CHAPTER 26

A soft vibration crept up Lexie’s thigh. She started, then realized it was just her cell phone ringing. Buster had to be psychic, because as she took the phone out to check the incoming number, he gave her a sardonic look that she interpreted as, “What, again?”

Raising an eyebrow at him, she looked down at the phone. She wasn’t surprised to see that it was a 212 area code. New York City.

She sent the call straight into voicemail, popped the phone back into her pocket, and stared defiantly at Buster, who was still watching her. He shook his head slightly, then walked out the back door of the LMK to get something from his truck. Buster knew exactly what she was doing and why, and he made no bones about the fact that he didn’t like it.

Lexie wasn’t kidding herself. She knew who was calling. Who had called every day since she’d left him lying in his apartment with a sleepy smile on his handsome face.

Lexie hadn’t picked up. Not once. And she hadn’t listened to any of his messages, either. Despite the furious blinking of the message light on her cell phone, she hadn’t wavered.

She’d been tempted to waver. Plenty of times. To simply pick up the phone and confess her love. Confess that she was scared beyond belief. But that would be giving him even more power over her. So though she knew she owed him an explanation, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Snatching up a washed and peeled carrot from a large pile, she feverishly began to chop it up into perfect little matchsticks. She was a coward, deeply afraid of what she might say. How she might respond to any entreaties, any pleas, any threats.

No. He’d never threaten her. Not like Frank. But the fact that the thought had even passed through her mind gave her pause. Would she ever get over that psychopath? Would she constantly second-guess any future relationship she might have?

She shook her head and reached for another carrot. As she was chopping it up even more precisely than the first, Buster came through the door. Instead of heading back to the grill room he walked up to her, an urgent look on his face. In his hand was a folded piece of paper.

“Is that what I think it is?” Lexie asked, forcing herself to keep her voice even.

Buster nodded curtly and the familiar mix of dread and disgust welled up in Lexie’s chest. Except this time, she felt a new sensation.

Hope.

Surely the camera had caught the Note Writer on the feed!

“Want me to call Cole?” Buster questioned.

“Absolutely,” she responded. “Right now.”

He nodded again, and stepped outside to use his cell phone. A few minutes later, he returned. “Cole wants us to go down to the station at ten-thirty.”

Lexie tried to go about her business as usual, but the fluttering of excitement in her stomach made it impossible. Through sheer force of will she made it through the breakfast service.

At ten-fifteen, she breathed out a nervous sigh, then put Isis in charge, and she and Buster drove down to the station.

Rhonda Lee greeted them like old friends and ushered them into one of the conference rooms. Lexie had been at the sheriff’s department so often it was utterly familiar, which was strangely comforting. Within moments, Cole joined them.

“Thanks for coming down on such short notice,” Cole said. He gestured to the computer that was set up in the room. “Hank’s pulling the digital video feed now and he’ll be here in a moment with the files we need. We’ll review the footage together. I’m hoping that among the four of us we’ll be able to figure out who’s behind these notes.”

“I just want this done,” Lexie said.

“Me, too. This is the last thing you need on top of everything else that’s been going on. It would be nice to get some closure.”

Lexie sighed just as Hank came into the room carrying a small flash drive. He inserted it into the appropriate USB port on the computer and opened the file, which immediately began to play. The video feed of the LMK’s back door picked up anyone who approached the door from either direction. And the kitchen door opened toward the camera, so each time the door opened they could tell whether or not the note was taped to it yet.

“This feed starts at five A.M., so we’ll have to do some fast forwarding,” Hank said, clicking the play button. “See? Here’s Buster arriving at five-fifteen.”

Lexie watched as Buster appeared on the monitor, barely visible in the dim light from the bulb above the door. Though she couldn’t see his features clearly, his gait was unmistakably his own, and he had on the same dark green military-style jacket he was currently wearing. Briskly, he turned his key in the lock, pulled the door open, and walked through. When the door closed, Buster had vanished, having disappeared inside the LMK.

