Stolen Time Read online

  Stolen Time

  By Elizabeth Lennox

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  Copyright 2017

  ISBN13: 9781944078638

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any duplication of this material, either electronic or any other format, either currently in use or a future invention, is strictly prohibited unless you have the direct consent of the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Jand and Tony’s Next Step

  Excerpt from Passionate Mystery

  Oh – So much more coming up!

  Chapter 1

  The normally quiet park in downtown New Orleans was bursting with noise.

  “You’re here!” Lillian exclaimed, jumping with excitement and embracing her three friends – all at the same time. “I’m so glad that you’re all here!”

  Tallia, Becca, and Jane laughed as they returned their friend’s hug, ignoring the curious or amused glances of the strangers also strolling through the park.

  The air was still a bit chilly since it was only mid-morning, but the forecast predicted a relatively balmy sixty degrees despite it being only three weeks until Christmas. And since this was the south, the humidity would rise into the eighty percent range, so that sixty degrees would feel even warmer.

  Jane was the first to pull back and really look at Lillian. Still on Pacific Time, having flown from Seattle, Washington early this morning, Jane was a bit sleepier than Becca who had come in from New York or Tallia, whose schedule was off by only an hour since she’d flown in from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

  As soon as they pulled back, everyone noticed the tension in Lillian’s eyes. “What’s wrong?” Jane asked. She was the most polite of the four women, so her question was gentle and obviously filled with concern.

  Lillian pulled back as well, quickly wiping away the tears. “Nothing!” she replied with as much cheer as she could muster. “Everything is wonderful, especially now that you guys are here to help me!”

  Jane’s eyes scanned Lillian’s features, then she shook her head. “No. Something isn’t right.” A group of people hurried past, tugging their luggage behind them as they hurried into the luxurious hotel. “We can’t talk here,” she sighed.

  Becca and Tallia looked at Lillian, then at Jane and each other. Both agreed with Jane’s assessment. “No, something is definitely wrong,” Becca nodded with her normal New York City assertiveness.

  Tallia’s hand fisted on her hip that was covered with a gauzy skirt and a wide, woven belt riding low on her hips. “Spill it, my friend. And don’t try to hide it. Your sweet, southern charm hasn’t been able to hide anything since our college days and you’re not fooling any of us now.”

  Several more people rushed by, their arms loaded with bags filled with packages, some already wrapped in Christmas paper and other bags just stuffed with boxes still needing to be covered with holiday spirit.

  Jane looked around. “There’s a group of benches over there,” she pointed to a small circle surrounded by street lamps, all of them merrily decorated as well. Christmas was only three weeks away, but Lillian had always been her dream to have a Christmas wedding, so her big event was next Saturday. “Why don’t we go over and sit down? We’ll be somewhat secluded and you can tell us what’s bothering you.”

  Lillian laughed, shaking her head. “Nothing is wrong,” she asserted again.

  Tallia simply linked her arm through Lillian’s and shook her head. “Lil, remember that differential equations class in college?”

  Lillian groaned, but rallied quickly to hide the horrible memories of that class. “I got through it,” she remembered with a sigh, walking alongside her friends as they led her along the sidewalk of the small park.

  Becca laughed as she linked arms with Jane, walking behind Lillian and Tallia. “Yeah, but for the first six weeks, you pretended that everything was fine. It took the three of us getting you drunk before you finally admitted that you had no idea what was going on in that class.”

  “Thank goodness I didn’t have to take that class!” Tallia exclaimed, lifting her free arm up in the air. “Political science majors only need one math class and I wasn’t going to hurt my grade point average by taking something as horrible as differential equations. That was all you, Becca.”

  Lillian laughed, shaking her head. “That was only one class.”

  Jane laid a gentle hand on Lillian’s shoulder. “The point is, you wouldn’t admit that you were drowning in that class. But we already knew.”

  “And something is wrong now,” Tallia urged. “So ‘fess up. What’s wrong?” They all took a seat on a bench which was surrounded by trees, completely decked out with twinkling, white lights that were on even at this time of the morning.

  “Nothing!” Lillian replied, thinking she sounded pretty convincing.

  Lillian looked at her friends, then at the crowds rushing along the sidewalks, hurrying to finish their Christmas shopping or hurrying back to work. Glancing nervously at the crowds, then at her friends, she sighed before folding her hands on her lap. With her legs elegantly crossed at the ankles, she faked a bright smile for her friends. “Everything is wonderful. You brought your dresses?”

  The three friends looked at each other, sharing a knowing glance, then looked back at Lillian. “Lilly, we know something is wrong. Talk to us. We’ve known you since our first year at college. We know something is…”

  “Stop!” Lillian whispered harshly, then anxiously looked around the beautifully landscaped park, the tall, black lampposts garnished with ivy and red ribbons. Everything looked ready for the Christmas season. Everything looked perfect. Everything should be perfect! And it would be if…

  Shaking her head, she smiled again at her friends then with a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders. “You know, there’s a gorgeous trail right across the street that leads to the waterfront. Why don’t I show you around?”

