Chapter Six
Brenda stared at the words painted on the inside of her garage door.
WHERE IS IT?
This was over-the-top…completely mad.
The police had dusted for prints in her house and garage.
Brenda and Janey had provided theirs to narrow down the numerous impressions taken.
Detective Shelton had arrived at seven. He had informed the officers that Scott’s prints had already been lifted from his home on The Ledges, which would provide further elimination of the many taken from her home.
Shelton had questioned her again about Scott.
But she knew nothing that she hadn’t already shared.
Well, except the story about thinking she had seen him in Los Angeles.
Considering the DNA results and then this break-in, she had told the detective about the strange encounter at LAX.
She suspected, based on his reaction, that she hadn’t helped her case with the news.
If he hadn’t already thought she was guilty of something, he surely thought so now.
His suggestion that her trip to Los Angeles was about meeting Scott rather than about her writing had infuriated her.
The idea that she hadn’t told him from the start would forever be suspicious in his opinion.
Finally, about half an hour ago, all the Huntsville PD personnel, including Shelton, had packed up and left.
Brenda wanted to feel glad they were gone, but right now all she felt was confused.
Mallory had arrived as they were leaving.
Brenda had called her and explained the situation.
She couldn’t come to work at her usual time of eight with the police still working.
Now, Brenda only wanted to call a housekeeper.
She generally took care of her own housekeeping and laundry, but this mess was overwhelming.
Not to mention she felt the need to sanitize the whole house considering a stranger had gone through it—had touched their things.
Then the police had done the same. Mallory had taken one look around and offered to help, but Brenda just wanted to order a bulldozer.
The garage was even worse. She and Ben had come to have a firsthand look to better assess the situation. Unbelievably, even her Christmas tree and decorations had been dumped on the floor.
Ben turned to her—they had both been staring at the graffiti for the past minute or so. “I can cover this if you have paint.”
“I think I do. Somewhere around here.” She studied him for a moment, doubts assaulting her. “That really would be above and beyond the call for a new neighbor.”
He chuckled. “I grew up on a farm in rural Illinois. Trust me, this is what good neighbors, new or old, do.”
It was more likely that he was feeling sorry for her.
Last night after he’d gone home, she had to call and ask for a ride to the bank.
He’d said he would take her but then she’d forgotten.
She’d had at least one too many glasses of wine to drive herself.
So he’d taken her to the bank to use the ATM and then he’d stayed at her house for a little while after Janey fell back to sleep, and Brenda had spilled her guts about Scott…
how their relationship ended and every other dirty detail of the past six years.
That was what happened after too many glasses of wine and way too much stress.
She couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed now.
But, frankly, it was difficult to hold on to any emotions for long at the moment.
They kept changing. One minute she was as mad as hell.
The next she wanted to weep. Then she moved on to total numbness.
Through it all these threads of suspicion lingered…
wove around and inside her like an out-of-control, suffocating vine.
What had Scott been doing? When had it started?
And who was this really nice guy named Ben Clark?
“What I need,” she said, pushing the thought away as this new idea came to her in a rush, “is time to figure this out. To determine what sort of mess Scott has left us with.”
Ben nodded. “That’s a good idea. I’m confident Detective Shelton will do all he can to solve the mystery of the explosion and your husband’s strange disappearance, but a second look from a different perspective never hurts.”
She took a breath. “I agree. Just one thing.”
He stared at her expectantly.
“I’d like to stop referring to him as my husband.
We’ve been separated for a year. The only thing that defined us as husband and wife was a legal document we signed years ago.
Obviously the problems I knew about were just the tip of the iceberg.
Calling him my husband feels too intimate, and we hadn’t been intimate in any way in a very long time.
” Maybe she’d said too much. Her cheeks flushed. “Sorry… I’m not myself.”
“Completely understandable.” He gave her a nod. “No more use of the H word.”
She felt a smile tug at her lips. Brenda had no idea how this man—this stranger—managed to prod that out of her. She had absolutely nothing to smile about.
“Before we jump into full Sherlock Holmes mode,” he suggested, “I think we should make breakfast.”
