Chapter Fifteen
When a knock sounded on her open classroom door, Leah glanced up from the math homework she was grading. Officer Chris Long stood in the doorway.
He tucked a pair of sunglasses in his pocket and smiled. “Are you busy? The woman at the front counter told me to come on back.”
“Nothing that won’t keep. Come in.” She stood and waved him inside, then hurried over to the corner to drag the only other adult-sized chair up to her desk. “Have a seat. Is there news?”
“Of a sort. We haven’t located the man who swindled your grandmother, but I’ve been looking into similar crimes in the area and found a couple that fit Thomas Woodward’s M.O. Unfortunately, the descriptions of the perpetrators don’t match, so it may be difficult to get a positive ID on him.”
“Does that mean you don’t have any leads as to his whereabouts?”
“Not yet, but I’m convinced the same person is responsible for several crimes.” He pulled folded papers from his pocket and flattened them on the desk. “Here are the composite drawings of the men in question.” He tapped the first one. “This is the guy who scammed your grandma, going by the name of Thomas Woodward.”
Leah frowned. “Looks like he has a modified afro.”
“I believe he’s Caucasian, but Woodward had one of those curly perms that were popular back in the seventies. Your grandmother said he was wearing a white dress shirt with a big collar and had on a heavy gold cross necklace. The description from the other woman, Bea Stenson, was similar.”
“Sounds kind of retro to me.” Leah glanced at the other two drawings. “These men don’t look much alike.”
“No, they don’t, but the seniors who provided the descriptions were all focused on the big details—dress, hair, eye color. All those things are easily altered. When the artist asked about facial distinctions, they reported these men were just sort of normal. Normal isn’t a lot of help to an artist, not to mention the eyesight of the victims describing these perps generally wasn’t twenty-twenty.”
“Grandma thinks if she squints, she doesn’t need to wear her glasses.”
“Exactly.” Chris pointed to the second drawing of a clean-cut man with light brown hair wearing a traditional suit. “This guy was calling himself Howard Williams from Williams Construction. He was also looking for investors in his housing project. The contract was the same as the one your grandma signed, and his victims lived in a retirement community outside Salem.”
Leah frowned. “Seems unlikely more than one person would use the exact same contract to rob seniors in Oregon.”
“I agree. Williams was operating about four months ago.” The officer touched the third sketch. “Anthony Benedetto was scamming elderly women in Eugene last winter.”
“Shaggy dark hair and a bow tie.” Leah glanced up. “Looks like all three have light eyes.”
“Blue, green, and gray were the colors reported. The perp must use contacts. He only hits a few targets at a time then fades away, which is likely why he hasn’t been caught yet.”
“Then he creates another new identity.” Leah studied the drawings. “There’s something familiar about all of them, but I can’t put my finger on why.”
“You think you may have seen this man, possibly using a different persona?”
“No, it’s more a feeling these sketches aren’t quite right. Distorted. But that doesn’t make sense since, to my knowledge, I’ve never seen this creep before.”
“He’s probably in his early thirties. Medium height and build. Your grandma said he was good-looking, tanned, and had a nice smile.”
“That could be you.”
Chris grinned and touched his moustache. “Except none of his variations had facial hair.”
“Maybe his beard is distinctive in some way, so he stays clean-shaven.” She planted an elbow on her desk. “What are your plans to catch him?”
“Every law enforcement officer in the state is on alert for suspicious activity in senior communities. Plus, we’ve put the word out to senior centers to educate their clientele.”
“But that won’t help my grandma recover her money if he doesn’t target new victims for several months, which seems to be his habit.”
“I’m afraid not. Of course, we won’t stop looking for this man, but the likelihood of him being spotted is slim, since he probably no longer resembles any of these composites.”
“That sucks.”
“Yes, it does.” His tone was serious as he regarded her steadily.
“While you’re here, I may as well report my second problem.”
He straightened in his seat. “Someone ransacked your house? Yeah, I saw that report. As far as I know, we don’t have any leads yet.”
“Whoever it was came back last night and broke into my car. At least I assume it was the same person. It was late when it happened, and nothing was stolen, so I didn’t call nine-one-one.”