  The other three immediately understood. Something was wrong, but Lillian wasn’t quite ready to talk about it.

  “That sounds perfect!” Tallia agreed, jumping up and taking Lillian’s hand. “I’ve always wanted to ride one of those electric bulls. Since I’ve moved to Santa Fe, I haven’t had time to find one. Think they might have one around here somewhere?”

  Lillian laughed and surreptitiously wiped a stray tear, silently grateful to her friend for the strange conversational topic. “I have no idea. New Orleans might have them, but they wouldn’t be in any of the bars or places in which I socialize. Sorry.”

  Becca took Lillian’s other arm and the four of them locked elbows as they discussed the tourist attractions available to visitors of New Orleans. Jane spotted a quaint coffee shop right by the edge of the trail and separated herself from the group. “I’ll get us some coffee,” she announced.

  Lillian’s shoulders relaxed slightly as she smiled gratefully at all of them. “We’ll meet you over there by the statue, okay?”

  Jane looked in the direction Lillian had pointed, then nodded her head. “Sounds good. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

  With that, Jane turned on her
heel and walked over to the coffee shop across the street. Pushing her sandy blond hair behind her ear, she enjoyed the feeling of the sunshine hitting her head and shoulders. Winter in Seattle was wet and cold. New Orleans was…well, it was beautiful, almost luxurious, with warmer temperatures and a more relaxed pace of life. She smiled, thinking about Lillian’s dream to have a Christmas wedding. Her friend had been raised in the south and was a true southern belle and it was wonderful that Lillian was getting her dream wedding, she thought as she meandered over to the coffee shop.

  Living in Seattle, Jane had perfected the “hustle walk”, getting to a building before the rains started up again, or hurrying out of a building and diving into the next closest doorway. It wasn’t always rainy though. Most people thought that Seattle was a rainy city, but it had about an average number of rainy days compared to other cities.

  It was the clouds that really got to her, she thought, as she smiled up at the sunshine filtering down through the still-green trees. Seattle was one of the cloudiest cities and she craved the sunshine. Maybe it was time for a move, she pondered, as she pulled the door to the coffee shop open and stepped into the line of people waiting to order. Moving might be good, but…she couldn’t leave her students. They were her life! As a teacher, she thrived on teaching, on seeing that spark light up a student’s eye when they finally understood the subject matter.

  With a sigh, she rejected the idea of moving to a sunnier place. She loved Seattle. And most days, she didn’t think about the lack of sunshine. It was just…some days, like today when she was warm and the sun was shining brightly…that’s when she thought about a change.

  Inside the coffee shop, she looked around, appreciating the smells of coffee and Christmas. There wasn’t anything like a cozy coffee shop during this time of the year. The line moved slowly, but she looked down at her phone, reading through an article on being the best bridesmaid possible.

  A sudden shout brought her head up and she looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Why would anyone yell inside such a cute coffee shop? It was a sunny day. How could anyone be angry about anything?

  Then she saw the man walk into the shop and pull something out of his jacket. It was…no! Impossible! Why would he…?

  The muted pop caused her to jerk and drop her phone. And even after her mind registered that the sound was gunfire, it still took her several moments to react. In those moments, the world seemed to slow down. Everyone around her fell to the floor but Jane stood there, looking around and trying to absorb what all the other customers had already realized.

  Someone was firing a gun!

  The man sitting in a chair against the brick wall…he was falling. His chest turning red! She looked over at the man by the door, still holding a gun.

  Seriously? This couldn’t be happening!

  No! Impossible! Things like this simply didn’t happen in this part of the French Quarter! This was the tourist area! The police…they were everywhere…why weren’t they…?!

  And yet, she watched, still in slow motion, as the man holding the weapon turned to look at her, the gun barrel still smoking. In the back of her mind, she heard the terrified screams of the traumatized coffee-shop patrons as they realized what had just happened, but they sounded so far away. Oddly, the thought occurred to her that it was still a beautiful, sunny day, a warm one for December. In that fraction of a second, as the man swung his gun in her direction, she thought about changing her sweater because it was too hot and humid for a cashmere sweater.

  But then she realized that the man was going to shoot her. And her next thought was…how rude! It couldn’t possibly qualify as polite to kill someone by pointing a gun in her face!

  The loud shot caused her to cringe and Jane waited for the pain to hit her. Or the realization that she’d just been killed. Did a person realize that one had died? Or did they simply experience a floating sensation?

  Her next thought was that she really didn’t want a bullet in her head. She doubted that the guy had washed his hands before he loaded the bullet into the gun that morning.

  Opening her eyes, she looked around, waiting for the pain. Standing very still, Jane was shocked by the silence, a silence that continued for a long moment. She wasn’t sure what was going on. More screams and yet, everything still seemed oddly silent. When nothing seemed to hurt, she looked down at her body. There were no gaping holes in her chest or stomach. No blood spreading across her tidy skirt and blouse. She didn’t even have a headache. And even stranger, she looked down at her shoes, wondering why she’d chosen to wear kitten heels that morning. Yes, Jane knew that her thought about her shoes was…ridiculous but…nothing seemed real. This couldn’t be happening!

