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I drum my fingernails on the phone case as I think back on the last couple of days. Leah was on her break yesterday when Justin came into the salon, but everyone else knew what happened and could have told her. Did that upset her? Was she jealous he came to see me? When she followed me into the break room she said, "That man needs to be taught a lesson.”
I shiver and can’t seem to stop. My kneecap quivers like it’s about to come loose from my body.
What if she came to my apartment around the same time he showed up and got angry with him? The blonde in the baseball cap! She was the woman on the security footage the detective showed me. She was there at the same time Justin was. Did she do it as an act of vengeance for us both? Or maybe he attacked her first and she fought back.
That has to be it. It was a mistake, that’s it.
If she did it, and I refuse to believe it, she had a good reason. Which means I need to talk to her before Caleb finds out and arrests her.
My fingers tremble as I type out a response.
Amelia: Come to think of it, I am pretty shaken up. Do you want to meet at Joe's Cafe in the morning? I could use a friend.
I include the address of the cafe across the street from my hotel. Her response is immediate.
Leah: Of course! I’ve got an appointment at eight. How about seven?
Amelia: That’s perf—
“Hey.” Caleb materializes beside me and I jump, sending my phone flying. Right into the toilet.
“Caleb!” I screech.
He calls me the menace? I was about to bust this case wide open but there goes my evidence.
Caleb curses before shoving his hand into the toilet after it. “Sorry.” He pulls out my dripping wet phone. “Most phones are waterproof these days, it should be okay.”
It is not okay. The phone glitches and dies. Seems to be a recurring theme around me lately.
“Let’s go get rice,” I say.
“No thanks, I’m not hungry,” Caleb says, tapping away on his phone.
I shove his shoulder. “For my phone.”
“Oh, right, yeah. Sorry, I was distracted. I’ll get it replaced if it doesn’t work.”
“Is that why you barged in on me in the bathroom?” I level him with a stare. “It could have been a full moon in here.”
He flinches. “I’m sorry. But I might have something to cheer you up.”
I stand up straighter. “Now I’m intrigued.”
“I found someone who worked with Justin.”
“At the nursing home?” I ask.
He scratches his neck. “Justin didn’t work at a nursing home.”
“Yes, he did, he was a lifeguard. I know because he always came over in board shorts and was very tan.”
He arches a brow. “Were those your only observations?”
“No!” I fold my arms. “He told me stories about the little old ladies he helped.”
“Well, he was lying to you. The last time he worked as a lifeguard was in high school.”
Why, of all things, this takes me by surprise, I’m not sure.