Mallory had likely already made breakfast for Janey. Brenda’s stomach warned she had ignored eating too often lately. “Breakfast first.” She hesitated, scrutinized his face once more. “We?” she asked. “Don’t you have work or something better to do than to dig around in this mess with me?”
“My office is wherever I am,” he explained. “I work on my own schedule, so whenever anything comes up, it’s easy for me to rearrange my agenda.”
For a single second a new drip of suspicion trickled through her.
She opted to face it head-on. “I don’t think you ever told me what you do.”
Under the circumstances, no one could blame her for this new stream of uncertainty.
It was coming on the heels of weeks of personal upheaval complicated by an intruder.
Who could blame her for suddenly needing to know more about anyone new to her life?
Her respiration quickened, sending her heart into a faster rhythm.
What if she was standing right here with the man who’d come into her house last night?
He lived next door… He knew a lot about her and her home.
Slow down, Brenda. She drew in a deep breath. Give the man a chance to answer.
“Research,” he said. “I interview people. Watch people and report my findings. I can’t discuss my clients with you. But I can tell you that I study all sorts of human behaviors and human nature. I write reports and submit them.” He shrugged. “It’s not glamorous but it’s important for my clients.”
That he remained so patient and so kind she couldn’t help feeling contrite for questioning him. Paranoia had obviously crept up on her. “Sorry. I’ve just had a little extra uncertainty thrown into my life, and I’m feeling a little lacking in the trust area.”
“You can trust me, Brenda.” He said the words gently, sincerely. “I have no reason to want to deceive you or to harm you.”
Brenda suddenly wondered how long it would take for her to stop using all the promises Scott had broken…all the lies he had told her as a gauge to measure other men—people in general, for that matter.
“Come on,” he urged. “Breakfast first, then I’ll paint.”
Back in the house, Mallory sat on the floor of Janey’s room surrounded by Barbie dolls.
Brenda had no idea how she had been lucky enough to find Mallory, but she was sincerely grateful for her.
Janey adored her. Considering how absent Scott was even before his fake death, Mallory was a lifesaver.
Both Brenda and Janey had been close to Leah, the first nanny Brenda had hired.
Two years ago, when she died in a car crash, they had been devastated.
After losing Leah, quite honestly Brenda had worried about hiring anyone else.
To have Janey get so close to someone and then to lose that person, it was worrisome.
When she’d dared to interview Mallory, there were no more questions. She was perfect.
Now her child had gone through losing a parent—who wasn’t really dead as it turned out. How would Brenda ever make Janey understand this? One thing was certain. She would not even broach the subject until—unless—he was back in person.
If that ever happened. Brenda shook her head. At this point it was impossible to even guess what was coming next.
When Brenda turned to head back to the kitchen, Ben held up a hand. “Spend time with your daughter,” he urged. “I’ll take care of breakfast.”
Brenda didn’t argue. Once again, she was too exhausted to muster up the effort.
Instead, she and Mallory played like little girls with Janey.
Before Brenda realized how much time had passed, Ben was calling them to the kitchen.
Although Mallory had microwaved a waffle for Janey, the child was hungry for more.
Crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and buttered toast. Fresh fruit and yogurt.
“Looks yummy,” Brenda confessed. Smelled even yummier.
She suspected Ben had gotten the bacon from his kitchen.
She was pretty sure her supply was nonexistent, as she hadn’t had a chance to go to the store since her return from LA.
Mallory poured the orange juice while Ben made fresh coffee.
Brenda felt relaxed for the first time since before she went to Los Angeles.
It wouldn’t last, she suspected. But she intended to enjoy it as long as possible.
When Ben stepped out onto the back patio to take a call, Mallory leaned across the island. “Is this guy for real?” Her green eyes twinkled with laughter.
Brenda shrugged. “He’s really nice.”
Mallory devoured a slice of bacon. “Makes you wonder if cooking is the only thing he’s so good at?”
Brenda shot her a look as the back door opened and the man in question walked in once more.
“This breakfast is really good,” Brenda said, hoping to cover anything he might have heard. “Thank you so much, Ben.”
“See,” Janey piped up, “I told you he wasn’t strange. Ben is nice.” She beamed a smile at him as he resumed his seat next to Brenda.
Brenda bit her lips together and hoped he wouldn’t catch on.
Mallory coughed as if a piece of bacon had gone down the wrong way.
