Chapter 4
Four
H ot damn . Esther laid a hand on her chest and stared at the television screen with wide eyes. “Oh, my.”
“Right?” Edie said from the laptop screen. “That was hot.”
Esther agreed. They were watching The Lost Husband and were at the scene where James grabbed Libby at the farmer’s market and kissed her in front of the bitchy patrons.
“I need to come up for a visit and bring Jordan with me. We can go to the coffeeshop where all the snooty girls from high school hang out and he can do that. Mmm-mmm, yes, please.” She fanned her face.
Esther chuckled. “That’s your hormones talking.”
“Considering all I’ve wanted to do for the last couple of days is sleep and puke, I’ll take it. Sex has been the furthest thing from my mind.”
“At least you have the option.” Esther grimaced. “Sorry. I’m being all melancholy again.”
“You’re fine. I can still send Asher up.” Edie sent her a naughty grin.
“No.” Esther rolled her eyes. “Stop pimping out your friends.”
Edie chuckled. “I’m not. I actually think the man needs a vacation. He spends too much time in his lair, staring at computer screens. Oregon might be good for him.”
Humming, Esther stared at the TV screen. “So would Texas. Or California. Or?—”
“Okay, I get it.”
A soft chuckle escaped Esther’s lips. “Do you, really?”
“Oh, hush and watch the movie.”
Laughing now, Esther glanced at her sister, who smiled back. She couldn’t wait for them to do this in person when Esther flew down for Thanksgiving. They still had fun on their long-distance movie nights, but it was so much better when they were together.
When the movie finished a little over an hour later, Esther shut off the TV, then picked up the laptop and carried it with her as she went to the kitchen to put her dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
“I liked that one,” Edie said, doing the same thing.
“Me too. So, what are we watching next week? It’s your turn to pick?”
Edie sighed. “I was going to say an action flick, but now I’m running that actor’s film list through my head. You know, he was in a TV series a few years back. About cops. We could watch that. I hear it was funny.”
“Sure.” Esther set the computer down on the counter next to the sink. “I like—” She broke off and leaned closer to the window, peering out at the darkened street, as a hooded figure under the streetlight caught her eye.
“Essy? Everything okay?”
“I’m not sure. There’s a man on the sidewalk. Just standing there.”
“Is he watching you?”
“I can’t tell.” Sweat dampened Esther’s palms. She couldn’t see the man’s face, but he was facing her house. “His face is hidden by a hood.”
“Let me see.”
Esther picked up the laptop and clicked the button to switch to the front-facing camera. Edie leaned closer to the screen.
“What’s he wearing? A hoodie?”
“Yes.” Esther’s heart rate quickened. He was still there. Just standing and staring.
“Close the blinds and call the police.”
“What?” She reached for the stick to close the blinds. “Why should I call the police? He hasn’t done anything.”
“He’s a peeping tom. You don’t want him to think it’s okay to keep hanging around. Call the cops, Essy.”
With a huff, Esther set the computer down. “Fine.” She pushed away from the counter to go get her phone.
“Turn me around so I can see you again.”
Backtracking, she clicked the button to return to the other camera. “I have to get my phone.” She spun away. “I still think you’re being a bit ridiculous. He’s not even on my property. The cops are going to laugh at me.”
“You can still call and report a prowler. Give a description. They can keep an eye out. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“When did you turn into such a worrywart?” she called as she left the kitchen.
“You’re my little sister. I always worry about you,” Edie yelled back.
Esther sighed as she picked up her phone. Jordan wasn’t the only one who would have his hands full during Edie’s pregnancy. Her sister was a doer by nature, but she rarely worried. It was probably driving her up the wall that she couldn’t be here to charge outside and confront the man. Essy wasn’t defenseless. She’d bought pepper spray yesterday, and she had some rudimentary self-defense skills—something their dad had insisted both girls learn as teenagers. But she wasn’t the fighter Edie was. And she didn’t like confrontation. She preferred to either let others handle things or to let the other person cool off and put some distance between them for a bit. In this situation, she’d much prefer to just shut her blinds and forget the man was out there.
