CHAPTER 21
After dropping Vivian at school, Lainey returned to her house and started cleaning.
Someone had busted the back sliding glass door and broken glass was scattered all over the kitchen tile.
Last night, Robert had run to the local home improvement store, bought a couple sheets of plywood and covered the opening before she followed him to his place.
Lainey started in Vivian’s room. The intruders had flipped the mattress over, stripped her closet and ripped out her dresser drawers like they’d done to Lainey’s room, but at least they hadn’t broken anything in Viv’s room, unlike the kitchen and dining room.
Someone had emptied the kitchen cupboards in haste, and broken glass mixed with dry goods was everywhere. In the dining room, the china cabinet and her grandmother’s glassware were mostly shattered.
She tackled the living room after the bedrooms. She duct-taped the ripped couch cushions, placing them tape side down.
There was no rhyme or reason to their destruction.
The office was a mess of papers and files from past years’ taxes.
It looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to the locked file cabinet, destroying it.
She ended up stacking all the papers in the corner to sort out later.
At least you can walk in the room now, she thought.
Confused and angry someone went to such lengths, and for what?
The doorbell rang, and she looked out the window. Jake was standing on the front porch.
She opened the door and greeted him.
“I came to finish up the report and check on you,” he said, stepping inside. “Looks like you’re making progress.”
“Thanks,” she sighed. “Have a seat,” she motioned. “I could use a breather about now, anyway.” She motioned to the kitchen. “Would you like a soda? I put some back in the fridge before I left last night. They should be cold and settled by now if they were shaken,” she grimaced, “I think?”
“Nah, I’m good.” He retrieved his notepad. “Other than your grandmother’s topaz ring, have you noticed anything else missing?” he asked.
Lainey looked around, then sat in the chair opposite. “No. It seems they went to a lot of trouble only to steal an antique ring.”
“About that. I think they were looking for something specific.”
“What would they be looking for?” Did he know something she didn’t? “Were other houses targeted?” she asked.
Jake sighed. “There’s been some speculation that your late husband had something to do with the missing Bingman coins.”
“Seriously?” She didn’t see Geoff as a thief, but she hadn’t seen him as a lying, cheating bastard either. Anything was possible, she guessed.
“Since Jan Bingman has been in town,” he hesitated a bit, “there’s been some developments.”
“What developments?”
“That’s all I can say, since it’s an active investigation, but ...”
“I know Geoff was running around on me,” she said. “But I didn’t think he was a thief too.” She was frustrated. If Geoff was involved in those missing coins, she was even more furious with him than before.
Jake looked down at his notepad. “I’m sure if it’s connected, Detective Moore will reach out again,” he said, remaining professional, avoiding the subject even though Robert admitted Jake had discussed the rumors of her husband’s infidelity with him.
Jake stood up. “We collected fingerprints last night. I’m sorry for the dust left behind. It should wipe off easily with a damp cloth.”
“How long does it take to run prints?” she asked, following him to the door.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “We’ve already compared what we lifted last night to yours, and we can tell Vivian’s by the size. No other prints were found,” he shrugged. “Sorry, it looks like they wore gloves.”
“And why didn’t my doorbell camera pick anyone up? It would have alerted my phone if someone walked up or even parked in the driveway?” she asked. Geoff’s father had installed it after his death for security.
“We think they used a Wi-Fi jammer,” he grimaced. “Thieves use them all the time. They take down any cameras linked to Wi-Fi.”
They said their goodbyes, and Lainey returned to cleaning and piecing back her havoc-wrecked home.
Her phone rang. It was Denise, her mother-in-law. “Hello?”
“Lainey? Were the police at your house last night? Carolyn at Bible study this morning said Monica had called her last night and said there were police around your house, but she couldn’t tell what was going on.”
Freaking Monica! She’d texted Lainey last night, What’s happening on your end of the street? Lots of police? But Lainey had ignored it, and then forgot to respond later.
“Yes, police were here,” Lainey sighed.
Denise gasped, “What happened? Is Vivian okay? Are you okay?”
“Yes, we’re all fine. Vivian is at school right now. Someone broke in yesterday while I was at work.”
“Oh, my God! Why didn’t you call us?”
“It didn’t cross my mind. I was too busy dealing with the police and checking to see what was missing,” Lainey answered.
And it was the truth. Robert had shown up and taken care of everything else.
Lainey didn’t think of Geoff’s family until much later, after they were settled at Robert’s and Vivian was asleep.
