Robbie's problem that I'm stuck in the house."

"Rob isn't stuck here," replied Penelope. "Perhaps Rob could take Robbie out? That would be okay with me. C'mon. You know you don't want them to miss out on their time together just because you're under house arrest."

Juliet sighed. "You’re right; Rob and Robbie shouldn't lose out because of me."

"Tell them that you suggested it. You'll be okay here with your PI girl and those big guys. They'll keep you safe and you don't have to worry about Rob or Robbie."

"Yeah." Juliet's voice sounded heavy and disappointed.

I backed away as footsteps headed for the kitchen door. Moments later, I slipped into the living room. I had barely enough time to lounge against the wall as if I'd only gotten up to stretch when Juliet and Penelope returned.

"Change of plan," said Juliet, with a smile that stopped far short of her eyes. "It's such a sunny day outside, why don't you take Robbie to the park, honey?"

Rob glanced up from the homework he previously enthused over. "Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent. It'll be so much nicer than staying in with our guests," she said, giving us a pointed glance. Rob swallowed and nodded, getting the gist instantly.

"I would like to stretch my legs," he said. "Why don't you go put on your sneakers, champ? Let’s go to the park."

"Are you coming too, Juliet?" Robbie asked.

Juliet shook her head quickly. "Not today. I have some things to do here with our guests."

Robbie darted across the floor and dropped onto his butt, pulling his sneakers on quickly as he glanced up at us. "Hi," he said, before turning to his father. "Can we get ice cream too, Dad?"

"Sure."

"I'll see you later," said Penelope, dropping a kiss on Juliet's cheek. "Bye, Lexi! Bye, guys!" She waved, smiling brilliantly as she moved towards the door with Robbie in tow. Rob gave Juliet a brief hug, whispered something in her ear, to which she nodded, and grabbed his jacket, following Robbie out the door.

Crossing to the window, I watched them climb into Penelope's car and take off.

"Is the park close?" I asked, wondering which one they planned to visit.

"End of the street. Robbie loves going there."

"It's nice of Penelope to give them a ride," I said, watching for Juliet's reaction. What did she think of her fiancé climbing into the car with his ex and son, as though they were still a family? As if Juliet weren't already feeling like a prisoner in her own home. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't the simple shrug she gave me.

"I guess she's heading past the park," said Juliet. "She always helps out."

"How come you didn't tell me Penelope is Robbie's mom?" I asked.

"I'm sure I did. Didn't I? I don't know. I guess it slipped my mind. I've not been thinking properly lately with everything else going on."

"It doesn't matter."

"Let's go through the security system," suggested Solomon, rising and indicating Delgado should do the same.

"Shouldn't we wait for Rob?" asked Juliet.

"I'd have liked to, but we can run through it with you now and with Rob later," said Delgado. "I can come back when you're both free if you have company later."

"No, there will be just us. We've decided that Robbie shouldn't stay over until the person who broke in is found. Besides, we haven't invited any guests." Juliet trailed off, her voice sounding utterly despondent. I wondered how it felt knowing that all your friends thought you purposely alienated them. It was something to take up later, and once again, I didn't relish piling on more agony. She seemed perplexed enough when I informed her of her former friends' comments.

"Take us through it," said Solomon, inclining his head to indicate that Delgado should lead the way.

"We've placed alarms on all of the downstairs doors and windows," Delgado began, pointing to the living room window before moving into the hallway. "They're very discreet and no one will notice them. As far as your stalker will know, nothing will appear to have been changed with your home security system."

"What if they saw you here?" I asked. "Penelope saw you."

"Look at the back of my jacket." Delgado turned around. Bodyguard was written in bold letters across the back. "That's my cover. I arrived in my own car and if your stalker is watching, and if it's this Penelope chick, she'll assume you were considering a little extra protection," he said, adding, “at least, that’s what we’re guessing.” Juliet nodded, but didn't look very reassured.

"Won't it look strange when you leave?" she asked.

"We have to assume, if they are watching, and they see me leave and not return, it should be enough to convince them you've decided not to proceed with more protective services. Meanwhile, we'll be here, all the time, watching and listening."

"To everything?" asked Juliet, frowning.