  The strange moment continued, but she didn’t have any more questions about her attire. Very slowly, the world started to move again. She smelled the coffee and something more metallic that she couldn’t identify. People were yelling. Sirens were…somewhere.

  When she looked up again, she realized that the man over against the wall, the one that really did have a gaping hole in his stomach and was bleeding all over the chair, table, and floor, had a gun in his hand. As she glanced at the man by the door, the one who had been about to shoot her, she saw that the gun was no longer in his hands. Instead, he was cradling his gun-hand, the gun no longer in his grip, his hand was bleeding profusely. The gun was on the floor, still looking menacing and terrifying, but…well, it was no longer pointed right at her. She hadn’t been shot?

  Gasping, she looked around, still trying to assimilate everything.

  There’d been a shooting! In this adorable coffee shop filled with customers and employees! A shooting! Everything had happened in perhaps seconds, and yet, she still stood there, trying to absorb what had just happened.

  In the distance, she could hear sirens. The police were coming and, as she looked up, the man who’d been about to shoot her seemed to realize this as well. His gaze turned from the windows to glare at her and she shivered at the evil in his eyes. But a moment later, he rushed out of the coffee shop, his bleeding hand clutched to his chest, and disappeared into the street. Jane heard several people outside shout as if the bad guy had just accosted them, but no more gunfire.

  Police cars came to a screeching halt outside of the coffee shop, blocking the entrance. Jane continued to stand there, stunned and terrified. As the police raced inside, she stood there, her mouth hanging open.

  Thirty seconds? Surely two hours had just passed! Nothing that dramatic could have happened so quickly!

  “Ma’am? Are you okay?”

  She heard the words, but couldn’t understand their meaning.

  “The guy who ran out of here almost shot her!” someone explained to the police officer in a teary voice.

  “Ma’am? Are you hurt?”

  She turned her head, staring at the police officer with his gun pointing in the air. He asked her again if she was okay, but she couldn’t seem to move. Her whole body was still frozen, her mind unable to take in the past few moments. Out the front window of the coffee shop, she saw Lillian, Tallia, and Becca as they tried to get inside, but police officers were holding them back. She saw their lips moving, noticed that Lillian seemed to be crying, again, but Jane couldn’t move, couldn’t tell everyone that she was alive and unhurt. Because she couldn’t believe it herself.

  A man had just pointed a gun at her face. He’d been milliseconds away from pulling the trigger and…

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled through numb lips.

  “Are you sure?”

  Was she sure? The only thing Jane was sure about at this particular moment was that she wasn’t dead. But was she fine? No. Not really.

  “Why don’t you sit down?” the officer suggested.

  Jane sat down, but only because the man put a hand on both of her arms and directed her into the chair. A hot cup of coffee was placed in her hands and she held it. At least, she hoped she was holding it. She wasn’t really sure.

 
Looking up, she saw her friends and something shifted inside of her head. “My friends just want to know that I’m okay,” she told the officer and tried to stand up.

  The man turned, put his hands on her arms again and held her in the chair. “Don’t stand up quite yet, ma’am,” he suggested. Well, actually, he didn’t suggest anything. He just held her in place and Jane didn’t have the strength to argue with him.

  “Please, tell my friends that I’m okay. Otherwise…”

  The police officer turned and looked over his shoulder. “The three women about to punch out the officers outside? Are those your friends?”

  Jane might have smiled as she nodded her head, but she wasn’t completely sure. “Yes. They just…they need to know that I’m okay. Just tell them and they’ll calm down.”

  The officer walked away, whispered something into the other officer’s ear and the guy nodded and walked out. Jane watched as the officer moved over to where Tallia looked like she was going to deck the police officer holding back the crowd. With just a few words, the officer spoke to her friends and they stopped fighting. Becca asked something, the officer nodded and Lillian buried her face in her hands. Jane knew that she was sobbing and wanted to tell Lillian that it wasn’t her fault. But Jane was fairly certain that her legs weren’t going to cooperate in helping her stand up. Walking? Nope, out of the question.

  Instead, her body betrayed her. The trembling started slowly and increased as her mind started to unfreeze, replaying that moment over and over again in her mind. The shot blast, the body crumbling to the floor. The other customers diving for cover and then….

  Detective Tony Shaw was ready to fall over from exhaustion but he pushed himself to make it to a bed first, preferably his own bed. In his own bedroom so he could fall asleep for the next year.

  Rubbing a hand over his scruffy jawline, he wondered if he could get out of submitting a report about last night’s activities to his commanding officer until later. It might be more legible if he could actually see what he was writing. He’d been awake for almost forty hours now, having sat in the stakeout truck listening to voices talk about poker games and porn for the last twelve hours.