A sharp knock sounded on her door.
“What was that?” Edie yelled from the kitchen.
Esther froze. Why would someone knock on her door at this hour? It was almost ten o’clock.
She forced her feet to work and went back to the kitchen.
“Essy, what was that noise?”
“Someone knocked on the front door.”
“Is that guy still lurking outside your window?”
Esther pulled a blind slat down and looked out at the sidewalk. “No.”
“Call the police. Don’t you dare answer it.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t.” With trembling fingers, she called 9-1-1.
In two rings, a dispatcher picked up. “Coos County Emergency.”
“Hi, um, I’m not sure if this is an emergency or even what to call it, but there’s a man on the sidewalk outside, and he was staring at me through the window. And just now, someone’s knocked on my door.” Saying it out loud made Esther feel really stupid and like a big chicken. “I’m sorry. I know I sound a little loony, but he freaked me out. He had a hood up and I couldn’t see his face?—”
“It’s not a problem. Could you tell me your address, please?”
Esther relayed the information.
“I’ll alert the officers in your area to keep an eye out,” the dispatcher said. “Are you able to see who’s at your door without opening it?”
“No. I mean, I can peek out my front windows, but I’ll only be able to see someone if they’re walking away.”
“Go do that and tell me if you see anyone.”
“Okay.” Esther glanced at Edie and held up a finger, then walked away.
In the living room, she shifted the sheer curtains to the side and peeked through the blinds. The area in front of her house was empty. “No one’s there,” she told the dispatcher.
“What about outside the window where you first saw him? Is he there?”
“I don’t think so. He wasn’t when I called.”
“Look again.”
Esther backtracked to the kitchen.
“What’s going on?” Edie asked.
Holding up a finger again, Esther turned the stick for the blinds and looked out. “He’s gone.”
“Okay. Just make sure all your doors and windows are locked. I’ll alert patrol. If you have any other issues, please call us back.”
“I will.” Esther frowned and assessed the world outside. Her neighborhood was generally quiet, but this late, nothing moved.
“Have a good evening.”
“You too. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Goodnight.”
“Bye.” Grimacing, Esther hung up.
“Well?” Edie asked.
“She’s alerting patrol. And told me to make sure my doors and windows are all locked.”
“Good advice. Are they?”
“They should be. I’ll check again.”
“I’m hanging up and calling you on your phone.” Edie’s hand moved toward the camera.
“You don’t need to do that, Edie. I’m fine. I’ll go check the locks, then I’ll probably take a shower and read for a while.” She’d been ready to go to bed after the movie, having been up since six-thirty. But she was too keyed up now to fall asleep.
“Es—”
“I’m fine . Put your pregnancy hormones away and stop worrying. I’ll keep my phone and my pepper spray close tonight. I’ll even lock my bedroom door if it’ll make you feel better.”
“It would.”
“Then I will.”
Edie let out a long sigh, then a soft growl. “Fine. I can’t promise I won’t still worry, but I’ll stay off of an airplane.”
Esther chuckled. “Good. Our parents do live just a few miles away. I can always call them, you know.”
“It’s not the same.”
Esther’s laughter rang louder. “I think I like this side of you. It’s slightly unhinged, which is wholly unlike you and fun to watch.”
“Laugh it up. One day, it’ll be you. And trust me, I will return the favor.”
“I know.” Esther grinned. “Now, I’m going to take myself upstairs and try to shake off this excitement so I can sleep. You should do the same. Your baby needs the rest.”
Edie rolled her eyes. “Then maybe he or she should stop waking me up to pee every five minutes. I swear, it’s like someone flipped a switch. Since I took that test the other day and found out I was pregnant, all the symptoms have come out to play.”
“Maybe you’re just recognizing them now.”
“Could be.” Edie shrugged. “All right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. If anything weird happens?—”
“I will call the police.”
“Good. Be careful, little sister.”
“Yep. Love you, Edie.”
“Love you too.”
Esther waved and disconnected the call. Closing the lid, she frowned and peeked outside again. It would be more than “excitement” she shook off upstairs. That entire situation had given her a serious case of the willies.