Narrow Escape Read online

  Color rose in Arissa’s cheeks, but Nathan laughed it off. “I don’t remember being that eager as a cadet.”

  “Well, Joseph’s just out of the academy and sometimes he rubs off on Charlie, even though he had another career before joining the force. Sit down.” He pointed to the two seats in front of his desk.

  Nathan closed the office door. “I actually only wanted to call my parents from your phone, if you don’t mind. It wouldn’t look odd for you to call Roland Gibbs since you’re friends.”

  Detective Carter’s reddish eyebrows rose toward his receding hairline. “You take ‘caution’ to a whole new level, Fischer.”

  “Just call it paranoia, Detective.” Nathan smiled. “Can I put it on speaker phone?”

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  The detective punched a few buttons on his phone and then dialed retired detective Roland Gibbs’s home. The phone only rang a couple times. “Gibbs,” the gruff voice answered.

  “It’s Nathan Fischer.”

  “Oh, yes. Hang on.”

  A pause, then his mother’s voice. “Nathan, are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, Mom. How are you and Dad holding up?”

  To his surprise, his mother gave a snort. “Your father is having a ball. He and Roland have gone fishing at the stream in his backyard every day and I’ve been dying of boredom. The man doesn’t even have cable television.”

  Nathan bit back a smile. “Sorry about that, Mom.”

  “Please tell me this will be over soon.”

  Nathan sobered quickly. He wasn’t sure what to tell her.

  Detective Carter spoke up. “Mrs. Fischer, it’s Detective Carter. I assure you we’re doing everything we can to find those men who are after your son and discover what they’re up to. I give you my word I won’t rest until I have answers.”

  Nathan met the man’s steely gaze with surprise and gratitude. He knew Detective Carter didn’t give his promises lightly because he always followed through on them. It made Nathan feel a bit more at ease to know the man was standing beside him, despite the fact Nathan hadn’t wanted police protection for the three of them.

  “Thank you, Detective Carter,” his mom said. “Nathan, are Arissa and Charity all right?”

  “We’re here, Kat,” Arissa said. “We’re fine, thanks to Nathan and Detective Carter watching over us.”

  “Oh good, I’m glad nothing bad has happened to you all,” Mom said.

  Nathan and Arissa shared a guilty look, but didn’t update her. She didn’t get much of the local news or gossip out at Roland Gibbs’s ranch, which was all for the best.

  “Did you need to talk to your father?” his mom asked.

  “No, actually, we needed to talk to you, Mom.”

  “Me? Whatever for?”

  “You mentioned seeing Mark in Sonoma,” Arissa said. “Do you remember when you saw him?”

  “Hmm...” Nathan could picture her rubbing her forehead with her palm, the way he knew he did when he was thinking. “It was so long ago. I’m not sure.”

  “How about the time of year of each time you saw him?” Arissa asked.

  Good idea, Nathan thought. “How many times did you see him, Mom?”

  “Let me see... The first time was I think in the grocery store. He was buying bagels—yes, I remember because I recommended the onion bagels. It was later in the day—he said he was staying with his aunt overnight and heading out early in the morning, so he was buying breakfast ahead of time.”

  He stayed with his aunt? Nathan raised his eyebrows at Arissa, who had also caught the mention about the overnight stay, and shook her head in confusion.

  “I think he mentioned something about driving his aunt into downtown Sonoma for her to do her shopping.”

  Arissa nodded. “My aunt doesn’t drive anymore. She usually gets one of her other friends to take her places.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t remember the weather or the time of year.”

  “That’s okay, Mom. How about the next time?”

  “We were walking in the square. He was walking, too—he’d been shopping, I think, because he had a bag from the office supply store. He mentioned he had driven his aunt to Sonoma again—or maybe I asked him if that’s what he did, and he agreed? I can’t remember. Anyway, he said he’d been about to head back to L.A. but he had picked up a few supplies he needed, while he remembered, since the store was right there. That’s when your father and I invited him to dinner. At first he said no, but we bullied him into accepting.”

  Arissa smiled at his mother’s comment.

  “Did you see what he’d bought?”

