Julia
Chapter 12Things were quiet for two days. No unwanted phone calls, nobody tailing him. Kookie had to leave early one afternoon to take over for Roscoe on his 'Julia' watch, and when Stu came out at five o'clock to get the car, all four of his tires were flat. They'd been slit with a knife. He called the garage and had them come get the car and have four new tires put on it. They told him he could pick it up first thing in the morning and he took a cab to the nearest car rental place, where he rented another convertible. Then he called Julia and told her he'd had some car trouble and he'd be a little late.
When he got to her apartment he told her to grab her shawl; they were driving down the coast to a little place he knew in San Juan Capistrano. It had candlelight and soft music and he wanted to take her there. "What's wrong with your car?" she asked once they were in the rental.
"The brakes felt a little mushy, so I left it at the garage. I'll have it back tomorrow."
"You haven't heard anything from Harvey, have you?" she asked quietly.
"No, not a thing." Stu didn't like lying but he didn't want her worrying. He put some music on the radio and she sat close to him, and everything seemed right. Even if it wasn't.
The candlelight was wonderful; the food delicious. When they left he took her to a place in the hills where they sat in the car with his arms around her and listened to the music. They watched the moon come up and talked about what each of them wanted in life . . . her list was short. "I want to be happy, Stuart. That's all I want."
"But what do you need to make you happy?" was his probing question.
"I don't need a big house or fancy cars or fine clothes. I just need the man I love." She turned to face him. "You are that man, Stuart. I think I've loved you since I first saw you. There's something kind and decent about you. When you hold me in your arms I feel safe. You make me laugh, and I just want to be near you. Forever. Does that scare you?"
He held her face in his hands and kissed her, and something inside told him he wanted the same thing. He watched her eyes as he told her, "No, it doesn't scare me. I know what I want, and that's you. It's taken me too long to say it, but I love you, Julia. I love you. I'll never say it to anyone else." He kissed her again, and his desire for this woman almost overwhelmed him. He gathered her into his arms and kissed and caressed her until he knew he had to stop. He finally pulled away from her, and in a soft voice told her, "I better take you home. We both have to go to work tomorrow."
There was little said on the way back to her apartment. When they arrived at her front door, he put his fingers under her chin and lifted her head until their eyes met. He kissed her tenderly and told her again, "I love you, Julia. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night, Stuart," she replied as she unlocked the front door. He waited for her to get inside, and when he heard the lock click he went back to his car.
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The next morning Stu returned the rental car and caught a cab to the garage. Fifteen minutes later, after paying for the tires, he was on his way to the office. He was a man of mixed emotions as he turned his car over to Kookie . . . euphoria that he'd finally admitted his feelings to Julia, and apprehension about Harvey and what he'd do next. He almost preferred a confrontation; he could take care of himself, and that would be easier than waiting and wondering. He worried less for himself than for Julia.
"Bonjour, Stuart," came Suzanne's normal greeting.
"Bonjour, Suzanne. Is Jeff in yet?"
"He is. He came in about twenty minutes ago. He asked that I send you in when you got here."
Stu nodded. "That's where I'll be," and he headed for Jeff's office.
Jeff took one look at his face and said, "Sit down. You look like a man that needs to talk."
"I do, I guess. Last night when I left work, someone had slashed all four of my tires."
"Harvey Davis?" As soon as the words were out of Jeff's mouth he knew it was a stupid question. Nobody else would do that. And he knew there'd be no proof of Harvey's involvement.
"Who else?" Stu replied. "That's the first contact I've had with him since the phone message. I don't think it will be the last."
"And Julia? How's she taking all this?"
Stu lit a cigarette before he gave Jeff an answer. "I haven't told her."
"Stuart . . . "
"Jeff, I told her that I love her last night. I can't tell her about Harvey and his pranks."
Jeff sighed. Sometimes Stuart was too protective. "Those aren't pranks, Stu. Pranks are when you teepee somebody's house, or when you leave a bag of something stinky on someone's front porch. Slashing someone's tires is not a prank. You need to call Gil and report it."
"And what's Gil going to do?"
"Send somebody to Davis' house and put the fear of the Lord into him. Stop this before it goes any further," Jeff advised Stu. Then he realized what Stuart had said a minute ago. "You told her you loved her? Really?"
