Chapter 2
Laurie stared after them, flabbergasted. "I don't believe that, Mom, did you hear that? Maybe I wanted to go with them, I'm not exactly an amateur!" Linda put a hand on her, "I think he just forgot, sis, I know you could have helped, but, he's scared." Laurie smiled at her, then gave her a hug, as Cecilia added, "That's what I think, although I want to know where that "little woman" attitude came from."
"It's my fault, I'm afraid. I love him so much, and he spoils me rotten, so he's not used to my working as his partner on anything but chores," she sighed. Just then the phone rang, and Laurie automatically picked it up, "Simon and Simon Investigations."
"Mrs. Simon?" A timid voice triggering a warning in her head. "This is Laurie Simon, who is this?" "I, I just saw a report about your brother-in-law on TV, I love your books, I'm really sorry, I didn't know he was related to you."
"Thank you." she answered carefully, signaling Linda to silently hit the record button on the machine. "Do you know something about A.J., anything that might help?"
There was silence, then, "Yes, I know where he is, but I want to meet you, I want you to tell me why he's not like the others." The voice paused, and Laurie, fighting the urge to start screaming questions, asked calmly, "I can meet with you, wherever you want. Is A.J. alright?" She heard Cecilia inhale sharply, then Linda buried her head in her hands as the woman answered "Yes, he gave me quite a time, but he's ok. You've got 15 minutes to get here though, no cops, nobody following you."
"All right, anything you say, where do you want me to come?" she grabbed a pen and pad of paper motioning her mom to quietly pick up the extension. "There's a gas station on Tree Lane and 4th, you can park your car there, then start walking on the 3100 block of Tree Lane, I'll come meet you."
Click.
Laurie stared at the receiver, then hanging up the phone, walked around the desk and pulled open a drawer to retrieve a small transmitter and receptor. "Linda, call Phoenix PD and have them get a hold of Captain Ron and Rick, give them that address and tell I'll meet them in back of the gas station. I'll just have enough time to do that if I leave right now. Also, Mom, can you call Towne and the Chief and see if they'll come too, I don't know if Rick had a chance to reach either of them, but they should be there. Tell them I'll wait five minutes there, then I'll have to start walking, I'll keep the transmitter tuned to frequency 10.15."
She reached up to grab a hat as Linda picked up the extension and started punching in numbers. Cecilia helped her hook herself up, then embraced her, saying, "You be careful, honey, wait for Rick and the Captain, I don't want anything to happen to you either." "I will, Mom, don't worry, I guess this is one of those times my writing might actually help us with a case!", she added, smiling at the two women. She went to the door, then looked back at Linda and said, "A.J.'ll be ok, Linda, I won't come back without him."
Plotting a route that would allow her to go through the back of the gas station, Laurie came down 4th street and pulled behind the station. Less then a minute later, Rick's car pulled up next to hers, and as she got out, she found a scowling husband and stone-faced police captain waiting for her. "Rick, did you find anything at that address?", she asked him, fighting the temptation to give him a hug. "Nope," he growled, "it was a vacant lot. Laurie, this might be a trap. Mom played the tape and this woman is a psycho, I don't want you to go." She reached up and kissed him, then held up her transmitter. "Rick, I'll be alright, I gave Mom the frequency to pass on. Wait a moment, then as soon as you see which home I go in, you can come in the back and get A.J. to safety. I think this will work, Captain," she turned to him, "and if anything looks funny, I promise I get out of there." Looking at her face, he reluctantly agreed, telling Rick, "It's the best plan we got, go ahead, Laurie. We'll wait a minute until contact, then we'll follow." "Thanks, Captain," she replied, then seeing her husband still wanting to argue, she hugged him, whispering, "Please let me do this."
Laurie pulled away, only to have him stroke her cheek, saying, "Ok, sweetheart, be careful." "I will,", She squeezed his hand, then climbed back into her car. Backing up, she drove around the front of the station and parked next to the phone booth. Getting out, she then turned on her transmitter, saying "testing, can you hear me, Rick?" "Loud and clear, darlin'," came his answer. Laurie started walking up the block and passed several residences, all with neat lawns, little gardens. She was a few doors from the end of the lane when she heard "Mrs. Simon?"
