Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Maude had been awake for an hour before she realized she’d never finished her coffee.
The mug sat cold on the desk beside her laptop, pushed far enough away to make room for the legal pad she’d pulled closer. Robbie was already gone, out the door early with his lunch packed and his mind on a new accent table.
The house had settled into a lovely quiet. She’d done some quick sun salutations, had a wonderfully hot shower, then made coffee and gotten to work.
This was when Maude did her best thinking.
She had Darcy Lane’s name open in three tabs, each one a different slice of the same thin digital trail. One held social media Maude had already seen. Another, property records she’d combed through once. The third had some event photos from some defunct organizations, all of them archived.
Which only made the search more interesting. There had to be more. Darcy struck her as a woman who wanted influence. And a woman like that didn’t stay off social media.
Maude cracked her knuckles and went deeper, widening the net instead of tightening it. Not, “Who is Darcy Lane?” but, “Where else does Darcy Lane show up?” What spaces did she move through? Who else might she have attached herself to?
That was when Maude remembered the Colony forum.
Most residents treated it like a digital bulletin board.
They posted about lost sunglasses, questions about upcoming events, free things they wanted to get rid of, and quite often, complaints about everything from landscaping schedules to loud neighbors.
Maude hadn’t been on it in ages. Not since there was a rumor going around that there was going to be a special assessment and then she’d only gone on to read the rants.
The forum was kind of a nothing burger as far as she was concerned.
She clicked over anyway.
Well, this was new and interesting. There was an announcement near the top. NEW GROUP FORMING — INTEREST MEETING THIS WEEK.
Maude leaned closer to the screen and read the copy underneath that header.
Are you looking to connect with other women at the Colony? Interested in conversation, community, and a fresh start? Tired of cliques? A new social group is forming and welcoming all members. First interest meeting this Thursday at the Community Hall. All are welcome.
It had been posted by a MsColony9, which had no photo or avatar attached. Seemed like a new account. Maude clicked through to find other posts from that user, but there weren’t any. And nothing that gave any idea who MsColony9 might be.
Beyond that, there was just a contact email.
Maude scrolled down. Several people had replied.
The comments were friendly and curious. There were a few enthusiastic Sounds fun! posts that looked exactly like the kind of thing people wrote when they were afraid they might be left out of something but didn’t understand it enough to know if they were really interested.
She scrolled back up and read it again, slower. She picked out the keywords. Fresh start. Community. Connect. The dig at cliques.
Maude opened the contact email in a new tab to get a look at the address linked to it. It wasn’t Darcy’s name. But it didn’t need to be. This had Darcy’s stink all over it.
Not at all strange, she thought, rolling her eyes.
She leaned back in her chair and exhaled through her nose. This wasn’t proof of anything, but she couldn’t ignore her gut feeling that this was Darcy.
It seemed clear Darcy Lane hadn’t come to the Colony to blend in. She’d come to make a mark. Starting her own group seemed right on brand.
Maude opened a new tab.
She’d learned a long time ago that curiosity worked best when it stayed on the downlow. If someone was being careful, the only way to learn anything was to meet them at their own level.
She created a new email address first. Nothing clever. Nothing that would look fake if someone gave it a closer glance. A common first name, a number that didn’t mean anything, a free email provider everyone used. She wrote the login information on the legal pad, then slid it to the side.
Next came the new forum account.
She chose the username FrancesC. To her that sounded like it could belong to a woman who’d just moved in and was still figuring things out.
No profile picture. A bland bio. For her interests, she went with shopping, trivia, and reading.
She verified the account, logged out, logged back in, then sat staring at the forum, calculating her next move.
Which was to click the contact email listed in the new group announcement.
She didn’t go nuts with her message. The temptation was there to show interest, to act eager, to make herself seem like a catch. Maude knew better than to do anything that might give herself away.
