with him.
Yes, everything was good now. She’d even forgotten about her thoughts that Liza might come back to bother them again.
Until the doorbell rang one evening. Wes was due to come for supper, so she didn’t think it was odd.
“Come on in, Wes. The door’s open,” she called out from the kitchen.
“I’ll get it!” Janie came running from her room to answer the doorbell as Kristi chuckled.
Moments later, not having heard her niece’s usual chatter, she began to wonder why the child was so quiet. It wasn’t like her not to squeal with laughter as Wes tickled her.
She stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room. There were two men standing on her front porch, looking up at her as she appeared in the room.
“Can I help you?” She stepped behind Janie and drew the girl close.
“Are you Kristi Lloyd, ma’am?” The man who spoke was obviously the older of the two.
“Yes. And you are …?”
“Detective Taylor,” he said. “This is my partner, Detective Franks, with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. May we ask you a few questions?”
“Of course.” She stepped aside and sent Janie back to her room. The detectives entered and she motioned them to the sofa, taking a seat in the armchair on the other side of the coffee table from them. “What can I help you with?”
“Do you know a woman named Liza Hill?” Franks spoke for the first time.
A chill trickled up and down her spine. “I know who she is, but can’t honestly say I know her very well.”
“What about Wesley Chandler?” Taylor asked. “Do you know him?”
“Yes. He’s my boyfriend.” Another spine-tingling chill. “Why? Has she done something to him?”
The detectives glanced at each other. “What would make you say that?” It was Franks again.
“The woman’s crazy. She threatened me, my niece, and Wes with a gun, not only once, but twice. At two different restaurants.”
“When did that happen?”
“About a month ago. She and Wes used to date, but he broke it off because she’s a nut case. He talked to her, told her to get some psychiatric help, and we haven’t seen her since.”
“What restaurant was that?” Franks asked.
“Pizza Playground. The one on Beach Boulevard. She snatched my niece from the neighbor’s front yard and took her there. She even left a note for me.”
“I don’t suppose you still have that note,” Taylor said.
“Let me look,” Kristi replied as she stood and went to the table near the door. She pulled open the drawer and found it. “Yes. Here it is.” She handed it to Franks as she regained her seat.
“Tell us what happened that day,” Taylor prompted.
* * * * *
Wes was looking forward to dinner at Kristi’s house. She’d found a beef stroganoff recipe that sounded tempting, and he couldn’t wait to taste a sample. It had been a favorite meal since he was a child.
He’d only been home long enough to check his mail and change into some jeans and a polo shirt when his cell phone rang. Kristi. She didn’t usually call on the nights he ate dinner there, so it must be something important.
“Hi there,” he said, answering after the second ring.
“Wes, I don’t want to alarm you,” she said, “but two detectives were just here asking about Liza.” Her voice held concern, but she didn’t sound frantic.
“Liza? Why were they asking about her?” He hadn’t thought about her in close to a month.
“If you’re not sitting down, you may want to.”
“Umm … hang on a sec.” He paused as he parked himself on the edge of his bed. “Okay, I’m sitting. What’s going on?”
“They told me Liza’s missing and presumed dead.” She sniffled. “Wes, they think you might have had something to do with it.”
“ What? Why would they think that?”
“They wouldn’t tell me, but they wanted to know if I saw you outside the Pizza Playground with her. I told them you went out to talk to her alone.” She cleared her throat. “Wes, did you do
Yes, everything was good now. She’d even forgotten about her thoughts that Liza might come back to bother them again.
Until the doorbell rang one evening. Wes was due to come for supper, so she didn’t think it was odd.
“Come on in, Wes. The door’s open,” she called out from the kitchen.
“I’ll get it!” Janie came running from her room to answer the doorbell as Kristi chuckled.
Moments later, not having heard her niece’s usual chatter, she began to wonder why the child was so quiet. It wasn’t like her not to squeal with laughter as Wes tickled her.
She stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room. There were two men standing on her front porch, looking up at her as she appeared in the room.
“Can I help you?” She stepped behind Janie and drew the girl close.
“Are you Kristi Lloyd, ma’am?” The man who spoke was obviously the older of the two.
“Yes. And you are …?”
“Detective Taylor,” he said. “This is my partner, Detective Franks, with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. May we ask you a few questions?”
“Of course.” She stepped aside and sent Janie back to her room. The detectives entered and she motioned them to the sofa, taking a seat in the armchair on the other side of the coffee table from them. “What can I help you with?”
“Do you know a woman named Liza Hill?” Franks spoke for the first time.
A chill trickled up and down her spine. “I know who she is, but can’t honestly say I know her very well.”
“What about Wesley Chandler?” Taylor asked. “Do you know him?”
“Yes. He’s my boyfriend.” Another spine-tingling chill. “Why? Has she done something to him?”
The detectives glanced at each other. “What would make you say that?” It was Franks again.
“The woman’s crazy. She threatened me, my niece, and Wes with a gun, not only once, but twice. At two different restaurants.”
“When did that happen?”
“About a month ago. She and Wes used to date, but he broke it off because she’s a nut case. He talked to her, told her to get some psychiatric help, and we haven’t seen her since.”
“What restaurant was that?” Franks asked.
“Pizza Playground. The one on Beach Boulevard. She snatched my niece from the neighbor’s front yard and took her there. She even left a note for me.”
“I don’t suppose you still have that note,” Taylor said.
“Let me look,” Kristi replied as she stood and went to the table near the door. She pulled open the drawer and found it. “Yes. Here it is.” She handed it to Franks as she regained her seat.
“Tell us what happened that day,” Taylor prompted.
* * * * *
Wes was looking forward to dinner at Kristi’s house. She’d found a beef stroganoff recipe that sounded tempting, and he couldn’t wait to taste a sample. It had been a favorite meal since he was a child.
He’d only been home long enough to check his mail and change into some jeans and a polo shirt when his cell phone rang. Kristi. She didn’t usually call on the nights he ate dinner there, so it must be something important.
“Hi there,” he said, answering after the second ring.
“Wes, I don’t want to alarm you,” she said, “but two detectives were just here asking about Liza.” Her voice held concern, but she didn’t sound frantic.
“Liza? Why were they asking about her?” He hadn’t thought about her in close to a month.
“If you’re not sitting down, you may want to.”
“Umm … hang on a sec.” He paused as he parked himself on the edge of his bed. “Okay, I’m sitting. What’s going on?”
“They told me Liza’s missing and presumed dead.” She sniffled. “Wes, they think you might have had something to do with it.”
“ What? Why would they think that?”
“They wouldn’t tell me, but they wanted to know if I saw you outside the Pizza Playground with her. I told them you went out to talk to her alone.” She cleared her throat. “Wes, did you do
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