  “No, I’m afraid I don’t remember.”

  “What did you talk about at dinner?”

  “Oh, I don’t know that I remember that, either. Just little things, nothing important. We probably talked about you, Arissa, and your folks. And about Nathan. He didn’t say anything that stood out to me or made me think something was wrong. He was always so full of energy, so charming.”

  Yes, he had been that. He and Nathan had both always been ready for action, always willing to do what needed to be done. And despite knowing Mark had been a mole, Nathan found himself missing his partner more than he ever had before. Maybe that meant he was finally letting the past go.

  “I think that was summertime, because I remember it was very hot. We had the air conditioning running full blast and I made a cold zucchini soup. Mark asked for seconds of that.”

  Summer. Nathan tried to remember if Mark had been absent from work the summer before he died, but he couldn’t remember anything out of the ordinary. Mark must have gone to Sonoma on his days off.

  “We met him two other times that I can remember,” his mom said, “but I don’t remember which was first. Once was in Sonoma again, and once was in Santa Rosa.”

  “Where in Sonoma?”

  “In that coffee shop off the square. He was sitting at a table next to a window and just looking out. I teased him about stalking some girl, and he looked faintly guilty. That made me wonder if he was up in Sonoma because of a girlfriend.”

  After seeing his notes to Jemma and the ring, Nathan didn’t think so. But maybe Mark had been stalking someone—or at least observing them. But who?

  “We invited him to dinner then, too, but he said no, he had to get back to Los Angeles. I remember it was cold, so maybe it was fall or winter.”

  How many months had Mark been coming to Sonoma? Over a year? “How about that time in Santa Rosa, Mom?”

  “That was during some cold month, too. Your father and I like that one Indian restaurant in Santa Rosa, do you remember the one? We had dinner and went walking to the gelato place a few stores down from the restaurant—not for gelato, it was too cold for that, but they make the most divine hot chocolate, it’s thick like—”

  “Mom?”

  “Oops, sorry. Anyway, we literally bumped into Mark.”

  “Why was he in Santa Rosa?”

  “He said his aunt’s house was around the corner.”

  Arissa suddenly jerked in her seat. She moved so violently that Charity, sitting in her lap, started as well. Nathan looked at her, but she simply shook her head and waved her hand, indicating for him to continue talking to his mother.

  “Do you remember what you talked about?”

  “No, I’m sorry. We had hot chocolate together. I’m telling you, Nathan, he didn’t say anything that made me curious or suspicious or that seemed odd.”

  Mark had had that way of relating to people that was completely guileless. Maybe that’s why Nathan hadn’t even suspected him of selling information to the LSLs until that day at the chop shop, when the news had been almost like a physical blow.

  “Mark didn’t mention anything else about our aunt Luellen, di
d he?” Arissa asked.

  “Nothing that seemed strange. The overall impression I got of her was that she was old and a bit set in her ways. She married your mother’s brother, I think?”

  “Yes, and then after he passed away, she remarried, so her last name isn’t Filipino anymore, it’s Delmore.”

  “Yes, now that you mention it, I remember that’s what Mark told us. I guess her second husband passed away, too?”

  “Yes, several years ago. She lives alone now.”

  “Mark said she was very independent.”

  Arissa chuckled. “That’s a nice way of saying she’s used to having her own way and wouldn’t go live with any of her children.”

  “Well, any other questions for me?”

  “Thanks for going over this with us, Kat,” Arissa said.

  “Thanks, Mom. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?” Nathan said.

  “Detective Carter, I am charging you with bringing me some magazines in the next few days,” his mother said sternly. “Otherwise, I might commit homicide if Robert tells me one more fishing tale...”

  “I’ll bring you those magazines tonight, how about that?” Detective Carter had an amused lilt to his voice.

  “Thank you very much.”

  “Bye, Mom.”

  As soon as the detective disconnected the call and turned off the speakerphone, Nathan asked Arissa, “What was it?”

  There was a triumphant gleam in her eye. “My Aunt Luellen lives in Cotati, not Santa Rosa.”

