Fleeting Glimpse Read online

  “Great. We’ll do that room last. You’ll hear some noise as we go up in the attic.”

  “You can get up there through the garage. My vehicle isn’t in the way. Do what you need.” Chandra scoops up Theo, who has come out to investigate the visitor. “Knock on the door if you need me.”

  “Thanks, Ms. Willis.” He points to the kitchen. “Is the garage through there?”

  She nods. “Yeah off the kitchen is a mudroom. And please call me Chandra.”

  Chad smiles. “No problem, Chandra.”

  She snaps her fingers. “One more thing, about how long will this take? I’m not rushing you; I’m just curious.”

  Chad shrugs. “A few hours. Providing we don’t run into any snags.”

  She nods. “Okay. Take your time. I don’t have any plans.” She walks back to her office. Stepping inside, she closes the door. Placing Theo on the desk, she sags into her chair. Her teary eyes sting as she squeezes them tight. “Get a grip.” She wipes her face, then stares down at her moist palms.

  “It’s just a security system.” But it’s really more than that if she’s being honest. Before she signed with Baker and Son, she liked her life. Now it’s completely different. She lifts the picture of her mother. “Mom, I don’t want to do this anymore.” Squeezing her eyes shut. “If you were here, you’d tell me what to do.”

  A noise from the attic above brings her back to the present. Placing the picture on her desk, she walks into the attached bathroom. Built as a junior master suite, the bathroom came in handy when she got into one of her writing marathons. Using warm water to rinse her face, she pats it dry.

  She squints at herself in the mirror. Her pale skin accentuates the dark circles under her eyes. “I’m beginning to look like the walking dead.” Twisting her face from side to side, she can see the crow’s feet taking roost. Chandra’s arms hang limp. Her heavy stomach makes her want to curl up on the little sofa in her office and sleep the day away.

  Opening her current manuscript, she dives into the story. Theo is perched at the end of her desk. His purring and the clacking of her keyboard lift the weight off her shoulders. As she types, glancing at the outline of her story, the words pour out of her, filling the pages.

  Each tap of the keyboard takes her further away from her worries, releasing her anxiety. Blocking out the noise from Chad and his helper, she concentrates on her manuscript. She smiles inwardly as she writes a scene with her main character. Her female protagonist is fighting against a demon force trying to steal her soul. A battle of good versus evil. The ironic moment is not lost on her.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Early evening Thursday

  Tapping on the office door startles Chandra. Lurching back in her seat, she sighs, giggling at herself. “Come in.”

  “We’re ready to do this room,” Chad says.

  She looks at the clock on the wall. Shaking her head, she blinks several times. She looks at her watch. “Wow, I didn’t realize it was this late.”

  Chad smiles. “We had a few wiring issues to fix.”

  “Is there any problem?”

  “No. Not at all.” He motions to her computer. “You were caught up in your writing, huh?”

  Chandra leans back. “How did you know I was a writer?”

  Chad chuckles. “Julian told me. I didn’t know it was you.”

  She cocks her head to the side. “What do you mean, you didn’t know it was me?”

  “When he said writer, I just thought like a blogger or newspaper writer. I had no idea I would be putting in a security system for Chandra Willis, horror queen.”

  Chandra wishes she never agreed to this. She wants him to go away. She crosses her arms. “I don’t want you telling anyone about this. I don’t want people knowing I’m having any trouble, and I don’t want them knowing where I live.”

  Chad blinks his eyes. “Oh, I would never do that. Not at all. I keep all of my client’s information confidential. Please don’t worry about that. I’m sorry if I made you nervous.” He looks at his shoes. “I’m just a fan of your books.”

  An instant wave of guilt washes over her. “I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

  An awkward silence lingers between them.

  She smiles at him. “I guess this is the last room, correct?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  After saving her work and closing her laptop, she grabs Theo.

  “Did you get a lot written?” Chad asks as he places a small box on the desk.

  “I did. I’m near the end of my current project.” She moves to the door. “I’ll be in the living room. Take your time.”

  He nods, turning to the window. “Will do.”

  Walking to the room down the hall, Chandra places Theo on the bed. Closing the door as she leaves, she mulls over her shopping options as she walks into the kitchen. “I would hit the five o’clock traffic if I go to the store now,” she says searching her pantry for a quick snack.

  She doesn’t want to be in the middle of dinner and Chad need to speak with her. Needing something, she settles on an unopened package of peanut butter crackers. “I hope this is still good,” she says sniffing the package. Taking a bite, she shrugs. “Not bad. Not great, but it will help. Filling a glass of water, she sits at her kitchen table.

  She feels guilty for how she made Chad feel. Chandra grabs one of the hard cover books from a box in her garage, signs it and sets it next to her on the table, continuing to eat her snack.

  Chad’s worker is on the porch. She watches as he adjusts the motion camera. Every few minutes he looks over his shoulder, then adjusts it again. Her phone rings. Pulling it from her back pocket, she mindlessly answers it. “Hello?”

  No sound.

  “Hello? Who is this?”

  “How are you doing, Chandra?”

  Her hand trembles as she glances at the phone screen. “Who is this?”