“What did they steal?” Denise asked.
“So far, my grandmother’s antique topaz ring. They ripped the couch cushions open, threw everything on the floor, emptied the closets, but I can’t tell if anything else in missing.”
“Did they take your wedding ring?” Denise must have noticed Lainey had stopped wearing it sometime ago.
“No, it’s still here.”
“I’m coming over. You’re not going anywhere, are you?”
“Not right now, but I’m about done cleaning up. And I have to pick up Vivian from school in an hour.”
“You stay put. Mike and I will get her and bring her home, okay?”
Lainey could use the extra time to tackle the kitchen. So far she’d only swept up the glass. “Okay, I’d appreciate that.”
“Mike and I will take you both out to dinner, okay?”
“Thank you, I’d like that.” Lainey could be mad at Geoff the rest of her life, but his parents were decent and wonderful grandparents.
* * *
After Mike and Denise picked Vivian up from school, they brought her home and did a walk-through to see the damage. Lainey had most of it picked up, but the shattered china cabinet and the boarded up back door told the story pretty well.
Mike didn’t say much. He inspected the screws Robert had drilled into the casings covering the back door with plywood. Vivian ran straight to her room to do her own inspection, and Denise stood in the living room. “I thought you said they tore into the couch cushions?”
“Pick one up and flip it over,” Lainey motioned.
Denise discovered her duct tape job on the backs. “Oh. I see,” she frowned.
Vivian was still in her room. Mike opened the door to the garage and whistled at the sight.
“I haven’t started out there yet,” Lainey said.
“Are you staying here tonight?” Denise asked.
“Yes, I have the beds back in place and the bedrooms picked up.”
“Will this Robert be sleeping on the couch as added protection tonight too?” Denise asked, letting Lainey know Vivian had told them an earful on the way home from school.
Lainey crossed her arms. “No. He was generous enough to give us a place last night, but I think we’ll be okay tonight.”
“Who is this man? Are you two serious, because I don’t think strange men should come and go in Vivian’s life,” Denise said. Mike disappeared into the garage immediately.
Geoff’s sister Lillian had always been present when the subject of Lainey’s dating life came into question. Lillian could reel her mother in. But without Lillian, her buffer was gone.
“Yes. We are serious,” Lainey raised her brow in defense. “I really care for this man, and he cares for me. And Viv too,” she added to make a point.
“Well then, he should accompany you to church on Sundays, if he’s serious about being in your life.” Denise was a good woman and didn’t tout her religion often, but when she did, she did it with intent to find out exactly where people stood.
“His schedule doesn’t allow for it right now, but I’m sure he will be more than happy to in the future,” Lainey said, matching Denise’s severity. Lainey didn’t know if Robert would attend church, especially with Geoff’s family. But she was sure he’d go at least once, if Lainey asked him to.
Denise raised her palms defensively, stepping around the coffee table.
“I only wanna make sure he’s good enough for you.
Geoff left rather big shoes to fill.” Before Lainey could retort, Denise called down the hallway, “Vivian, let’s get a move on, honey.
Grandma’s getting hungry and wants to beat the crowd. ”
Lainey imagined steam shooting from her own ears. If only she knew her good Christian son was really a rotten two-timing bastard, she’d bite her tongue, Lainey thought.
* * *
Mac tried the door, but it was locked. He pounded on the metal door so hard that it echoed against the dumpsters. A short man wearing an apron finally opened the door. Mac pushed past him.
“Where’s the owner?” he asked the kitchen staff, hearing his own harsh tone and not feeling the least apologetic for it. He’d seen her car outside and knew she was there.
One of the line cooks pointed to an office door at the end of a small corridor.
He flung the door open. She didn’t even flinch. Sam was sitting in a cramped room with invoices in front of her and spreadsheets displayed on a laptop.
She glanced up, then returned her gaze to the invoice she’d been studying. “Mac, I’m kind of busy right now. Can this wait?” she said with disinterest.
“Did you break into her house yesterday?”
Sam swiveled in her chair, motioning him to squeeze into the office and shut the door. Once they had privacy, “Did she come crying to you to fix her back door, Mr. Handyman?” Sam asked cynically.
“Her back door? That’s how you got in? You busted through her back door?” He scoffed, “No. The cops came to see me. They insinuated I had something to do with it.”
“You were at the fire station, though. Right? You had an alibi,” Sam said plainly.