Looking up at the home she was in front of, she caught sight of a blond haired woman, standing on a porch. "Yes?", she replied, walking up the path toward her. "Thank you for following my directions," the woman said, producing a gun from her pocket.
Laurie shook her head, "You don't need that, I came here to talk to you. Can we sit down?" The woman hesitated, then pocketed the gun, indicating a chair for her to use. As she sat down, Laurie heard Rick say, "we're in back, keep her occupied." "You know who I am," she said to the faded looking blonde, nervously playing with her hair, "what's your name?"
"Catherine, but you can call me Cathy. I really love your books; you had a hard time of it like me, didn't you?' Laurie quelled the impulse to smack her, instead nodding and saying "It can be hard not having someone close growing up, but I was lucky and I have my husband and my brother-in-law. Did someone leave you behind, abandon you?"
"Yes, I was left behind, standing at the altar while the guy I should have married went off with my sister. I swore no one would ever do that to anyone again. I wouldn't have taken your brother-in-law if I knew he was close to you." Suddenly the woman's expression changed, "But you haven't told me why I should let him go, if I let you both leave, they'll come after me again, no, I won't let them stop me." She pulled out the gun and pointing it at Laurie, said, "Come inside, I want to hear why I shouldn't take care of him."
Laurie stood up, saying, "I'll tell you why, only put the gun down, please." Suddenly she heard Rick say, "We found A.J., he's all right, honey, make an excuse and leave, hurry." She turned at the doorway, only to find Catherine with the gun in her face. "Go on, inside!" Trying to gage how fast the Palmer woman was with the weapon, Laurie entered the house only to hear a noise behind her and half turned to see the gun swinging down on her, striking her a glancing blow. She fell to her knees, then put her arm up and knocked the weapon away. Rolling on the floor then popping up, Laurie caught the woman diving at her flush with a punch to the chin. Falling backward, Catherine Palmer fell against a sofa, then getting to her feet, grabbed the rug Laurie was standing on and pulled it, sending her crashing to the floor. As Laurie tried to get up, she saw the crazed woman seize a poker, then come at her.
Laurie stared after them, flabbergasted. "I don't believe that, Mom, did you hear that? Maybe I wanted to go with them, I'm not exactly an amateur!" Linda put a hand on her, "I think he just forgot, sis, I know you could have helped, but, he's scared." Laurie smiled at her, then gave her a hug, as Cecilia added, "That's what I think, although I want to know where that "little woman" attitude came from."
"It's my fault, I'm afraid. I love him so much, and he spoils me rotten, so he's not used to my working as his partner on anything but chores," she sighed. Just then the phone rang, and Laurie automatically picked it up, "Simon and Simon Investigations."
"Mrs. Simon?" A timid voice triggering a warning in her head. "This is Laurie Simon, who is this?" "I, I just saw a report about your brother-in-law on TV, I love your books, I'm really sorry, I didn't know he was related to you."
"Thank you." she answered carefully, signaling Linda to silently hit the record button on the machine. "Do you know something about A.J., anything that might help?"
There was silence, then, "Yes, I know where he is, but I want to meet you, I want you to tell me why he's not like the others." The voice paused, and Laurie, fighting the urge to start screaming questions, asked calmly, "I can meet with you, wherever you want. Is A.J. alright?" She heard Cecilia inhale sharply, then Linda buried her head in her hands as the woman answered "Yes, he gave me quite a time, but he's ok. You've got 15 minutes to get here though, no cops, nobody following you."
"All right, anything you say, where do you want me to come?" she grabbed a pen and pad of paper motioning her mom to quietly pick up the extension. "There's a gas station on Tree Lane and 4th, you can park your car there, then start walking on the 3100 block of Tree Lane, I'll come meet you."
Click.
Laurie stared at the receiver, then hanging up the phone, walked around the desk and pulled open a drawer to retrieve a small transmitter and receptor. "Linda, call Phoenix PD and have them get a hold of Captain Ron and Rick, give them that address and tell I'll meet them in back of the gas station. I'll just have enough time to do that if I leave right now. Also, Mom, can you call Towne and the Chief and see if they'll come too, I don't know if Rick had a chance to reach either of them, but they should be there. Tell them I'll wait five minutes there, then I'll have to start walking, I'll keep the transmitter tuned to frequency 10.15."
