“There are gaps on the next street, places single-story garages were wedged in. Easy to get over those. That’s how I came through the other night.”
Holly had an awful thought. “He didn’t make it into the
house
?!” She peered at Liv’s window and spotted the girl silhouetted by light. When her phone rang, Holly knew who it was. She went into her room, rummaged through clothes on the floor, found the phone, and stepped out to the terrace where she could see Liv.
“What’s happening?” Liv cried.
“Mike thought he saw a prowler. It’s all right now. Go to bed.”
“No way! I’m coming down.” Holly found herself listening to dial tone.
Mike leaned over the deck railing. “What do you mean I ‘thought’ I saw a prowler? I chased the bastard. I—”
Holly threw up her hands. “All right, all right.” She lowered her voice. “I just didn’t want to scare her.”
“Don’t sugar-coat things for
her.
Liv’s no innocent child. She’s a clever, little manipulator. You have no idea what she’s capable of. She—”
“Enough!” Holly barked in a harsher tone than she intended. The air was cold; it was late. Her adrenaline surge had worn off. Shivering in her thin nightshirt, Holly told Mike, “You want to tell me something about Liv? Then do it. I’m in no mood for guessing games.”
Mike scowled and said, “I’m calling the cops.” He strode off, his grand exit spoiled when he backtracked for the fireplace poker.
Drama queen…
Mike’s second departure was less cocky, his steps slower. Holly noticed him cradling his broken left arm with his right hand.
And I’m being bitchy
, Holly concluded.
The terrace lights snapped on. Holly blinked as Liv and her dog came through the family room doors. The puppy reached Holly first. Teddy prodded her to stroke him, but when he headed toward her room, Holly shooed him toward the turf pad in the opposite corner.
Liv was looking up at the deck. “How did the fence get broken?”
Holly retold the story she’d heard from Mike. Liv said, “Pretty brave of him, when, like, the burglar could have had a gun. You think the guy will come back?”
“No,” Holly bluffed. Who knew what the intruder planned? Why did he choose this house to hit? Other places were easier to reach. A thief risked being seen from umpteen windows, all facing back gardens running through the middle of the block. Most gardens were walled, so an intruder would have to climb up and down or tight-rope walk on narrow ledges to get this far. And if he came in over a low garage as Mike suggested, he’d be visible from the street as well as neighboring houses. All that trouble for a random burglary? It didn’t make sense. “Liv, do you know anyone who might want to prank you?”
She shook her head. “I’m not popular enough to have enemies.”
“Not even now, when you’re tight with the A-listers? Could someone feel jealous or rejected—an old friend you’ve ignored?”
“Don’t have any old friends. They changed schools.”
“Is there a boy who might want to impress you?”
Liv screwed up her face. “By doing what—breaking the deck fence?”
“A Peeping Tom?” Holly persisted.
“Man, how Old School! With porno and sexting on demand, no one peeks in windows anymore.”
True enough. Holly ran out of ideas.
“Maybe someone’s mad at Uncle Mike. He’s a lawyer. Nobody likes lawyers. Or you. Any haters on your page—like whoever did your hair?”
Holly let the hair slam slide; she’d heard it before. The idea of enemies was new. She paused to reflect. “Um…don’t think so.”
“How about someone with a crave on?” Liv said with a wicked gleam in her eye. “I know—a secret admirer! Oh, yeah. He sneaks in to serenade you—”
“Won’t wash. I serenade myself.” Shaking her head, Holly added, “Scratch the romance angle.”
Liv scanned the terrace. “Nothing’s happening. I’m going to bed.” Calling Teddy, she scooped him into her arms and took him inside.
Holly wanted to know what the police would say. She stepped through the doors just as the front bell rang, and then hustled up to the first floor where Mike, dressed in a navy bathrobe now, was ushering Dan into the front room.
“Hey,” she said to Dan, “don’t you ever sleep?”
“Pulled the nightshift because I took off today.” He looked toward the mantle clock. It said 1:30. “I mean yesterday, for the picnic.”
“You missed a great boat ride.”
“I know. I wish—”
“Can we stay on track here?” Mike interrupted. “We had a prowler, around 1:00. I chased him off.” He pointed through the doorway. “I was on my way to the kitchen when I saw someone moving on the deck. I went for the fireplace poker.”
“Why didn’t you go for your gun?” Dan asked.
“This is Massachusetts, not Florida,” Mike said. “If I killed someone on the deck—technically outside the house—I’d face charges. And I was thinking at the time, ‘What if it’s a kid just fooling around, maybe into urban climbing like I was?’ Like we all were years ago.”