  “Did you like my surprise?”

  “How did you get in my neighborhood?” Chandra stands, moving to the glass door. She searches her backyard. Moving to the living room, she steps to the bay window. Peeking out from the edge of the blinds, she scans the street.

  “It doesn’t matter how. I can get in any time I want to. Even with your security gate.”

  Chandra closes her eyes. The voice doesn’t sound like Thomas. But she doesn’t know for sure. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because I can, and because I’m your fan. I love your books. You think you can hide behind your gated community. But you can’t.”

  “Thomas, I know this is you. I’m not going to let you scare me.” She waits for him to speak. When he doesn’t say anything, she continues. “I’m going to make sure the lawyers from the publishing house know you’re harassing me. I’m sure it won’t help your lawsuit. You won’t get away with this.”

  Cackling laughter fills her ears. She squeezes her eyes tight. Starbursts erupt behind her eyelids. “Stop! Stop harassing me!” Hanging up, she slows her breathing.

  “Chandra? Are you okay?”

  She spins around to find Chad standing in the entryway. Her hand clutches the base of her throat. “Um. Yeah.”

  “Is that the guy harassing you?” He smiles as he steps closer. “Julian told me about the guy you used to work with.”

  “Yes.” She shakes her head. “I’m pretty sure it’s him, Thomas, my former editor. But I can’t prove it.” She shakes her phone in the air. “He blocks his number.”

  Chad stands in front of her. “Julian will be able to help,” he says reassuring her.

  She nods as a flush of heat creeps across her cheeks. “I hope so.” She reaches for the book. “Here. I want you to have this.”

  His eyes widen. “Are you serious?”

  She nods. “Yes.”

  “Chandra, this is fantastic. Thank you.” He quickly looks for her signature. “Thank you for signing it.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

&nbs
p; He places it under his tablet. “We have your system installed. It’s a wireless system. I need your password to your WIFI,” he holds out the tablet, “type it in here. It won’t be saved on this. If you are worried, you can always change it after we leave.”

  She types in the code, handing it back to him. “Here you go.”

  He taps something out, then moves next to her. “Let me go through a few things. You can access this system through your phone. As well as the screen in your mudroom, and the screen at the front door. Since you will more than likely enter and leave through your garage, let’s use that keypad. Let me show you.”

  At the mudroom he points to a small eight by ten-inch screen. “This interface will look the same on your phone. After I show you this, I’ll help you download it and run through it on your cell.”

  Typing on the screen, he looks at her. “Whenever you arm this, and I would suggest, you leave it armed at all times. Tap this button and punch in your code,” he fiddles with his tablet. “Type in a four-digit number.” He nods towards the wall unit.

  Chandra types in a code. “Okay.”

  Chad points to the system. “Now, to arm, press the star button and enter your code. It will beep twice. Go ahead.”

  Chandra does as he instructs. A loud beep sounds.

  “If it doesn’t work, press the pound key and redo it. Now your system is armed. You see the green blinking circle around the solid green house?

  She nods.

  “Any time a door or window is opened an alarm will sound.” He opens the door to the garage. An ear-piercing alarm goes off. “Sorry,” he says, as she yelps. “I should have warned you.” He pushes the star button. “To shut it off, push this button. Now let’s say you’re having a party. You want to keep the alarm on the windows, but not your sliding doors or the front door.”

  He points to the screen. “Hit the party button, from there you can tap any entry point you want to take off the system. At the end of your party, follow the same steps and re-engage them.” He looks at her. “Any questions?”

  She shakes her head. “Not yet.” She rocks on the heels of her feet. “Well, actually yes. How do I arm the system and then leave without the alarm going off?”

  “I’m about to show you. Say you’re about to leave for work, you don’t need to take the entire house off-line, just the door you’re going out.” He taps the screen. “I have listed all your points of entry. As you’re about to walk out, tap the home button and tap work mode.” He points to the screen. “Go ahead.”

  Chandra taps the buttons. The light on the unit beeps at three-second intervals, flashing red at the same time.

  “You have as long as you need to exit. Once you exit through this door, and you drive out and close the garage, then use your app to arm the alarm. Let me show you. Do you have your phone?”

  She pulls it from her pocket. “Here.”

  He raises an eyebrow at her as he slides it open. “You should have a passcode on this. Or better yet, your fingerprint.”

  She shrugs, nodding. “I know. I keep meaning to put a lock on there.” She watches as he downloads and installs the security app.

  “Okay, so here is the app. You’re in your car and you just shut the garage door. Open the app. It asks for your code. Go ahead and punch that in.”

  Chandra does so.

  “You see the lighted ring around the house is blinking red. And the house is solid red.” He points to her phone as he holds it out for her to see.

  She nods.

  “That means your alarm is not armed. To arm it, tap the home button. And it will turn on the alarm. This is what it looks like when your house is armed.”

  Chandra is looking at a solid green house with a blinking green circle around it.

  “That’s it,” Chad says.

  Chad points to the wall unit. “You see here the same green house.”

  She smiles at him. “Wow. That’s cool.”

  He smirks, winking. “I agree.”