She reached up to grab a hat as Linda picked up the extension and started punching in numbers. Cecilia helped her hook herself up, then embraced her, saying, "You be careful, honey, wait for Rick and the Captain, I don't want anything to happen to you either." "I will, Mom, don't worry, I guess this is one of those times my writing might actually help us with a case!", she added, smiling at the two women. She went to the door, then looked back at Linda and said, "A.J.'ll be ok, Linda, I won't come back without him."
Plotting a route that would allow her to go through the back of the gas station, Laurie came down 4th street and pulled behind the station. Less then a minute later, Rick's car pulled up next to hers, and as she got out, she found a scowling husband and stone-faced police captain waiting for her. "Rick, did you find anything at that address?", she asked him, fighting the temptation to give him a hug. "Nope," he growled, "it was a vacant lot. Laurie, this might be a trap. Mom played the tape and this woman is a psycho, I don't want you to go." She reached up and kissed him, then held up her transmitter. "Rick, I'll be alright, I gave Mom the frequency to pass on. Wait a moment, then as soon as you see which home I go in, you can come in the back and get A.J. to safety. I think this will work, Captain," she turned to him, "and if anything looks funny, I promise I get out of there." Looking at her face, he reluctantly agreed, telling Rick, "It's the best plan we got, go ahead, Laurie. We'll wait a minute until contact, then we'll follow." "Thanks, Captain," she replied, then seeing her husband still wanting to argue, she hugged him, whispering, "Please let me do this."
Laurie pulled away, only to have him stroke her cheek, saying, "Ok, sweetheart, be careful." "I will,", She squeezed his hand, then climbed back into her car. Backing up, she drove around the front of the station and parked next to the phone booth. Getting out, she then turned on her transmitter, saying "testing, can you hear me, Rick?" "Loud and clear, darlin'," came his answer. Laurie started walking up the block and passed several residences, all with neat lawns, little gardens. She was a few doors from the end of the lane when she heard "Mrs. Simon?"
Looking up at the home she was in front of, she caught sight of a blond haired woman, standing on a porch. "Yes?", she replied, walking up the path toward her. "Thank you for following my directions," the woman said, producing a gun from her pocket.
Laurie shook her head, "You don't need that, I came here to talk to you. Can we sit down?" The woman hesitated, then pocketed the gun, indicating a chair for her to use. As she sat down, Laurie heard Rick say, "we're in back, keep her occupied." "You know who I am," she said to the faded looking blonde, nervously playing with her hair, "what's your name?"
"Catherine, but you can call me Cathy. I really love your books; you had a hard time of it like me, didn't you?' Laurie quelled the impulse to smack her, instead nodding and saying "It can be hard not having someone close growing up, but I was lucky and I have my husband and my brother-in-law. Did someone leave you behind, abandon you?"
"Yes, I was left behind, standing at the altar while the guy I should have married went off with my sister. I swore no one would ever do that to anyone again. I wouldn't have taken your brother-in-law if I knew he was close to you." Suddenly the woman's expression changed, "But you haven't told me why I should let him go, if I let you both leave, they'll come after me again, no, I won't let them stop me." She pulled out the gun and pointing it at Laurie, said, "Come inside, I want to hear why I shouldn't take care of him."
Laurie stood up, saying, "I'll tell you why, only put the gun down, please." Suddenly she heard Rick say, "We found A.J., he's all right, honey, make an excuse and leave, hurry." She turned at the doorway, only to find Catherine with the gun in her face. "Go on, inside!" Trying to gage how fast the Palmer woman was with the weapon, Laurie entered the house only to hear a noise behind her and half turned to see the gun swinging down on her, striking her a glancing blow. She fell to her knees, then put her arm up and knocked the weapon away. Rolling on the floor then popping up, Laurie caught the woman diving at her flush with a punch to the chin. Falling backward, Catherine Palmer fell against a sofa, then getting to her feet, grabbed the rug Laurie was standing on and pulled it, sending her crashing to the floor. As Laurie tried to get up, she saw the crazed woman seize a poker, then come at her.