Ben laughed and fluttered his hands on either side of his head as he leaned closer to Janey. “I can be very strange, little girl. Want to see?”
“No,” Janey squealed, then melted into giggles.
“I was only saying,” Mallory stammered, “that it’s better to be careful of strangers.”
“Very good advice,” Ben said to Janey. “You should listen to Mallory. She’s smart.” He shot the nanny a wink.
Mallory blushed.
Brenda scooted off her stool. “Since Ben cooked,” she announced, “Mallory and I will clean up.” She grabbed her plate and glass and headed to the sink. As she passed Ben, she teased, “Ben has Barbie duty.”
“Yay,” Janey cheered.
Mallory joined Brenda at the sink, and they struggled not to burst into giggles. The moment of relief was one Brenda was enormously grateful for.
After working in silence for a few minutes, Brenda loaded the last of the silverware into the dishwasher and closed the door. “I wanted to talk to you privately for a few minutes.”
Mallory leaned against the counter and dried her hands. “Sure.” She gave a humorless laugh. “I won’t even ask what you want to talk about.”
Brenda rolled her eyes. “No kidding.”
Then she took a moment to steel herself. This was more than a little difficult for her, but it was the right thing to do. As soon as she’d recovered from waking to that intruder, she had known what she had to do.
“I’m worried that it isn’t safe for Janey to be here until we figure this out.” There, she’d said it.
Surprise flashed across Mallory’s face, but it passed quickly. “You’re right. As difficult as it is to view the situation that way, I don’t believe either of you are safe.”
Brenda shrugged. “Probably not, but I’m the adult. I need to try and make it safe again. And the only way to do that is for me to figure out what it is that Scott has gotten us into and try to straighten it out.”
Mallory tossed the hand towel aside. “Can’t the police do that?”
“I’m sure they can,” Brenda admitted, “in time. But I can’t risk waiting.
I need to find answers. The police are overworked, and they don’t know Scott the way I do.
” She laughed. “Well, given everything I’ve learned in the last twenty-four hours or so, maybe I don’t really know him either.
But the things I do know could make a difference.
Bottom line, I can’t just sit around and wait.
I need to find answers. Fast. Lena Jenner has already retained an attorney.
Someone has searched my home. This is going to crash and burn around us—sooner rather than later, I fear.
I don’t want to be the person sitting around waiting for someone else to do what needs to be done. ”
“But you can’t do this alone,” Mallory urged. “It’s not safe.”
“Ben wants to help me.”
Mallory’s expression turned apprehensive. “But you don’t really know this man. He’s nice and all…but he is a stranger.”
“Don’t worry,” she assured the other woman. “I will find out what I need to know first. But I have to do this.”
“I understand.” Mallory nodded. “To be honest, I am more than a little worried about Janey’s safety in particular. She is exactly what the bad guys would go after if they wanted to hurt or pressure you.”
The most terrifying aspect of what Mallory had just said was that it was true. “I know, that’s what scares me.”
“Just tell me what you need from me,” Mallory insisted. “You know I will do whatever I can.”
Relief and, at the same time, new worry plagued Brenda. But she had to do this.
“I need you to take Janey somewhere that this, whatever it is, can’t touch her. If you and Peter can get the time away, I will gladly pay for a vacation to someplace where Janey will be safe.” Peter was like Brenda—he worked from home so taking time away from an office wasn’t an issue.
“You don’t have to do that,” Mallory argued. “We can take her to the cabin in Gatlinburg. My mother is always complaining that no one goes there enough anymore.”
“Oh wow, that would be great.” Brenda hadn’t even thought of the cabin.
Mallory reached out, gave Brenda’s arm a squeeze. “Let’s tell Janey to pack. I’ll call Peter, and we’ll get on the road this morning.”
Brenda hugged her tightly. “Thank you. Thank you.”
Mallory drew back. “But I want to hear from you at least twice a day.”
Brenda grinned. “Yes, Mother.”
This was the best way to handle this, Brenda reminded herself when more second thoughts attempted to intrude. She could focus on finding answers and Janey would be safely away from the trouble.
Ben appeared at the door, all smiles with a tiara on his head.
Now, if she could really trust this man…she might just get through this.