Insidious

Blinker looked at her moon-pale face, at the fierce anger in her eyes, and whispered. “No, you won’t. You’d go to jail if you killed me.”

Cam said, “Nah, I’d haul your carcass to the canyon on a really dark night when no one’s around. I’d bury you so deep no one would ever find you. And then Missy and I would drink a bottle of champagne to celebrate.”

“I think it would be a beer for me,” Daniel added.

Blinker looked seriously alarmed. He sat up, waved his hands at them. “Listen, you shouldn’t treat me like I’m that guy killing all the actresses. I’m not into hurting anybody. I’m not even the only guy hanging around Missy. Look, Agent Wittier, I admire Missy, seeing her smile makes me happy. I’d never hurt her, well, or anybody.”

Daniel’s face was a study in frustration. He jerked Blinker to his feet, grabbed his shirt and shook him. “Let me put it this way, Blinker. Missy doesn’t want to make you happy. She does not want to see you again, ever in this lifetime. You know why? Because she’s dating me. I want you the hell out of our lives.” He shook him again. “Do you understand me?”

“Missy is really dating you?”

“Yes.” Another shake. “Answer me. Do you understand?”

“Well, yes, I supposed I have to.”

Blinker looked like he’d burst into tears.

“Good.” Daniel smoothed down Blinker’s shirt, brushed him down. “Go back to Cleveland, bake cookies with your mom, sell her some bonds. Go, Blinker.” They stood watching as Blinker, his head down, kicked pebbles out of his path on his way back to his car.

When they heard his car engine rev, Cam said, “Well, that perked me right up. Maybe he really will stay gone.”

When Cam and Daniel pulled into the driveway of Missy’s cottage, they saw Missy standing backlit in the doorway, wearing sleep boxers and a baggy shirt, her glorious hair tousled about her face. She looked relieved to see them.

Daniel started telling her about Blinker as Missy herded them into the kitchen. “Sit down, sit down. You both look wrung out. I’m going to make some tea. Too late for coffee. So tell me more about Blinker.” They both sat down and Cam found herself looking at the bright red-and-white-checked tablecloth, thinking it would look good on her kitchen table back in Alexandria. She put that thought away and started doing a mental sort of the day, something she always did before bed at night. That’s when it hit her square between the eyes. She jumped to her feet. “Daniel! What Blinker said—” She grabbed her cell out of her jacket pocket, dialed. Blinker picked up after three rings, wide-awake.

“Blinker, it’s Agent Wittier. Are you home yet?”

“Yeah, like I’m Superman and can fly. I’m still driving. Look, Agent Wittier, when I get home I’ll start packing, I swear. I’m calling my boss, taking a leave of absence. You good with that?”

“Yes. It’s for the best, you’ll see. Now, listen up, Blinker. You said you’re not the only guy hanging around Missy. You saw someone else? Was he on her street? Another stalker?”

“He was a turkey, not discreet at all. I spotted him right away.”

“Okay, I understand. When did you see him?”

“The first time I saw him around her house was a couple of weeks ago, then again the day before she took off for Las Vegas. I haven’t seen him since she got back. Not to say he couldn’t still be around because I spend my mornings working, usually.”

“Describe him to me.”

“Older, thirties for sure. He was tall, thin, and he always wore jeans and a hoodie with the top up to cover his head. I’m surprised Missy never noticed him, looking like he did.”

“Blinker, Detective Montoya and I are coming to your place. I’ve got some photos to show you.” She punched off, jumped to her feet. “Daniel, we have to go.”

Missy grabbed her arm. “Let me throw on some clothes, I’ll go with you.”

“No, absolutely not,” Daniel said. He gave her a long look, turned to Cam. “Let’s go.”

63

* * *

BLINKER’S APARTMENT, ON HIGH STREET

SANTA MONICA

FRIDAY NIGHT

Blinker lived in an upscale apartment complex, complete with palm trees, bougainvillea and manicured lawns. It was quiet and calm. As they climbed out of Daniel’s Crown Vic, Cam said, “He’s in 3C, there in the corner unit with all the windows. We’ve struck gold, Daniel, I know it.”

Cam felt a moment of sheer envy when he showed them in. “Hey, nice digs, Blinker. How do you afford this?”

“He’s a bond trader,” Daniel said.

Blinker eyed them. “Well, you might as well come into the living room. So you come here late at night to show me some photos and the first thing you do is bust my chops some more? I wasn’t lying, I’m leaving. You can look in my bedroom, suitcase open on the bed, my shorts already packed.”

Cam said, “We’re not here to pack for you, Blinker.” She called up photos and handed her cell to Blinker. “Here, look at these photos. Have you seen this man?”

Blinker took her cell and put it under a living room reading lamp. When he shook his head, Cam swiped to another photo. Another head shake. When he looked at the third photo, he stared at it a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I recognize him. But he looks different here, he looks dead. Is that a DMV photo? Like I told you, when I saw him, he was wearing a hoodie, both times. But that’s him.”

Daniel said, “This is important, Blinker. Are you completely certain this is the man you saw looking around Missy’s cottage?”

Blinker nodded. “I almost told him to go away that first time, but there was something about him that was scary, and I chickened out. Then I was glad I didn’t try to warn him off because I didn’t see him again for a while. I thought he’d found someone else.”

Daniel said, “How do you know he wasn’t just out for a walk and happened to be going Missy’s way? Did you actually see him following Missy home?”

“Yeah, that first time he did follow her home, sort of looked around before he left. The second time, Missy wasn’t around and I saw him looking in the windows. I spotted him right away because he wasn’t very polished about it, not like I am.”

“Missy caught you and so did we, so you can’t be all that polished, either,” Cam said.