* * *
The next morning, she left Killer at the house since she was leaving the store early and meeting up with Archer at the theater. She’d put on a sundress and tucked a sweater into her tote. When she got to the store, Drew was standing outside the door with Jonathon, waiting.
“You’re five minutes late according to your sign,” Drew said as he took her keys and opened the door.
“I had to go back and make sure I’d filled Killer’s water bowl. He’s going to be alone for a while today. Do you want to go entertain him sometime today? I was going to ask Terrance, but I haven’t heard from him.” Rarity turned off the security system and took the keys back from Drew.
“I’m working today, but if I get a chance, I’ll pop in. Don’t worry, I still have my key.” He smiled at her, a long, sweet, sexy smile.
“Stop saying it like that, especially with that smile. It makes people think we were together once upon your dreams.” She turned to Jonathon. “He watched the house and Killer for me when Archer and I went to visit his mother and stepfather a few months ago.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything.” Jonathon smiled, heading to his favorite spot. “Except I was hopeful when you first showed up. But then you fell in love with that Archer kid and no one else was even on the planet for you.”
“So why are you here, besides to drop your father off at his writer day care?” Rarity set her stuff on a shelf under the counter.
“That might be a viable business concept,” Drew said as he leaned against the counter. “Actually, I wanted to see if you’d heard anything more from Darby. Any more incidents? The chief’s getting a little concerned about the overtime.”
“Why are you asking me and not her?”
“Because she’d tell me what she thinks I’ll want to hear, and you’ll tell me the truth.” Drew picked up a book and scanned the back. “Oh, the plate on the truck came back to a young man who’s an assistant for one of the film crews. He said he hadn’t moved the truck since they’d arrived in Sedona. But when we went to look at it, he said he thought it had been moved. He’d parked near the back of the hotel lot. Now it’s parked in the front row. With the keys inside. And he’s missing a leather glove. We’re dusting the truck for prints.”
“So anyone could have been driving. Darby told me that it’s been quiet. I don’t know if that’s because you had a car there, or for other reasons, but I know she’s getting tired of all the company. Darby’s a private person, which is one reason I don’t think she’ll actually go through with this bed-and-breakfast idea with her friends. It would mean that she’d have people in her house twenty-four seven.” She tapped her fingers on her lips. “Malia was with her last night. Let me give her a call.”
She went to the back room to call Malia, who confirmed that Darby hadn’t had an issue for a few days. “I’m staying tonight. Then Katie’s here for the weekend. We need to assign people again starting Sunday. Unless Drew thinks it’s done?”
“I’ll ask him.” Rarity came back into the shop after letting Malia know that she’d call her before Sunday. Then she told Drew and Jonathon what Malia had said. “Should we take off the police car and see if things change? And if not, give Darby back some privacy?”
“As long as you’re convinced that she’d say something if it starts up again. I don’t want to be playing armchair detective on this thing, if there is a thing.” He set the book down. “I’ll take this. I’m not feeling good about not knowing the why behind these things.”
“Darby takes everything in stride,” Rarity commented. “I’m worried too. Until we find out why someone was stalking her, and why they stopped, I’m not going to rest easy.”
“Okay, so we’re on the same page. Now, what do you know about Mason?” Drew asked as Rarity snuck a peek at Jonathon.
“Haven’t you been keeping your son in the loop?”
He shrugged. “I’m gone, he’s gone. We don’t have time to talk like we used to.”
“Dad, please don’t tell me you guys have this all solved and are planning a takedown tonight?”
“Okay, I won’t tell you,” Jonathon said; then, as Drew’s face turned beet red, Jonathon added, “Calm down. We don’t know anything we haven’t told you. Did the syringe get tested?”
Drew sat down at the table. “Fine, here’s what we know. The tests on the syringe haven’t come back yet. Mason’s lawyer is stonewalling; he says the executor and the sole heir are out of town. As soon as they come back, he’ll set up a meeting. I only knew about the pet spider because I had a friend who lives nearby and got me the phone number of the house sitter.”
“I still think it’s weird that he had a spider as a pet.Revenge for the Attack of the Venus Spiderscould have been his next movie if he’d lived.” Rarity needed a cup of coffee.
“Don’t even joke about that. These movies have all been strange, right?” Drew said as the bell over the door announced a customer. “Anyway, I’m going to recommend that we take the detail off Darby. If anything happens that’s even a little bit out of the ordinary, let me know and it’s going back on. At least until this film festival is over. I still feel like there’s a connection.”
“And we’re sure the Scotland guy is out of the picture?” Rarity asked, watching Drew’s face as he answered.
Drew nodded. “I watched the interview with his local cops. He was embarrassed about how he acted. He said that he thought they had a connection. But he admitted he pushed. His new wife is trying to train him better. At least that’s his story.”
“I keep going back that it’s attached to Talia. That the stalker thought Darby was her.” Rarity pointed out her logic.
“That’s possible, unless you get close. Then you can see the difference in age. But size, hair, looks, it all fits. Talia, Darby, Mason. Is it just a coincidence that they were all here in town at the same time?” Drew had pulled out his notebook from his pocket and was drawing circles on circles, forming Venn diagrams. “Anyway, I need to get to work. Let me know if things change.”
Rarity handed Drew the book he’d been looking at. “Let me know how you like it, and I’ll put it on the Staff Recommends list. We don’t have many male reviewers.”
“Thanks, but I can buy the book.” He tried to hand it back to her, but Rarity shook her head.