  Something bloomed inside of him, something exciting.

  “She’s never lived in Santa Rosa,” Arissa continued. “And none of her kids lives in Santa Rosa. So what was Mark doing there, claiming he was staying close by?”

  “Your mom said Mark hadn’t visited your aunt, but maybe we need to talk to her anyway.”

  “Do you really think she’d know why Mark was in Santa Rosa, especially when it sounds like he never actually went to visit her?”

  “At first we thought he used your aunt Luellen as his excuse for being in Sonoma, but he could have said he’s visiting an old school friend in Santa Rosa, or even invented some other girlfriend. But he mentioned your aunt.” The wheels were turning in Nathan’s head. He knew that the human brain worked in very predictable ways. “I think that he mentioned her because his business up here might have some association with her. Besides, what do we have to lose?”

  It was a tenuous thread, but he’d take it.

  He didn’t know what else to do.

  * * *

  Arissa’s Aunt Luellen’s house on the outskirts of Cotati looked even more weather-beaten than the last time Arissa had seen it, which had been several years ago. Arissa’s parents hadn’t been able to leave the grocery store for vacations, but Mom called Aunt Luellen once every two weeks just to check on her, even though she was sort of an ex-sister-in-law.

  The sky had become overcast, giving the faded white-washed boards a dingier cast. But Arissa noticed that the front yard didn’t look as scraggly as she remembered. Chickens scattered in front of the SUV as Nathan pulled into the driveway, and the neighing of Aunt Luellen’s goats sounded when Arissa exited of the car. She helped Charity out of the car, too. “You’ll get to meet Aunt Luellen for the first time, won’t that be fun?”

  Charity just looked up at her with large dark eyes.

  “She’s the one who gave you that stuffed turtle at Christmas, remember? He lit up at night and made stars appear on the ceiling.”

  Charity’s eyes brightened. “Mr. Green.”

  “Yes, Mr. Green.” Unfortunately, the stuffed night-light animal was probably ripped to shreds in the ruins of her parents’ apartment.

  They approached the front door, which had a brand-new screen door, and rang the old-fashioned doorbell. It ding-donged inside, then a firm tread sounded coming to the door. It was flung open, and through the screen, the figure of a wiry Filipino man stood.

  Nathan jerked backward in surprise, but Arissa shouted, “Uncle Lew!”

  He pushed open the screen door, his face a mass of smile lines, and accepted his niece’s hearty hug. “Arissa! Why didn’t you say you were coming?”

  “I forgot Aunt Luellen’s phone number, and the trip was unexpected.”

  Nathan cleared his throat.

  Arissa stepped back. “Uncle Lew, this is Nathan Fischer. He and Mark were friends. Nathan, this is Aunt Luellen’s brother, my Uncle Lewis.” He wasn’t related by blood, but she’d always called him her uncle.

  The two men shook hands.

  “Uncle Lew, this is Charity.” Since he’d been overseas for so long, he hadn’t yet met her.

  Charity hung back, but Uncle Lew knelt and smiled at her. “I’m your Uncle Lew. I sent you a stuffed turtle at Christmas, do you remember that?”

  While Charity nodded warily, Arissa said, “You sent it? I thought it was from Aunt Luellen.”

  “It was, but I got it for her. She just wrapped it and sent it for the two of us.” His sparkling dark eyes peered up at his niece-by-marriage. “I take it she only put her name?” He sighed and shook his head. “That’s my sister for you.”

  “Charity loved—er, loves it, Uncle Lew. What are you doing here? I thought you were in Taiwan.”

  “I retired.”

  “You did? Mom didn’t say anything about it.”

  “Luellen probably didn’t tell her because she’s mad at me for retiring. She liked the care packages of Chinese food I sent to her.”

  Yet another typical response from her atypical aunt. Arissa and Uncle Lew both rolled their eyes at the same time.

  “Lew!” a voice shouted from inside the house. “Who’s there?”

  “You’d find out if you came out here!” he yelled back, not in the least cowed by his cantankerous sister. He turned to Arissa. “I’m tempted to have you stay here just to make her walk to the front door, but come on in.”