Solomon shook his head. "No, as a general rule, we switch audio off so we aren't eavesdropping on any of your private conversations. If there's something you need us to listen to, you can simply signal beforehand. We'll work out a gesture you can make that we'll pick up."

"That sounds okay."

"Let me point out the other cameras," continued Delgado. "There's one here trained on the front door, and on the other side of the door is another small camera that will pick up anybody who steps onto your stoop. Over here, all the windows in your dining room are wired; and in the kitchen, there are two more cameras, one covering the door from the inside and one from the outside."

We followed mutely in awe as Delgado continued his tour, pointing out where microphones were hidden and all the other windows that were wired. He paused at the bottom of the stairs, saying, "We haven't wired upstairs, as the windows are too hard to reach without a ladder or being seen. We've also added cameras to the detached garage and wired all the doors. I changed the frequency of your garage bleepers too."

"And the locks have all been changed," added Juliet. "I made sure only Rob and I have keys. Is that enough to keep them out?"

Delgado's mouth tensed. "It's hard to say how motivated the stalker is, but these precautions give us better odds at catching them."

"Good. I hope they try again! And you can catch them once and for all. I may as well have a target on my head thanks to this." Juliet pointed to her ankle. The bracelet peeked out from under her pant leg, reminding me of how stuck she truly was.

"You're safe," added Solomon.

Juliet sucked in a deep breath. "Until I go to jail."

I took Juliet by the arm, steering her into the kitchen and away from Solomon. He was seeking even more evidence to prove why Juliet belonged in prison. As soon as I thought that, I felt mean. Without Solomon, I wouldn't have access to all that surveillance equipment and manpower. I couldn't have asked questions of her colleagues. Solomon’s only mission was finding the culprit who did the insider trading; and proving Juliet didn't do it would be almost as good a result. It might even turn out to lead him to the real bad guy. Between the two of us, we should have been able to gather enough information to release Juliet from her current predicament. It no longer mattered that Solomon and I had joined forces from opposite sides of the case; it was now vitally important that we both see it from different perspectives.

"You can't think like that," I told her. "We're going to find out who's doing this."

"I'm losing hope."

"I know."

"I just... I have no one to talk to except Rob; and he's worried sick, and I don't want to burden him anymore... and my friends. What exactly did they say?"

"They said you severed all contact with them." I glanced up, noticing Solomon filling the doorway, listening quietly. "Rose said she got strange texts from you. Rebecca said you told her where to go, and in no uncertain terms, and Chloe said you accused her of sleeping with Rob."

Juliet paled "Oh my gosh! I would never... never say those things! I don't... strange texts?" she asked, stuttering to a stop.

"Rose says she lost them when she got a new cell phone, so I never saw them to verify her claim."

"And Rebecca and Chloe?"

"Rebecca showed me the texts; and they are traced to your phone."

"I can show you my phone. I don't have any texts like that because I never sent them! Chloe too?"

"Chloe was too angry to talk any further," I said, recalling the door slamming in my face.

"I need to speak to them! They need to know I didn't send anything like that. I would never accuse Chloe of sleeping with Rob! Such a concept never even crossed my mind. And why would I tell Rose and Rebecca to get lost? We've been friends for years. Here, check my phone." Juliet pulled her cell phone from her pocket and pushed it into my hand.

I brushed the screen with my thumb and it flashed to life, the icons brightening the screen. "You don't use any pin protection?" I asked, meeting Solomon's eyes over her shoulder, who gave a disbelieving shake of his head.

"No, I never had to in the past."

I handed the phone back, without checking her text messages. "I don't need to look to believe you," I said, not bothering to add I would comb her phone records later. I expected to find a record of the damning texts, but still felt sure Juliet never sent them. Whoever did would most likely have deleted them as soon as they were sent. Juliet would have been none the wiser, thanks to her poor personal security. "There have been several other incidences of false texts and emails, which suggests someone is accessing your data," I told her, hoping she would feel some relief in my uncovering a trail.

"Someone's reading my emails and my texts?"

"I think so."

"Should I change my password?"

"Not yet," I advised. "It could be useful. We could use it as a vehicle to feed information through, you know, the stuff that we want to make them believe."

"Like a false trail?"