"Really."
"I'm glad you did, finally. She needed to know." Jeff smiled at his partner. Even though it was a complicated situation, he was happy for Stu. "Now, will you go call Gil about the tires?"
"Yes, mother," Stu replied, and he headed for the door between the two offices. "Anything else I should do?"
"That's enough, for now. And let me know if you need any help with anything."
"Alright," Bailey replied as he closed the door behind him.
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"Jeff was right. You should have called me last night," Gil told his friend.
"Well, I had other things on my mind last night. I'm calling you now. There's nothing you can do, anyway. I don't have any proof."
"That doesn't matter. I'm sending a patrol car over there now."
"Gil, I don't want him aggravated. You never know what he's liable to do if he's aggravated." Stu was thinking more about Julia than himself.
"Still sending the car. I'll let you know what happens."
The day proceeded like almost any other day; Stu went to Redondo Beach to see a client, and Jeff spent the day working with Foremost Insurance Company. When Stu got done it was almost four o'clock, and he headed for Huntington Beach. He got there just in time to pick Julia up from work, and they went to her apartment to cook dinner.
The evening was peaceful and comfortable, just the two of them talking about what they would do when Harvey was no longer a distraction in their lives. It was almost midnight when Stu left for home. He felt . . . he felt happy. He was in love.
Once again there was a two-day period where nothing happened. No calls from Harvey, no messages, no threats. On the third day Stuart had a meeting with a brand new client, all the way out in Riverside. It was going to take up most of the day and a lot of the evening, so they'd made plans not to see each other. The client had a second-shift Stu had to talk to, and there were papers back at the office he needed for first thing tomorrow. It was well past midnight when he opened the side door to his office and walked in, with only moonlight to guide him until he could get to the light switch. Just as he stretched to turn on the lights, a fist slammed him in the head and knocked him backward over the sofa in his office. He struggled to get up, but another fist hammered him in the stomach, and he dropped back to the couch. The beating continued, and it felt like the assailants were using brass knuckles.
There was no chance for him to get off the sofa; one blow after another fell until Stu was literally beaten onto the floor. Then there was a foot in his ribs and one in his back, and finally a well-placed blow to the head put him out.
Jeff came in early the next morning to finish some paperwork and was surprised to see Stu's car in the parking lot. The side door to his office was open a crack, and that was totally unlike his partner. Jeff pulled his gun and went in cautiously. Stu was still lying on the floor, right where his assailants had left him. Jeff couldn't tell if he was alive or dead.
He dropped to the ground and looked for a pulse; he found it after a bit. Stu was lying face down on the ground, and Jeff turned him over carefully. There were blood trails from his nose and his mouth, and a patch of dried blood on his head. And the beginning of black and blue bruises everywhere. He needed to call an ambulance, but just as he got up and started to dial the phone he heard his partner's voice. "Don't call." Jeff rushed back to Stu's side. His eyes were open but they were cloudy and he reached up a shaky hand and grabbed Jeff's arm. "Jeff?"
"Right here," Jeff answered. "What happened?"
"Came to get papers and they were waiting for me." Stu's voice was weak but clear.
"Did you get a look at them?"
"No."
"Do you know how many there were?"
"A lot."
"Stu, let me call an ambulance."
"No. No ambulance. Help . . . help me up." Stu was struggling to sit up, and Jeff got him up. With a lot of help from his partner, the two men finally succeeded getting Stuart on his feet and into a chair. He tried to take a breath and gasped in pain.
"Ribs?" Jeff questioned him.
"Yes. Kicked me. Lots . . . of that going . . . on."
"Broken, probably. You need to see a doctor, Stu. If you won't let me call an ambulance will you at least let me take you to the Emergency Room?"
"Long as you promise you won't . . . leave me there."
"If they want to keep you . . ." Jeff started, before he got a Stuart Bailey glare. "Alright, if that's what it takes to get you there, I promise. Let me bring the car around and I'll come and get you."
"Alright," Stu answered, and immediately closed his eyes.
'It's Davis,' Jeff thought. 'Gil's got to arrest this guy.' That idea had no sooner popped up in Jeff's head than he realized, 'On what evidence? Stu didn't see who did this to him. He didn't even see how many there were. There's got to be a way to stop the guy . . . before Stuart gets killed.'