“Door was clear,” Hank said, noting the absence of a white note. “It wasn’t Buster.”

Lexie smiled at Buster from across the conference room table. “I know it wasn’t him.”

Buster gave her a half smile in return.

“We’re lucky this latest note was placed during the daytime instead of at night. We should have a clear shot of the perpetrator,” Cole said. “I dropped you off at five-thirty, Lexie, so you should be up next.”

They watched the screen as the headlights from Cole’s squad car appeared at the entrance of the alley. Slowly, the car crawled up the narrow street and stopped a few yards from the door. Lexie got out of the passenger seat, gave a wave to Cole, and used her own key to open the door. Then she, too, disappeared.

“We also know it wasn’t you,” Hank said wryly.

Lexie gave a small snort at that statement. “The door’s unlocked now. I always unlock it after I get in so that the rest of the staff won’t have to bother with their keys.” She turned to Cole. “So the folks in Barnstable didn’t come up with any fingerprints or anything?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Cole confirmed, still watching the screen. “Whoever did this has been very, very careful.”

“Isis should be next,” Buster grunted, his eyes on the video feed.

“Isis Dandridge is one of our line cooks,” Lexie clarified. “She’s a great employee,” she added, silently willing the perpetrator to be anyone but Isis.

The tall woman walked up to the door and let herself in. When it opened, the door was clear.

“Not her,” Hank said.

Lexie breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Rachel, Scott, Jenny, and Kiki all came to work in succession. Each time the door opened, it was clear.

“It wasn’t any of them. Maybe it was Paige after all,” Lexie said in surprise.

The alley was quiet for a long time as the early morning rays appeared and the lamp switched off.

“I’m going to fast forward, okay?” Hank said, moving his mouse.

In a blur, Lexie saw a fuzzy figure in the screen. “Stop!” she cried. “Go back. Rewind.”

Hank rewound the feed to just before the figure appeared. Then he hit play. Lexie watched, transfixed, as the kitchen door opened, this time from the inside. A figure emerged, head down, and glanced quickly around the alleyway. Almost too fast to see, the figure’s hand flashed up and back.

“Wait,” Cole said. “Did you see that?”

“Yep,” said Hank. “We’ll come back to that in a moment.”

As the figure reached for the door handle with a gloved hand, the person’s profile came into view for a quick second. When the door opened fully, it was clear there was a small piece of white paper taped to it. Something registered with Lexie, and she gasped. “Oh, no!”

Cole looked at her sharply. “You recognize this person?”

“I think so, but I need to be sure. Can we watch it again in slow motion?”

“Yes,” he said. “Hank?”

“You got it,” Hank said, as he cued it up again. “Here it is in slo-mo.”

Frame by frame, the feed played, starting with a quiet alley. With bated breath, Lexie watched as the door opened and the figure—unidentifiable at first—looked around the alley and then turned. As the figure lifted up a hand and faced the door, Lexie saw her profile clearly. “There! Pause it!” Hank complied. Lexie turned to Buster and he gave her a grim nod, indicating that he agreed with her identification.

“We know who it is,” she said. “She’s an LMK employee.”

“I’ve seen her in your place. I’m sorry,” Cole said, genuine empathy in his voice. “If it would be easier, I can pick her up while you’re here so you won’t have to face her.”

Lexie shook her head. “No. I’m coming with you. I want to talk to her. Find out why.”

“She may not tell you,” Cole said.

“I know. But I still need the closure.”

Cole nodded his assent. “Hank, could you tag the digital feed as evidence, please, and start the paperwork for processing?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

“All right. We’re done here for now. Shall we?” Cole asked, gesturing toward the door to the conference room.

Lexie nodded. Buster came around the table and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “It’ll be over soon,” he whispered. Lexie nodded sadly as she allowed herself to be led out of the sheriff’s station.