By Chance

“Yeah, I know babe. I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” Jeremy said to his girlfriend as he hustled through the train station. Getting caught up at the precinct made him late to catch his shuttle back to the hotel. He hung up the phone just as she brushed past him, making his rolling suitcase tumble over.

“Yo!” he shouted at the woman. “You want to watch where you’re going?!”

The woman dressed in a tight yellow dress and heels with sun hat and glasses immediately bent over to help grab the papers and luggage that was scattered over the walkway.

“I am so, so sorry,” she apologized in a sweet southern accent. Jeremy looked up at her, taken aback by the inflection.

He noticed the brown bouncy curls over her shoulders. Her lips, full and pouty. And the way her calves looked in the heels as she collected the mess on the floor made him forget all about the shuttle.

“No. I am the one that should be sorry. Please excuse me,” he said. She looked up at him, with a grin. He was smiling too. He wasn’t bad looking either. He was tall with broad shoulders and sky-blue eyes. Hair perfectly styled; dimples that would make anyone stop dead in their tracks. She gazed at him.

Could he be who I’ve been looking for?

They both paused, becoming caught up in the moment. The woman shook her head standing up handing Jeremy the last of the papers.

No. I don’t have the time, she thought to herself.

“I’ve got a train to catch,” she admitted.

“Shame. We could’ve gotten a drink.”

She smiled.

“No worries,” he said slowly, burning to know her. She started walking away, leaving him in awe. She pulled her luggage behind her. He watched her hips sway back and forth under the snug garment as her heels clicked on the pavement, completely enthralled. He needed more. His mind panicked.

His eyes darted from the woman to the ground and back to the woman. Just then, a small black book fell from her bag. His heart raced.

“Miss!” he shouted, chasing after her. Could she hear him over the noise of the busy train station? “Miss!” he shouted again.

He finally reached the book but when he looked back up, the woman had vanished.

“Damn,” he said under his breath, scanning the space in front of him. She was gone.

He stood in the middle of a busy hallway, feeling like his missed his chance.

Missed his chance… Shit. The shuttle!

Jeremy looked down at his watch. There was no way he’d catch it now. “Fantastic!” he said frustrated. He snatched his luggage with annoyance and sat at an empty bench contemplating his next move. The next shuttle wouldn’t leave for another hour. At least now he could have that drink.

Alone.

Surely there would be a bar or something there while he waited. Never having been to this station before, he was unfamiliar with the layout. But if it had been like any other, he knew what to expect.

He arrived at his departure doors and noticed a small pub with outside seating. He strolled up to one of the bar height chairs and settled in to wait for his shuttle. A petit, beautiful waitress walked over to him.

“Hey there,” she greeted him with a smile. “What can I do you for?”

Jeremy sized her up. She was cute. Nothing to write home about, but he liked her cheekiness. He glared at her nametag.

“Well, Naomi… I don’t know, but I can tell you I am loving this southern charm and treatment I am getting around here. Are all of you this nice to everyone? Cause I might just have make my stay more permanent.”

The waitress blushed. “Well, you can call me Mi-Mi… And I can’t talk for anyone else, but I aim to please,” she told him. Jeremy smiled.

I bet you do.

Jeremy had been with his current girlfriend for only a few months. She was great and all, but he was young and hungry. He was a detective for one of the most prestigious PI firms in the state and he didn’t make it this far by being shy and humble.

“I’ll take a Highball, please, Miss Mi Mi,” he told her.

She gave him a wink. “Coming right up.”

He watched her leave, relaxed back in his chair, and took out his papers. If he was going to sit here for an hour, he may as well get some work done. But then he remembered the black book. It was a black leather-bound book, a little smaller than a spiral notebook. He opened it up to see the first pages.

It was a sketch book. Not paying any attention to detail, he flipped through the book noting the drawings. Black and white sketches of people in random positions. Some had splashes of colors here or there. He noticed that most of them were men. All of them had dates written at the bottom on the page.

“So, we’re artsy,” he said out loud, thinking of the woman in the yellow dress, smirking. The yellow dress that hugged her in all the right places. Showing him what he was missing without showing him anything at all. His thoughts were interrupted by Naomi setting down a napkin, placing his whiskey on top of it.

“You need anything else hon, please don’t hesitate to ask,” she told him smiling as she turned away.

He nodded and returned the smile holding up the glass. He took a sip and looked back down at the book letting himself get lost in the memories of the woman in yellow. Moments had passed and before he knew it, his cell phone let out a ding, reminding him that it was time to go. He quickly gathered his things to head out, then threw a fifty on the table. The last thing he packed was the little black book.

