Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
July 1993
I t was three days after Rose’s nightcap with Oren in his private room. She hadn’t seen him since and had all but convinced herself it hadn’t happened at all. The only proof was her copy of Jane Eyre, which she’d torn through and begun again. She was so hungry to talk to Oren about it. She ached for her next day off, hoping she could swing into his private quarters and talk his ear off about Mr. Rochester and Jane.
Rose dug through the chaos of a typical day at the Walden Estate. Hogarth was midway through his tennis lesson, and Kate was studying French, which meant Rose had two hours with Hamilton and Evie, making up games and running along the beach. Clouds frothed in the distance, threatening rain. Rose hated rainy days when she was babysitting. It meant being cooped up inside, where the children’s voices were so much louder. Rose was apt to have a headache within the hour.
Once, Rose had let the children play outside in the rain. They’d gotten drenched and laughed themselves silly—letting out that boundless childish energy that was required if they were going to get to bed on time and sleep through the night. But Mrs. Walden had seen them soaking wet and launched into a diatribe about her children’s health and safety. When she’d left, Rose had rolled her eyes into the back of her head. It was all about appearances with her.
Evie took a stick and drew a smiley face in the sand. Hamilton took that opportunity to run through it, tearing it apart with his toes. Evie burst into tears and ran to Rose, burrowing her face in her thighs. Rose snorted and looked at Hamilton.
“Are you going to apologize to your sister?”
Hamilton scampered off toward the waves, calling out, “No.”
Rose strung her fingers through Evie’s hair. “He’s just a mean big brother,” she explained.
Evie hiccuped and nodded. She was too sad to speak.
But Rose knew the smiley face would be forgotten in just a few minutes.
“Let’s draw something else,” Rose said, eager to get Evie’s mind elsewhere. She picked up a stick. “What would you like?”
“An elephant,” Evie said.
Rose brought an image of an elephant to her mind’s eye and began to sketch. She was nervous. It had been a little while since she’d tried to draw something.
Voices came from up the walkway. Evie perked up, hopeful that it was her mother coming to spend time with her. That happened so rarely, but Evie never lost hope.
Instead, three cops appeared at the far end of the walkway. Rose stopped sketching to watch. Two of the cops were in their forties or fifties with big bellies, but one was in his twenties, maybe just a little older than Rose, with dirty blond hair that spilled out of his cop hat.
One of them clambered up the steps to the back porch and knocked on the door. They’d probably already knocked on the front door but had no answer. Where was Miriam?
That was when the younger one spotted Rose. In a flash, they approached, bumbling down the walkway, their eyes on Rose. They looked at her as though she had all the answers to their questions. Rose’s throat filled with dread.
Evie hurried up to say hello. “What are you doing here?” she demanded brightly.
The cops stopped and smiled down at her. They were Nantucket cops, which meant they weren’t accustomed to hard crime and spent much of their days saying hello to tourists and high-fiving children.
The blond cop watched Rose ponderously.
“We’re just here to ask some questions,” one of the older cops said. He raised his chin to look Rose in the eye. “Do you know where we can find Mr. or Mrs. Walden?”
“They’re not home right now,” Rose said. They hadn’t told her where they were off to, but they never told her that kind of thing.
“Any idea of when they’ll be back?”
“Probably late,” Rose said.
“What about Oren Grayson or Zachary Grayson?” the younger blond cop asked. “Are they around?”
Rose raised her eyebrows. Does this have something to do with the fire? Rose suddenly felt protective over Oren, as though it was up to her to stand between him and the long arm of the law. He didn’t do anything wrong. He loved Natalie. His heart is broken.
“No,” Rose said, her tone dark. “What is this regarding?”
“We just want to ask the Graysons about the fire from the sixteenth of June,” an older cop said. “Have they mentioned anything to you about it?”
“No. I’m just a babysitter,” Rose said.
“But working here means you probably overhear things,” the blond cop suggested.
“I’m always with the kids,” Rose insisted. “We talk about dinosaurs and math problems. That’s about it.”
The cops exchanged glances. One of the older ones riffled through his pocket to remove a business card, which he passed over. “That has my private number on it,” he explained. “Call that when and if you hear anything of value.”
Rose took the business card and considered throwing it on the ground.
“Remember that these people don’t care about you,” he said. “You’re their employee. You’re replaceable. If they’ve committed a crime, it means they’re dangerous. You don’t want anything to do with that.”
Rose sniffed and stuffed the business card into the pocket of her sweatshirt. She imagined Oren upstairs, watching over her. She imagined him thinking, She’s protecting me. She’s good for me.
Later that night, Rose crept around downstairs, attempting to eavesdrop on the Waldens or the Graysons. She wanted to know what the cops knew.
The only thing she caught that night was Mrs. Walden saying, “I just keep telling him to get a better lawyer.”
Does he really need a better lawyer? He didn’t do it! Rose thought.
That was when the door between the living room and her hiding place burst open, and Rose had to scramble to get back upstairs. It was a good thing she did. Evie was already stationed outside her door, wanting to sleep in her bed. Rose scooped her up and brought her there, grateful for the company.
Rose’s third week of work meant her third day off. Now, the difference was that she’d been paid and had money to burn. This was a first in her life. She decided to hitch a ride with Baxter downtown and spend the day doing whatever she wanted.