“Did you see anyone on your property?” His voice sliced through the quiet disturbed only by the ticking of the clock over the whiteboard on the wall behind her desk.
“No strangers, but Brock Hooker, my ex-husband, had been by not long before. We argued. Still, I don’t know why he’d dump a bunch of science reports all over the cargo area of my car or empty out my glove box. Unless he simply wanted to irritate me. If so, he succeeded.”
“But you didn’t actually witness him near your vehicle?”
“No, and as I said, nothing was taken. If the person responsible was looking for something specific, I don’t have a clue what it is.”
“I’ll file an incident report. What time did this occur?”
“Probably around nine. Ryan Alexander was with me. He went outside to make sure Brock had left and heard a door shut. That’s when he discovered the interior of my car was trashed.”
“He didn’t see anyone, either?”
“No.”
“I’ll make some inquires, including questioning your ex-husband. Any idea where Brock might be?”
She couldn’t hold back a brief smile. “That’ll certainly set him off, since he’s never felt the need to answer to anyone. Uh, he’s probably hanging out with Pete Brewster or George Dorsey. What’s weird is that someone broke the window out of Ryan’s Jeep when we were at the carnival during the Fall Festival. At the time, we suspected it was just kids, but now I wonder if it was related.”
“I’ll make a note of it.”
“Thanks for your help, Chris.”
“You bet.” He stood. “I’ll let you know if we uncover any new information on either case.”
“I appreciate that. Have a good evening.”
“You, too.”
After he left, Leah tried to focus on the math papers and failed. When someone cleared his throat from behind her, her nerves jumped higher than a spooked cat. She pressed a hand to her chest as she glanced up.
“Sloan, I didn’t hear you walk in.”
“I didn’t want to interrupt while the police officer was here. More problems? Anything I can do to help?”
“Not unless you saw someone skulking around my yard last night. First my home was ransacked, then my car. I don’t know what the hell is going on around here.”
His gray eyes sobered. “That’s more than a little frightening. If you don’t feel safe—”
“Ryan has been sticking pretty close. Not that I believe I’m in any personal danger, since robbery or vandalism seems to be the motive here, not assault.”
“Better to play it safe and not hang out alone, just in case.”
“I expect so.” She gathered up the stack of math papers to shove in her bag, then stood and shrugged on her pink denim jacket. “On that note, I think I’ll go home to finish grading these.”
“I’ll walk you out. I was just leaving.”
“Thanks.” She slung her bag over her shoulder, retrieved her keys from the top drawer, and crossed the room. After locking the door, she walked beside Sloan toward the front of the building. Rounding the corner, she smacked into Edgar Vargas wheeling a mop bucket in the opposite direction. Water sloshed across the linoleum, and her purse fell to the floor with a thump.
“Steady, there.” He grabbed her shoulders as she swayed before stepping back. “Maybe I should wear a bell like my old tabby to announce I’m coming.”
Leah laughed out loud. “Or I should pay attention to where I’m going. Thank you.” She took the bag he handed back to her. “Lucky I didn’t dump my students’ papers in the collision. They would have been soaked.”
“Is that what’s in there? I would have guessed rocks. Your bag weighs a ton.”
“Oh, it’s full of all sorts of crap I probably don’t need. Sorry about the mess.”
“I’ll have the water mopped up in a jiffy. Have a good evening, Leah.” He glanced over at Sloan. “I’ll see you later.”
“Seven sharp.” Sloan maneuvered around the puddle.
“Good night, Edgar.” Leah followed her coworker past the vacated front counter. “What are you and Edgar doing this evening?”
Sloan pushed the front door wide as a blast of wind whistled through the opening. “Poker night with the boys.”
“No women allowed?”
His shoes slapped against the steps. “I don’t know if it’s actually written into the bylaws, but . . .”
She smiled at his teasing tone. “That’s okay. When Nina and Paige and I get together, we don’t allow guys to intrude, either.” Nearing her car, one of the few left in the lot, she reached into the pocket of her jacket and frowned. “Damn.”
“What’s wrong?” Sloan turned to face her.
“I must have dropped my keys in that collision with Edgar.”
“I can run back—”
“Absolutely not. Go home and enjoy your poker game tonight.”
