Chapter Forty-Seven Savannah
| Forty-Seven |
Savannah
Savannah got back in the vehicle and pulled her phone from her purse. Her hands were shaking and it took her three times to put the number in right. A woman’s voice answered.
“Hello.”
“You left a note on my car. Is this the woman from the park?”
“Yes, I was a friend of Poppy’s. Can we meet?”
“How do I know you’re not some obsessed fan?”
Savannah’s text tone sounded.
“Look at what I sent you,” the woman said.
Savannah navigated to her texts. Her breath caught in her throat. It was a picture of Bennett, Poppy, and the woman she’d seen at the park. They were all sitting together at a restaurant.
“Where should we meet?”
“I’ll text you the address to a restaurant. It’s discreet. Can you be there at seven tonight?”
“Yes.”
“And please don’t mention anything to Bennett. You’ll understand after we meet.”
Savannah didn’t respond. It felt disloyal. But she had no intention of saying anything to him until after she had heard what this stranger had to say.
“I’ll see you at seven,” Savannah said, and ended the call.
A moment later her text tone sounded again with the address.
She jumped when a FaceTime call from Bennett came through. Exhaling a pent-up breath, she connected, pasting a smile on her face.
“Hey! How are you?”
“Fine but missing you.” His brow wrinkled. “Where are you?”
“I picked up some chocolate.” She forced a laugh. “So much for my diet.”
He didn’t comment.
“So how’s it going?” she asked.
“Good, I’m in Dublin now, about to go to dinner with the publicist they assigned me. How are things there?”
What could she say? She was so conflicted. It was all too much. His dead high school girlfriend, Henri’s warning, and now this woman. She pushed it all from her mind and made her tone casual.
“Not much going on. Felicia and I have been getting to know each other better. I’m working on my book, and Finn and I are taking walks every day.”
“Good for you. Have you been working in your new office?”
“Yes,” she fibbed, not wanting to appear unappreciative. With everything going on, she hadn’t touched her book.
“Can’t wait to be back home with you,” he said.
“Me too.”
“Soon I’ll hold you in my arms again. Well, I’d better get going. I love you.”
“Love you too,” she said, and disconnected.
She was unsettled as she drove home. Bennett was her husband, and she shouldn’t be hiding things from him.
On the other hand, there wasn’t much he could do from Ireland, and it would upset him to hear that someone was saying bad things about him.
Savannah would make this woman stop, because she was sure that her husband had never hurt anyone.
Once home, she made herself a cup of tea and called her friend Jessica, her only real friend from her time in the city.
“Hey you! I was just thinking about you. Did you ever find that woman from the park?” Jessica asked.
“Yeah, that’s what I wanted your advice on.” She filled Jessica in on the latest but held back the information about Bennett’s high school girlfriend. Jessica hadn’t yet met Bennett, and she didn’t want to paint the wrong picture to her.
“Whoa! That’s crazy. Sounds like she’s been stalking you. How did she know you were going to be at the candy store?”
“I was wondering that myself. She must be following me. At first I thought she was a crazed fan or something, but then she sent that picture.”
“Maybe she is a fan and went to a book event. Could it have been a selfie from something like that?”
“No. I’ll text it to you now. They were clearly all out to dinner together.” She sent the picture. A moment later, Jessica spoke.
“Hmm. I see what you mean. So that was Poppy?”
“You can say it. She was fricking gorgeous.”
Jessica didn’t disagree. “All right, so this woman claims she was Poppy’s friend. That appears to be true, but she could still be unhinged. Please be careful. Don’t go anywhere with her.”
“We’re meeting at a restaurant. I’ll be fine.”
“Let’s location share. I’ll feel better if I can see where you are.”
Savannah laughed. “Okay. Now who’s being a little stalkery?” But she went to her settings and added Jessica, and then a few seconds later Jessica’s location was shared too.
“Call me as soon as you finish.”
“Will do. Bye.”
She was ending the call when she heard Felicia’s Volvo pull up.
It was still hard for her to get used to having someone come to the house every day.
Savannah also felt odd having her laundry done for her, but Bennett kept reminding her that that was what a full-time housekeeper was for.
But she did have to admit that it was great having meals prepared each day and all that was required for her was to reheat them.
She had so much time on her hands now, Bennett would wonder why she wasn’t further along on the book.
But how could she concentrate when there was a woman accusing her husband of being a killer?
Savannah walked by Bennett’s locked office door and stopped.
She tried the handle even though she knew it would be locked.
It had a deadbolt on it so it wasn’t even like she could try to use a paper clip to get in.
Every day that she passed it, it was becoming more and more intriguing to her.
Why was Bennett so insistent that no one enter?
You would think he’d at least let Felicia vacuum and dust, especially as he insisted she come every day.
Was there something lurking behind those doors that he didn’t want anyone to see? And if so, what?