He boarded the bus, thankful to finally be headed back to his suite. He needed a shower. Maybe he would even take advantage of the spa and sauna they had available at the hotel. Afterall, he wasn’t paying for any of it.

When he got back to his room, he opened the door, set down his things, and immediately went to the bathroom to turn the shower on. With the heat turned all the way up, he climbed in and let the water soothe him.

What am I going to do about the book?

There was no name inside. No way to find out who she was. He decided to call the train station to see if anyone had reported it lost. She was in such a hurry to catch her train; she probably wouldn’t know it was missing until she went to look for it. Then she would probably call the station as well.

Makes sense.

He grabbed a towel before taking his phone to make the call. He dialed the number and within three rings, someone answered.

“Hi. Yes. I was there today, and I was wondering if anyone had called about a book? A little black book?” he asked.

The voice on the other end of call spoke.

“Yes actually. Just over an hour ago,” the woman said. “And, there is a reward for its return.”

“Yes sir. The woman who called and left a number for anyone having information on the book. Shall I give it to you?”

“Absolutely,” Jeremey said grabbing a pen. He took down the number, thanked the woman and hung up the phone.

Getting the number for a pretty lady and twenty thousand dollars?

Wow.

He wrote the number and asked. “And who should I ask for?”

“Scarlett is the name listed here,” she said.

Scarlett. Even her name was sexy.

“Thank you so very much,” Jeremy said as he ended the call. He immediately dialed the number for the woman.

The next thing he knew, his eyes were foggy. He blinked repeatedly, desperate to see clear. His head pounded. He couldn’t move. He felt like he weighed a thousand pounds.

No. He was tied down.

He struggled but there was no use. His eyes darted from right to left; up and down in front of himself. He was in his hotel suite. But what had happened?

“Hold still sugar, I’m still working,” the sweet, southern, female voice said to him softly.

Catching him off guard, his eyes averted to where the voice was coming from. It was the pretty lady in yellow.

“What is going on?” he asked. “What am I doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” she asked him, looking down at her lap. Jeremy blinked a few more times frantic to trying to regain proper vision.

“What are you talking about?” he asked her, clueless.

“Why are you here, Jeremy? In this town? Now?" she paused, never looking up. She asked again. “Why are you here?”

His mind was boggled. “I can’t really talk about it,” he said. “I’m working a case.”

“A case?” Her words drifted off her eyes not leaving her lap. “About what?”

He was getting frustrated now.

“I told you. I can’t talk about it. Why am I tied up? What’s going on?” he demanded to know fighting the ties.

“Calm down, honey. No reason to get worked up. It makes the detailing much harder.”

“Detailing?” he asked her, finally noticing what was on her lap. She was holding the black book and a pencil.

“I’ll ask just more time sweetie. Why are you here?” she inquired with as much endearing southern charm as he had ever heard, looking up from her book.

“There’s a killer. I’m here to help profile and apprehend.”

“MmHmm,” she said looking back down.

He was confused. Then asked her again. “Why are you here?”

“By chance," she said smiling. "I’m an artist.” She turned the book around to show her work. It was a sketched photo of him. “And you… you handsome thing. You’re my muse.”

“What?” he asked, now fearful, remembering details of the case. The targets were all men. The only thing consistent at each scene was a single gunshot wound, and white and yellow chrysanthemums with pink roses, that research said meant goodbye and thank you.

He looked to the bedside table to his left. There sat a vase of beautiful yellow, white, and pink flowers.

Feeling a stabbing pain in his neck looked back at the woman, now standing over him from the other side of the bed. His eyes met hers as a cold shudder ran down his body and he became paralyzed. A tear ran down his cheek.

“I am well compensated for my work, as I do it per commission. And I knew you would be perfect when I saw you yesterday for the latest request in my ‘Goodbye’ collection,” she smiled pulling the syringe away from his neck. “Beautiful blue-eyed stranger,” she whispered in his ear.

Jeremy’s breathing got heavy and his eyes swelled up with sadness.

“Shhhh,” Scarlett said, putting her finger over his lips. “We’re almost done.”

He couldn’t move, but he could hear just fine. And when he heard her cock the gun, he gasped.

“It was an absolute surprise and pleasure working with you.” She said, leaning over him. “And thank you so much for returning my book. Lord know what would have happened had I not gotten that thing back,” she laughed nervously. “That was a close one, huh?”

She placed the gun to his chest. “Thank you again, Jeremy." She paused to gaze at him. "Twenty thousand dollars for those baby blues.”

Jeremy closed his eyes. Then it all went black.