Caffeine & Killers (Roasted Love Cozy 3)

The truth was, I sure wanted to see Linda right away – but something told me to be more cautious, and for once I listened to it. I wanted to talk with Daniel first and let him know about Linda and her call. Whatever she had to say would have to wait.

It occurred to me that she could have gone to the police with the information she had, but she'd called me instead. I was a bit leery of what she needed to share with me and why.

Chapter Twenty Six

As soon as things slowed down at work, I called Daniel.

"Hey Laila, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Mind if I stop by after work?"

"Of course not, but maybe it'd be better if I meet you at your place just to make sure it's safe and clear," he suggested.

"OK. That works too" I smiled.

"Great. Call or text me when you're leaving work so I can meet you."

"Will do. Thanks Daniel!"

The day was like most, busy for a while, slow for a while, then another rush in the evening, and then slow before closing. Whenever I had a free moment, my mind wandered and thought about all the things that have been going on. I couldn't wait for my shift to end and to see Daniel.

I closed with Lily and together we walked to our cars. As soon as I go in, I texted Daniel, and then started the engine. My stomach was a bit nervous and I couldn't wait to get out of the parking lot with Lily. I didn't want to take any chances.

As I arrived, I saw Daniel in my driveway leaning on his car. That was fast.

"Hiya," I exclaimed as I got out of my car next to his.

"Hi. I took a walk around, but I didn't see anything," he told me.

"Thanks. Come on in."

Daniel came in and went through the apartment and then took Thor out back and explored the yard. "OK, as far as I can tell, it's all clear."

"Thanks Daniel. I appreciate that. I haven't had any calls today. Hopefully, whoever it is, knows I got the message."

Daniel and I continued talking about a whole lot of everything – my stalker, Linda Henson and her phone call to me, and my certainty that both homeless men had been murdered.

Daniel cautioned me to be careful. "I’m not trying to make you nervous, Laila, but I’m beginning to believe your theory of murder. You've sure ruffled someone’s feathers with your investigating."

I grinned at him, and finally started to relax. We were finally on the same page and I decided to take advantage of it. "I’d like to ask a favor of you."

"Ask away," he said. "You know I'd do anything for you. Well –anything that won’t land me in jail."

"Oh, it probably won't. It's just that – I have to admit I’m a little nervous about meeting Linda Henson tomorrow. I’m not sure why I feel so skittish about it. I'm just wondering if you could be nearby. We’re supposed to meet at Sam’s."

"It might be a good idea to pick a different spot with more people."

We agreed that I would call Linda and change the meeting to Little Italy Pizza at the mall – the same place where I'd met her the first time. Daniel could be inside there at another table, or just window shopping somewhere near the west entrance.

# # #

The next day, I met Linda at Little Italy Pizza and we walked to our table. I started to take a seat facing the doorway to the mall, but Linda stopped me.

"If you don't mind," she said quietly, "I'm not really comfortable sitting my back to the mall."

"Oh. Sure. Here, we'll switch places."

So we did. I managed to look over my shoulder for a second and saw Daniel browsing in a gift store just across the way.