"Exactly! So far, the stalker doesn't know what we know; or that we know anything. Let's keep it that way."

"Is Penelope your only suspect?"

Once again, I glanced toward Solomon. I don’t know if I sought reassurance, or direction, but when he remained motionless, I continued talking. "Unfortunately, not. Our biggest concern is the access she has to your home and work life."

"Shouldn't she have a motive? Penelope is the only person who stood by us."

"That's exactly the problem. Your colleagues are suspicious of you, and your employers are investigating you. All your other friends feel alienated..."

"Penelope got weird texts from me too! We spoke about it, and later agreed that it must have been some kind of crossed text from another line."

"When did you speak about this last?"

"Last week. So you see? Penelope is a victim too," continued Juliet, determined to squelch our suspicions. If I were she, I wouldn't want to believe them either. We didn't give her any hard evidence, and even the motive was weak.

"Penelope didn't mention it when I spoke with her," I said, puzzled at that apparently forgotten morsel of information. Why wouldn't Penelope have mentioned it when I questioned her about the other incidents? It seemed too important to leave out.

"It could have slipped her mind, especially as we agreed it was probably a crossed text. I guess it could have been a nuisance one. All is fine between Penelope and me, and if it weren’t for her help and generosity, I don't know what we'd do. I think you need to look at someone else. Maybe a colleague from work. My assistant could be behind this. I told you she claimed I fired her."

"We spoke with her already. She has an alibi for the night you were broken into."

"But she could have accessed my emails."

"She could have, but I don't think she did."

"But you think Penelope would? She doesn't know my passwords! And how would she get my bank card?"

"Why don't you check your purse?" suggested Solomon. I jumped at the sound of his voice. I never heard him arrive.

"Why?" asked Juliet.

"Just check it. Tell me if anything is missing."

"Okay. I think it's in the kitchen." Juliet turned away with frown lines etched across her forehead as she walked towards the kitchen.

"What are you up to?" I asked Solomon.

He put a finger to his lips. "Wait and see."

Juliet returned with her purse in hand. She dropped onto the armchair and rifled through it. "I don't think anything is... wait! My credit cards are missing."

"These?" asked Solomon, leaning over to hand her two cards.

"Yes. How did you..." Juliet checked the cards. "These are mine."

"Anything else?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"I think twenty dollars is gone, but I'm not sure."

"Actually," grinned Delgado, producing a couple of crumpled bills, "it was thirty. Here."

Juliet took her cards and money, stuffing them into her purse. "I don't get it."

"I took your cards only minutes after we arrived and instructed Delgado to take something from your purse when he could. The point, Juliet, is to show you that even when you're in the house, your private things can be stolen, and even returned, without your knowing. Take another look in your purse."

We watched as Juliet opened her wallet, searching through the compartments. Finally, she unsnapped the middle money section and extracted a small piece of paper. "What's this?" she asked, unfolding it.

"Read it out loud," instructed Solomon.

"I can put things in your purse without you knowing too," Juliet read. She looked up as she snapped her wallet shut. "Okay, I get your point. You can take things and put them back without me knowing, so someone else could have too. That's what you mean, isn't it? That Penelope could have easily done the same?"

Solomon gave a curt nod. "Yes, and that includes anyone you trust to be inside your house. They could do the same thing when your back is turned."

"I still don't believe Penelope would do something like that. She's the mother of Rob's son! I had nothing to do with their breakup and we've been friends a long time."

"Were you always friends?"

"Not always. It was awkward at first. She used to give Rob a hard time about Robbie spending time with us both. She was super involved with his family and never gave us any space for our relationship to develop. Later, we started to talk, and Penelope came around; and it's been great ever since," she said, moving towards the front of the house, and leaving her purse behind.

As we entered the living room, a car door slammed outside and Juliet jumped, placing a hand on her heart while taking a deep breath. I looked toward the street. Penelope's car had returned and Robbie climbed out, racing towards the house, a balloon attached to a long string in his hand. Juliet moved over to the door, leaving Solomon, Delgado, and me to observe Penelope and Rob embracing before he too began to walk towards the house. From the doorway, unable to see the lingering hug, Juliet said, "What possible reason could she have to hate me?"