Baxter was just as chipper as ever, chatting happily as they cut across the island.
Rose got up the nerve to ask Baxter about Oren and the investigation.
“What do I think?” Baxter repeated. “About if he did it or not?”
Rose nodded.
“I think it doesn’t matter what happened,” Baxter said. “It never does with these rich folks. They can do whatever they want and get away with it.”
Rose thought back to a kid she’d gone to high school with. He’d stolen a candy bar from a gas station and spent the next eight months in juvenile detention. It was clear that if Hogarth or Hamilton or Kate or Evie ever stole a candy bar, they’d get away with it.
The world was upside down.
Baxter dropped Rose off downtown, and Rose spent the next few hours shopping, trying on clothes, buying dresses and skirts, and imagining herself in Oren’s private room, showing off what she’d gotten. She couldn’t help but daydream about him. He’d opened up a fantasy world in her mind, one she’d never known she could build. She’d known leaving Mississippi would change everything. But this was bigger than she ever could have imagined.
Rose worked up an appetite and went to the diner for a grilled cheese, reading Jane Eyre between bites. After that, she left and swept down the beach, her eyes on the cirrus clouds. The Nantucket Sound sparkled.
Suddenly, she spotted a familiar face.
Standing along the boardwalk in his police clothes was the handsome blond officer who’d come to the Walden Estate the other day. His jaw was sharp and firm, his blue eyes catching the light of the water. He held her eye contact for a few seconds before striding toward her with his hand raised.
Rose’s heartbeat intensified. She couldn’t run away from him, not now that he’d seen her and was beckoning for her. Would he chase her if she walked away? Did that qualify as breaking the law?
Rose approached him with clammy hands.
“Good afternoon,” he said.
“Hi.”
“Enjoying your day?”
Rose raised her shoulders and decided to probe a little bit. If they were on the verge of arresting Oren, maybe she could warn him and get him out of here. Maybe he’d even take her with him wherever it was he went.
“How is your investigation going?” Rose asked, her voice light and breezy.
The officer touched his belt and gave her a look that meant you know I can’t tell you that.
“We’re still looking into everything,” the officer said. “I hope we didn’t frighten you the other day.”
“I’m not easily frightened.”
“I guess not.” The officer pressed his lips together. “What is that accent?”
“Mississippi.”
“You’re a long way from home,” the officer said. “How did the Waldens find you?”
“I answered an ad in the paper,” she said.
The officer cocked his head. “How is the gig? Are the Waldens treating you all right?”
Rose knew he was prying for the sake of his investigation, but she felt no real allegiance to Mr. and Mrs. Walden. “They’re fine. They treat me like an employee. It’s enough for me. For now.” She swallowed, then added, “I just wanted to leave Mississippi.”
Why did I tell him that? Why do I want him to know anything about me?
“What about Oren Grayson?” the cop asked.
Rose sniffed. “What about him?”
“I mean, what does he seem like? How does he treat you?”
“He’s really kind,” Rose answered. “More human than the Waldens.”
The cop looked taken aback.
Rose felt her lips break into a smile. She hadn’t expected that. “You can’t really think Oren killed his wife. That’s just island gossip. You shouldn’t give in to that.”
“Like I said, we’re just investigating right now.”
“I think you’re wasting your time,” Rose said. “The fire was a tragic accident. You’re dragging an innocent man’s name through the mud.”
“What makes you so sure he’s innocent?” the cop asked.
They held each other’s gaze for a moment. Rose felt as though they played a mental game of chicken. Who would give in first?
“Anyway, I can’t talk about this,” the cop said, his tone lighter.
“I imagine you can’t.”
The cop laughed. He suddenly looked nervous. But even Rose couldn’t have guessed what he said next.
“What are you doing this weekend?”
Rose bit her lip. It had been a long time since she’d considered the weekend or her potential plans for it.
“I have to work,” she said.
“Yeah, but what about after the kids go to bed?” the cop pressed. “There’s a beach party. Loads of islanders will be there.” He paused, then added, “I’m sure I could get you a different job on the island, too. Something that didn’t require you to live with a borderline-insane and very rich family and a potential murderer.”
Rose’s chest spiked with heat. He’s not a murderer.
“I have to work all weekend,” Rose said. “This is my only day off.”
“More reason for me to find you a different job.”
But Rose didn’t want to be indebted to some cop.
Even more than that, Rose didn’t want to leave Oren behind. She couldn’t fathom why.
“I’m all right, thanks,” Rose said. “But enjoy the party.”
Rose ducked around the cop, but the cop kept up with her, maintaining eye contact.
“I’m Sean, by the way,” he said. His eyes were like a puppy dog’s. “Officer Sean Slagle.”
“Hi, Sean. I’m Rose Carlson,” she said, feeling light and snappy and alive. “Don’t you have some crimes to stop somewhere? Some tickets to write?”
Sean’s eyes danced as though he wasn’t accustomed to meeting anyone like Rose. “You’ll let me know if Oren says anything?”
“I’ll let you know if the nicest man I’ve ever met insinuates that he murdered the love of his life,” Rose shot back sarcastically. “Thanks for all your hard work, Officer. Have a great day.”
With that, Rose scampered down the beach, sand flying out behind her.
She could feel Officer Sean Slagle watching her every move.