“We haven’t had reports of climbers lately.”
“Liv dismissed the idea of a student prankster,” Holly reported. “Let’s not forget why I’m here. I’m worried it was the kidnapper.”
“He’d have to know Olivia’s name and address,” Dan said. “The department hasn’t released that information.” He stood. “I better check out the deck.”
Holly waited in the warmth of the hall while the men went outside. After they poked at things on the deck for a while, they came in, Dan telling Mike, “You shouldn’t have let your pissed-off mood get the better of you. You destroyed any clues we might have found on the fence.”
“What about neighboring places?” Holly asked.
“We’ll search those in the morning when there’s more light. And speaking of light, why isn’t the deck lamp working?”
“Bulb’s blown. It’s on my round-to-it list,” Mike said.
“I can request extra cruiser drive-bys of the area and see if anyone else called in a report. That’s about it for now.”
Dan shook hands with Mike, who said, “Thanks. I’ll see you out.”
“Actually, Holly can lock up, can’t she? I’d like a word with her before I leave.”
Mike’s eyes flashed surprise before nonchalance reclaimed his face. “Oh. Sure. Well, goodnight, then.” He started up the stairway.
Dan took Holly’s elbow, guiding her through the vestibule toward the front door. He looked over his shoulder at the stairs, nodded, and then said in a whisper, “You need to be careful around Mike. Don’t trust him. Far as I’m concerned, he invented this ‘prowler’. There’s no sign of anyone else, and he admitted beating on the fence. I think it’s a setup.”
“
What?
Why would he do such a thing?”
“To get an intruder on report. If something happens to the girl later, he’ll be covered.”
Holly shoved both hands at Dan, pushing away his absurd logic. “That’s crazy. It’s paranoid. Mike’s no criminal!”
“He puts on a good act, but he has a big-time grudge against his niece. She’ll inherit his father’s money after his mother dies. If Liv dies first, Mike will be back in the black.”
“How can you possible know this…this awful gossip?” Holly demanded. “It’s
personal
. People don’t chatter about money, inheritances, who gets what.”
“Keep your voice down.” Dan looked toward the stairs again. “I’m in touch with Mike’s ex. Karina and I were friends at Sidley. I run into her from time to time. One day, I guess she needed someone to talk to. She told me about Mike, why his father disinherited him, the whole sorry story. It’s pretty grim.”
“Jeez.” Holly rubbed her mouth. “How could anything be worse than wanting someone in your family to die?”
“How about child abuse when Liv was little?”
Holly’s eyes popped. “Oh my God! He did that?
Mike
did that?”
“His sister said he did. She told their father. The old man was so disgusted, he cut ties with Mike. Karina did, too.”
“I’m not buying it. Liv doesn’t seem afraid of him, and Mike’s not weird. I mean not
that
weird. Anyway, why would Catherine let Mike live here if he’s a threat to Liv?”
“Mothers,” Dan said, “won’t believe anything bad about their children. All their babies are angels. When you’re a cop, you learn people aren’t what they seem.” Looking into Holly’s eyes, he asked, “You still want to be a cop one day, don’t you?”
“Absolutely. Can’t wait.”
“Then stay sharp. Maybe you’ll pick up on something important.” He opened the door. “Hey, apologies again for the boat ride. Raincheck?”
“I’d like that.” Holly returned Dan’s smile before he left, but her mouth tightened when she locked the door. Could Mike really be a pervert? Had she overlooked the signs? What should she do to protect Liv? She had to ask Catherine—
But Catherine was gone tonight. Oh, dear God. What if something happened while she was away?
Holly stole up the stairs, past Catherine’s floor, up to Liv’s, flinching at every creaking board. She tested Liv’s doorknob; it didn’t turn. The door was locked. She heard growling from Teddy and Liv’s sleepy voice. “Who’s there?”
“Just me. I wanted to be certain you were safe.”
“I was fine until you woke me up. Go away.”
Holly wavered, unsure if she should camp out in the hall or the guest room next to Liv’s suite. She peered up the stairwell toward Mike’s dark floor.
In the end, she went back to her room with an even heavier heart than earlier in the night. Who were these people really? Why was everything so complicated, so twisted? Nothing in her life prepared her for deceit, malice, violence where she lived.
I’m too damned naive
, Holly chided herself.
Maybe I’m not cut out to be a cop
.