  “If someone opens my garage door, what will happen?”

  “If someone breaks in through there, the alarm will not sound. The minute they break into the home via this door, or if they enter through the side door into the garage, then it will go off.”

  He sighs. “For a long time, I had this system set up where someone could arm their garage door. The problem is, if you enter the home you have fifteen seconds to turn off the alarm. It usually takes people longer to do that when driving into the garage. If it’s a kid using the keypad, he may not even have the app. There were a lot of false alarms.”

  “That makes sense.” Chandra says, nodding.

  “When you park your car and enter through here or your front door, punch in your code. Remember, you have fifteen seconds or the alarm will sound. Since people don’t always move with great urgency to turn off their alarm, there is a fifteen second delay before the guard shack, or police if you have that enabled, are notified.

  “Okay, let’s say you’re out, and someone enters your home, the alarm would sound at your home and through the app. It will automatically open with a diagram of your home, showing you the entry point. The guard gate is programmed in. Having the police notified will cost a subscription. I have included that information if you want to set that up.”

  “Only the security guards will be notified? And, only after the extra fifteen second delay?” Chandra asks.

  “Correct. Any questions?”

  Chandra blows out a long breath. “I—I don’t think so. How about if I run through the process with you? Make sure I’m doing it right?”

  “Let’s do it.”

  Chandra watches from the window as Chad leaves. She holds her breath before exhaling. Verbalizing the pros and cons of her new security system, the pros should outweigh the cons, but it doesn’t feel that way to her.

  Her anxiety level should be going down. Instead, she feels as if she is about to crawl out of her skin. She can’t figure out how she will prove Thomas is bothering her, and she can’t imagine who is leaving her presents. Especially after what George said about people trying to get into the community. Going to the spare bedroom, she opens the door. Theo is asleep on the bed.

  Leaving the door open, she heads to the kitchen. “Damn,” she says glancing at the clock on the wall. “I don’t want to go to the store now.” Sighing as she opens the refrigerator door for the rest of her Chinese food, she jumps when her doorbell rings.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Chandra glances out the slim window next to the front door. The corners of her mouth push her cheeks up. She bites her lower lip before exhaling. “Hi,” she says stepping back from the doorway. “How was…” she screams placing her hands over her ears. “Sorry!” She taps the security pad.

  Julian watches her as she inputs her code.

  Her eyes are wide when she finally gets the alarm to shut off. “I forgot about the alarm.” She’s panting. “Fifteen seconds sure isn’t a lot of time.”

  “Hi, yourself. And I may be deaf for a few hours.” Julian enters. He touches her arm, grazing her skin with his fingers. He chuckles at her frown. “I’m kidding. How did the installation go?” His eyes narrow into slits. “I see Chad got the system up and running.”

  Her head bobs up and down. “He finished about thirty or forty minutes ago.” Panting, trying to catch her breath, she closes the door. Turning around, Julian is inches from her, his emerald green eyes burrowing through her. She tilts her head down, shielding her inner thoughts. She steps off to the side, hoping the distance will keep him from hearing the thud of her heart against her chest.

  Julian follows her into the living room. Her jeans hug her in the right places. He smiles wistfully as his fingers tighten around the key fob in his pocket. “I hope he went through how it works.”

  She turns to him as they enter the kitchen. “He did. I forgot to disengage it before I let you in. I’m sure it won’t be the last time and I’m sure I’ll h
ave to call him to ask more questions.” Stuffing her hands into the front pocket of her jeans, her body rocks on the balls of her feet. “I want to thank you for doing this for me. He didn’t charge me for the installation. Said he owed you a favor.”

  Julian takes a step closer. Reaching out, he caresses her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I want you to feel safe. If this helps, it’s worth it.”

  She resists the urge to lean into his hand. “Thank you.” She glances around. “I have left over Chinese food.” She sighs. “I need to go to the store. I keep putting it off. I bet there is enough for us to share. Are you hungry?”

  Julian smiles at her. “How about if we get something to eat and then go shopping? I can keep you company and make sure you set your alarm correctly.”

  “I feel bad asking you to go grocery shopping with me. Seems like a chore instead of something fun.”

  “I need a few things and I hate shopping by myself. Consider it a favor to me.”

  “You must like racking up favors from people. I bet it’s because you want to be able to cash in on them later. Isn’t it?” Chandra steps to her purse on the counter. She pulls out her slim wallet and places it in her back pocket.

  “I do kind of like having favors to cash in. I’m not going to lie.”

  “Hmm. Not sure I like owing you something.”

  He moves next to her. “You should never owe someone. It will always cost you more than you anticipated.” He winks at her. “Are you ready? We can take my vehicle.”

  Chandra runs her fingers through her hair. “Sure.” Clearing her throat, she swallows as she tugs her clothes into place. “Let’s go out the front door.”

  Julian watches as she sets the alarm.

  She locks the front door, using the app on her phone to engage the system.

  “Quick learner,” he says as they head to his car.

  Stuffing her keys into the front pocket of her jeans. “I’m sure I will forget something next time.”

  Julian opens her door, and holds her hand as she climbs inside.