“If you’re sure . . .” He hesitated.
“Positive.” With a wave, she hiked her bag farther up on her shoulder and headed toward the school.
Behind her, an engine started. The wind whipped through the parking lot, swirling her hair around her face as she picked up her pace. When her cell rang, she stopped to hunt through her purse. Finally, her hand closed over the familiar shape, and she pulled out the phone.
Too late.
She checked the screen. There was a missed call from Ryan. Tapping the notice, she called him back as Sloan’s car cruised past behind her, and the engine noise faded.
Ryan answered on the first ring. “Hey, beautiful, are you home yet?”
“I’m currently in the school parking lot, getting blown to pieces on my way back inside because I seem to have dropped my keys.”
“Want to come over here for dinner? My mom made enough lasagna to feed half the town. She put spinach and mushrooms in it instead of meat, so you can’t say no.”
Head down, Leah hurried toward the front steps. “That sounds wonderful. I need to go home first to feed Barney, and then I’ll come over.”
“Great, I’ll—”
Pain exploded behind her eyes, and the phone slipped from her hand. She pitched forward onto the pavement as the world went black . . .
* * *
Her head throbbed, a dull ache that made Leah want to curl into a ball to block out the pain. But a voice nagged at her, echoing in her brain. Her name, over and over and over . . .
She forced her eyes open and blinked, trying to clear her hazy vision as strands of hair tangled across her face. Unfamiliar hands brushed them away.
“Leah, can you hear me? Jesus. Hey, Pop, you’d better call for an ambulance.”
Awareness dawned as she focused on Jesse Vargas’s concerned brown eyes hovering above her. “What happened? God, my head hurts.”
“You hit it pretty hard. I don’t know if you slipped or what, but I found you lying on your face with a knot on the back of your skull and blood in your hair.”
Bits of gravel dug into her cheek. Pressing her palms flat against the pavement, she struggled to push up.
“Here, let me help you.” Jesse slid a hand under her arm and lifted her to a sitting position.
Her stomach roiled, and she fought against the tide of nausea climbing up her throat. Taking short breaths through her nose, she conquered the urge to puke. “Oh, geez.”
Edgar knelt in front of her beside his son. “I just called nine-one-one. They’re sending an ambulance.”
She reached up to touch the back of her head. “I don’t need . . . ouch!” Her fingers encountered a large knot. “Damn, that hurts.”
“Did you trip and fall?” Edgar asked.
Leah glanced from father to son and frowned. “I was talking to Ryan on my cell and . . . I don’t remember anything else.”
“Here’s your phone. Looks like the screen protector saved it when it hit the ground. The case is a little battered, though.”
She took her cell from Jesse and stared at the blood smears on the case. “My head must be bleeding.”
“Yeah, that’s some lump you have. You gave me a scare when I saw you out cold on the pavement when I drove into the lot to pick up Pop.”
With her head pounding like a bass drum, thinking was an effort. “How long ago was that?”
“Only about a minute before you came to.” When she shivered, Edgar removed his jacket to drape over her shoulders. “I’d just locked the front doors when Jesse stopped his pickup and yelled.
Fragments of memory returned. “I couldn’t find my keys. I was coming back to look for them when my phone rang. Ryan asked me to dinner, and then . . .” The recollection faded. “Next thing I remember is Jesse saying my name.”
Tires squealed, and an engine roared as a vehicle took the corner off the access road into the lot. A moment later, Ryan stopped his Jeep near them and threw open his door. “Leah!”
“I’m okay.” She let out a relieved breath as the other two men stepped back.
“Jesus. You stopped talking, and I heard a thud. Then nothing.” He crouched beside her and touched her cheek. “What happened?”
When sirens sounded in the distance, growing louder, Jesse turned toward the road. “Here comes the ambulance.”
“What?” Ryan’s voice rose. “You’re definitely not okay.” Gently, he touched her hair. “There’s blood.”
Leah leaned against him as a chill shook her. “I hit my head when I fell.”
“She was unconscious when I arrived.” Jesse crossed his arms over his chest as an ambulance followed by a patrol car rounded the corner and cut their sirens.