  They entered the narrow, low-ceilinged hallway paneled with oak. Last time Arissa had been here, the hallway had been crammed with small tables holding photo frames and figurines, but now it was clear and the photo frames were hung on the walls. “Did you hang these?” She touched a photo and looked at her uncle.

  “Yep. Started fixing the place up. I’m going to let my apartment in Santa Rosa go and live with Luellen from now on.”

  “You’re...you have an apartment in Santa Rosa?” Arissa stopped in her tracks. “Since when?”

  “I bought it a few years ago when the housing market first dipped, even though I knew I wouldn’t stay there much.” He explained to Nathan, “I worked for an international export company that based me out of Taiwan, so I only came to the U.S. once every six weeks, and I only stayed for two weeks at a time. I used to stay with Luellen, but since I had the money, and the Santa Rosa apartment was pretty new and going for cheap...” He shrugged.

  Nathan opened his mouth to ask a question, but he was interrupted by Aunt Luellen’s roar, “Lew! What are you dawdling for?”

  “I’ll take my time, you old bat,” he returned, and led them to the end of the hallway and into the living room. The morning light filtered through the large sliding glass door facing the backyard, where two of Aunt Luellen’s goats were eating.

  A ratty recliner sat in front of an impressive HD flat-screen television that seemed out of place in the room, with its old, worn furniture cluttered with baskets holding cleaned mohair from the goats, ready to be carded. Arissa remembered summers where she and Mark had been forced by Aunt Luellen to help her prepare the scoured fiber for spinning, which Aunt Luellen sold to a local dyer.

  In the recliner sat her diminutive Aunt Luellen, who stopped in the act of spinning some of her carded fiber at a spinning wheel. She looked sweetly domestic, but the fierce glare she shot at Arissa could have curdled
milk. “So you finally come visit, huh? I wondered if you’d dropped off the planet.”

  “Hi, Aunt Luellen.” Arissa dropped a kiss on her cheek, then gently pushed a very reluctant Charity forward. “This is Charity.”

  At sight of the child, Luellen’s dark eyes softened. “Mark’s kid, huh?” Her tone had softened, too. “She looks like him.” Then she raised her eyes to Nathan, and they returned to shooting daggers. “Who are you?”

  “Mark’s old partner in the LAPD,” he hastened to say. “Nathan Fischer.”

  Aunt Luellen gestured to Nathan with a movement of her iron-gray head. “Your boyfriend?” she said to Arissa.

  “No,” Arissa replied, unfazed. Arissa’s single status was usually among the first things Aunt Luellen commented on when she and Arissa’s mom talked.

  “Well then, why’s he here? And stop standing around, find someplace to sit.”

  Uncle Lew had been grabbing baskets of fiber and moving them around the room to clear off the ancient sofa for them. When Arissa sank down, she found the cushion so thin that it was almost nonexistent.

  She turned to Aunt Luellen. “We found some keys that belonged to Mark.” She looked to Nathan, who dug the keys out of his pocket and held them up. “One is for a safe deposit box in Sonoma, but the other looks like a house or apartment key. Since you’re our only relative who lives in NorCal, we wondered if he had told you anything about it.” She already had a feeling she knew the answer.

  “No, he didn’t say anything to me.” Aunt Luellen frowned, as if insulted Mark hadn’t confided in her.

  But Uncle Lew stared at the key. “Might be mine.”

  “Yours?” Aunt Luellen rounded on him. “Why would Mark have your apartment key? And why wouldn’t he tell me about it?”

  Uncle Lew gave her a dry look. “You really think he’d bother to tell you about it? He came directly to me.”

  Arissa hadn’t know her brother was that close to their uncle. “He came to you for what?”

  “He called my cell phone—I guess he figured I was in Taiwan, but I happened to be at my apartment at the time. He originally wanted to know if he could leave some things in my storage unit. When I asked him about it, he said he had a girlfriend up in Sonoma that he visited every so often, and since he was staying in hotel rooms, he wanted a place for extra clothes. Well, I told him he could bunk at my apartment. I have a guest room I don’t use.”