Instead, she typed: Hi, I saw the post about the new group and was curious to learn more. I’ve been at the Colony a short time and am still finding my footing and trying to make new friends. It’s not always easy. Can you tell me what the focus of the group will be and where it’ll be held?
Thanks!
She signed it Fran, then reread it once. That should do the job. She hit Send.
Now the waiting started. It would be interesting to see how quickly the reply came.
Maude leaned back and folded her arms, eyes on the screen. This part was always the hardest. People revealed themselves by how they responded when they thought they were in control.
Maude felt like she’d be able to tell if it was Darcy based on the reply, even if Darcy didn’t introduce herself.
If the reply came back polished and vague, that would tell Maude one thing. If it came back warm and personal, another. If it came back fast—too fast—that would be interesting all on its own.
Her laptop chimed. She sat up.
It was just a calendar reminder she’d set weeks ago to bill a customer, which she’d already done. She dismissed the reminder.
She took a sip of her coffee, grimaced at how cold it had gone. She got up, got a fresh cup and thought about breakfast. Maybe she’d just have some yogurt. She peered into Pixel’s tank. He was making a new bubble nest.
If this group was Darcy Lane’s doing, she was moving quickly and with intention. But what was the intention?
Maude refreshed her inbox.
Sooner or later, Darcy, or whoever was behind that post, was going to answer. Then the fun would really begin.
She took the big tub of vanilla yogurt from the fridge and spooned some into a bowl. She added a big handful of granola and a long drizzle of honey. Simple and good, all she needed, even though blueberries would have made it better.
She ate sitting in her recliner, scrolling her phone with her free hand.
A couple of messages from her Nightforge guild had come in overnight.
There was loot drama, a scheduling question from someone who didn’t know she wasn’t in charge anymore, and a newbie complaining about lag. Like that was anything different.
She was about to log on and answer the questions when her laptop chimed.
Maude froze, spoon halfway to her mouth. She took the bite, then set the bowl down on the side table and went back to her desk.
She went to her inbox. There sat a reply to her new undercover email account.
It had come from a MsColony9 email address and there was no greeting beyond a bland Hello. There was also no acknowledgment of her specific questions, just information laid out like a flyer.
Thank you for your interest.
The group will be focused on connection and conversation among women at the Colony. The first meeting will be informal and introductory, with time for discussion and ideas from attendees.
We’ll be meeting this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Hall. We hope you’ll join us.
Interesting that the meeting was being held at the same time the Queen Bees book club usually met. Not just the same day, but at the same time.
Maude read the response again. There was no signature and definitely no warmth. It was a statement of facts more than something that had been written to her. More like a cut-and-paste response that was sent to anyone who asked.
Which told her something.
She leaned back and laced her fingers together behind her head, staring at the ceiling for a beat.
The Community Hall. Of course that’s where it was being held.
That made it feel a lot more official than if it was at someone’s house.
It was also neutral ground. Maybe an attempt to avoid scrutiny?
Holding it at the hall would make it feel like something that had the Colony’s seal of approval, even if that wasn’t the case.
Thing was, rooms like that didn’t reserve themselves. Someone had gone through the admin office. Filled out a form. Put down a name. Possibly an address and telephone number. Maude had never reserved a room at the hall, but there would definitely be a paper trail.
She smiled faintly. Cece had friends there because of writing for The Buzz. She would know exactly how to pull that thread.
Maude reached for her phone and opened her messages, thumb already moving.
Cece, she typed. Quick question. Do you know who in the admin office handles room reservations for the Community Hall? I think I’m on to something. Darcy Lane may have booked space to host a new group. Anyway, I’m curious whose name is on the reservation. I’ll forward you the info.
She hit Send, then sent Cece a screenshot from the forum showing the announcement and forwarded the email Maude had gotten back.
She had no doubt Cece would get some new information for them. Maude went back to her chair, picked up her yogurt, took a bite, and smiled to herself.
Things were about to get interesting.