Two paramedics got out and hurried over. One carried a red emergency duffel bag.
Chris Long followed. “I heard the nine-one-one call come through. I left here not twenty minutes ago, Leah. What the heck happened?”
“I hit my head. My memory of the specifics is a little hazy.”
The female EMT, who was the same one who’d attended to Ryan’s mother after her accident, frowned. “If you don’t mind, Officer, let us check her out first before you question her.”
“Of course.” Chris backed up a few steps.
Ryan didn’t move. He held Leah’s free hand while the paramedic took her vitals then shined a light in her eyes. Her partner pulled on latex gloves before carefully examining the knot on her head.
“Miss, can you tell me what day it is?”
Leah nodded, then winced when the motion aggravated her pounding head. “Tuesday. I’m fine other than a splitting headache. I don’t need to go to the hospital.”
The paramedic directed the light from her right pupil to her left. “Your name?”
“Leah Grayson. I was a little fuzzy when I first came to, but my memory returned pretty quickly.”
Ryan’s grip on her hand tightened. “Maybe you should go to the ER to get checked out. You could have a concussion if the fall knocked you out.”
The EMT regarded her steadily. “How long were you unconscious?”
“I’m not sure. It’s probably been five or six minutes since I woke up.” She glanced up. “Jesse, do you know . . .”
“She came to about a minute after I found her, which was when my dad called nine-one-one, but I don’t know how long she was lying on the ground before that.”
Ryan glanced at his watch. “It’s been eight minutes since our conversation was cut off when you dropped your phone. I broke speed records getting over here.”
The paramedic behind her stopped probing her wound. “You were unconscious for a couple of minutes, then.” He stepped around to face her. Kind blue eyes regarded her from a weathered face. “If you don’t want to go to the hospital, I’d recommend you see a doctor for a thorough assessment. I don’t suspect a skull fracture, but it’s still a possibility. Also, that wound needs to be cleaned and dressed. Do you have any pain in your hands or wrists from breaking your fall? What about your knees?”
“My right arm hurts a little. I must have landed on it. Can Ryan drive me to the doctor’s office instead? It should still be open if we hurry. I don’t need to go to the emergency room, and I’m not sure what my insurance will cover.”
The woman returned her equipment to the bag. “Of course, but I’d advise you to see a health care provider right away.”
Her partner nodded. “You were hit pretty hard, so don’t delay treatment.”
Leah stilled. “What do you mean, hit?”
“Based on the abrasions on your chin and cheek, I’d say you were hit squarely from behind and fell forward onto your face. You don’t remember falling?”
“Just pain exploding in my head, then nothing until I came to with Jesse hovering over me.”
“Maybe you crumpled forward rather than going down hard, which probably saved you a nasty wrist sprain.”
“You think I was hit?” Her voice rose. “Someone attacked me from behind?”
“That would be my assessment.” His gaze held hers. “Are you sure you want to decline immediate medical treatment?”
She couldn’t think, couldn’t process what he was saying. Tightening her hold on Ryan, she nodded. “Yes. I’ll go see my own doctor.”
“Make sure you do.” He gave her a compassionate smile before he and his partner headed back to the ambulance.
Ryan’s lips pressed into a tight line as he slid an arm around her. Slowly, he lifted her to her feet. “Let’s get you to the doctor.”
Edgar stepped forward to pat her shoulder. “You take care, Leah. I can’t imagine anyone would deliberately hurt you. That’s just crazy.”
She leaned against Ryan. “I have to agree. Maybe the paramedic was mistaken.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, my keys. I dropped them earlier when we bumped into each other in the hall.”
“I’ll go back inside to find them.”
Chris Long crossed his arms over his chest. “You do that, and then I’m going to need to take formal statements from everyone here.”
Ryan’s grip on her waist tightened. “Can you get one from Leah after she sees a doctor?”
“I suppose—”
“My purse.” She glanced around the area and frowned. “Where’s my tote bag?”
Jesse raised both hands. “There wasn’t a bag anywhere nearby when I found you.”
Her knees threatened to buckle as she clung to Ryan. “Are you kidding? Whoever hit me must have taken my purse.”
He held her even tighter. “And could have killed you in the process.”