She moved on automatic pilot, pondering her character, her future. Near her door, something at the edge of vision checked her. Bare foot poised to cross the threshold, Holly nearly stepped in Teddy’s latest deposit.
The dog pad she moved across the terrace was back.
Day 10—Monday morning (Columbus Day)
“Creepy,” Liv said. She picked at her breakfast. Too many carbs. She’d never lose weight eating carbs.
Holly talked through a piece of half-eaten pancake. “I got mad—thought you’d done it—until I realized we would’ve seen you come down the stairs.”
“She could have used the fire ladder,” Mrs. Barnes said over her shoulder as she reached for a carton of milk in the fridge.
“Hey! Whose side are you on?” Liv demanded. “And…what fire ladder?”
Mrs. Barnes turned to stare at Liv. “You’ve been here more than a year and nobody’s told you about the ladder? It’s in the hope chest under your window. All the upstairs rooms have ladders.”
Liv frowned. “The chest with the antique quilts in it? Grandmother said not to touch those.”
“Well, she should have told you about the ladder. It’s like one you’d use for a tree house, only the ropes and slats are metal. Hook the curved ends around your window sill and throw the rest outside. Presto! Instant fire escape.”
Holly sloshed o.j. around her mouth. “I believe Liv. She didn’t do it, but someone did. While we were talking on the terrace last night, we weren’t alone.”
“Scary thought.” Mrs. Barnes poured milk into Liv’s glass.
“So I went into my room and called Dan, er, Officer Vogel, to tell him Mike didn’t imagine the prowler.”
“Why would he think that?” Liv asked.
“He’s a cop. They’re always looking for unexpected angles. I said he was wrong: Somebody moved Teddy’s dog pad, and it wasn’t any of us.”
“Good!” Liv said. “I hope he felt stupid. I don’t like him.”
“You don’t?” Holly said.
“He treated me like a criminal at the café and in the police car on the way home. Got me in trouble with Grandmother, too.”
“Just doing his job,” Mrs. Barnes said.
“But he was snarky about it.”
Holly shrugged. “Dan was called to an accident scene so he didn’t come back, but what he said made me feel better. ‘Kid stuff. Burglars don’t pull pranks.’ He thought we were dealing with an adolescent, and I should talk to you more about people you know.”
“I already told you no one at Sidley would do lame stuff like that.” Teddy, on Liv’s lap, nosed closer to the neglected pancake. Liv looked away, hoping he’d snatch it.
Eying Teddy severely, Mrs. Barnes moved the plate. “Who’s gonna watch that pup while you’re at the gym?”
“Um…you?”
Mrs. Barnes nodded. “Okay, but you’ve only got one hour. I have work to do outside. Don’t expect His Highness to clean up the mess from the fence, do you?”
“You mean Mike?” Holly asked. “With a broken arm?”
Mrs. Barnes cocked her head. “Arm?”
She didn’t know about their weekend. Liv filled her in. Mrs. Barnes said, “Oh, good Lord! How awful.” Frowning, she added, “And I don’t like the idea Mrs. S. being alone overnight.”
“Grandmother hired a caregiver. Some chick named Marisol,” Liv said. “Guess it worked out all right.”
Mrs. Barnes sniffed. “Well, this Marisol wasn’t much on cleaning.” She wiped the counter with extra vigor. “Do you know what time your grandmother will be home?” Mrs. Barnes got her answer when the kitchen door opened.
“I saw the light on down here,” Catherine said. “Jen, it’s Columbus Day. I thought you’d stay home with your husband today.”
“After a whole weekend away?” Mrs. Barnes looked scandalized. “Three days off, and I’d spend the next three just catching up.”
“Am I paying you double for the holiday?”
“Uh huh.”
“In that case, I’ll have chocolate chips in my pancakes.” Catherine set down her package, took a seat at the kitchen counter and swiveled to face Liv. “I’m surprised to see you up so early on a free day.”
“We’re going to the gym,” Liv told her. “The one down the street. I want to join up and work out there.”
“Really? Is that where the action is?”
Liv wrinkled her nose.
“Don’t look at me that way, Olivia. ‘Where the action is’ is a perfectly normal expression for a person my age. Come give me a hug.” She reached to embrace Liv and got Teddy in the bargain.
“Catherine,” Holly said, “we had a problem last night.”
“I know. Myron called on his way to work. Shocking business. I’m looking into a security system today—should have done it long ago. Thank Heaven, you’re all safe! Wish I’d heard about what was going on. There I was having a fine, old time with my friends, believing everything was okay.”