Chapter 23 #2
Abandoning the kitchen for the primary suite, Gina removed a delicate pair of red silk panties from her bag and searched for the best spot to hide them in an incriminating fashion.
As much as she hated to part with anything from La Perla now that her budget for the finer things was seriously limited, she needed lingerie that would communicate to Sophie her husband wasn’t just banging a local waitress.
He was having an affair with someone who circled in her same orbit.
Someone who might have a chance of actually wooing him away.
La Perla panties with hand-stitched embroidery would get the job done. But where to hide them?
Gina stood at the foot of Luke and Sophie’s California-king-sized bed, the white duvet and pillows perfectly arranged.
Should she slip the underwear into the nightstand drawer on Luke’s side of the bed?
Or maybe somewhere in his closet? She wandered into the walk-in dressing area that looked like a personal boutique, complete with chandelier over a chaise lounge in the center.
Sophie’s clothes took up two of the three surrounding walls, while Luke’s garments were arranged on one.
Gina’s gaze roamed the slide-out shelves that displayed ties and belts before idly pulling open the shelf below it.
Cuff links and tie pins were organized in a dark leather jewelry tray, but that wasn’t what snagged her eye.
At the back of the sliding drawer, two small glass vials sat side by side, each about half full of clear liquids.
They were the kinds of vials a prescription like insulin might come in, except there were no pharmacy labels on them.
Instead, they were roughly identified with sharpie marker.
One with a “G,” the other a “K.”
Special K? She’d heard of the street drug before but had never known Luke to use anything recreationally, though he’d asked her a couple of times to try Ecstasy with him.
Did he have a more serious habit? Had those needles in his car been his?
She’d never confronted him about them since she didn’t want bad blood between them before she used their affair to taunt Sophie.
Unwilling to get distracted from the task at hand, she made a mental note to read more about the drugs and shoved the drawer closed, her gaze skipping over to the hanging rods.
Maybe she should hide the lingerie in the pocket of a jacket he’d worn recently?
Noticing the black sport coat he’d worn to the Witch Walk, she tucked the panties in the pocket, leaving a corner of red silk visible. She doubted Sophie would miss the flash of color if she were to walk into the closet. As long as Luke didn’t see them first.
Next up was his office where she had another item to plant.
Except a sound somewhere in the house made her halt in her tracks.
Was Sophie home already? Had she forgotten something?
Gina listened with her whole body, every cell in her being on panicked, high alert.
She couldn’t even check the security app on her phone to see if someone was entering the house since she’d disabled it. If she rearmed it now, the camera outside would capture her vehicle on the property.
Walking softly across the bedroom floor, she moved closer to the windows to see if she could look across the pool terrace into one of the other wings of the home.
There must have been a tint on the windows, however.
No matter how clear they appeared while looking out of them, she didn’t have a good view into the windows on the opposite wing that flanked the pool.
The glass must be semi-reflective. Her gaze tracked upward to the second level where a big balcony jutted out over the pool area and a set of stairs led down to the main deck. All remained quiet there too.
The casita was dark at the far end of the deck.
Her heart pounded so hard the sound whooshed in her ears, making it even harder to hear as she strained to catch any noise. Should she hide?
A low rumble that sounded like a woman’s voice reached her a moment before rock music boomed across the whole-home speaker system. The shock of sound made her jump.
Oh God.
How would she ever hear the person’s movements now with the music blaring?
Then again, the sound should camouflage her movements too, right?
Quickly, she circled around the bed toward the exit into the corridor and peered down the sweeping main staircase.
Seeing no one, she darted along the passageway to Luke’s office.
As quietly as possible, she withdrew the burner phone she’d loaded with texts and suggestive selfies from her own phone number.
She slid the device into a drawer of his desk, once more hoping that Sophie would locate the evidence of an affair before Luke spotted it.
If Gina had to put money on the more observant of the pair, however, it would be Sophie all day long.
Now, how to get out of the house without being seen by whoever entered. The rock music was the kind Luke might listen to, yet she’d been certain it had been a woman’s voice she heard earlier. Did one of Sophie’s daughters like the same bands favored by her stepdad?
Or was there a chance Luke was in the house with another woman who wasn’t Sophie or Gina?
Gina tiptoed toward the home’s second, less grand staircase between the main and first floors. This one was more functional and less aesthetic, with walls to hide people trying to sneak up or down.
Under the cover of the music, she braved one foot on the main floor, peering down the hallway.
The rock ’n’ roll ended as abruptly as it had begun.
Suddenly, the house was silent except for Gina’s breathing.
Shit.
Caught on the main floor with only the stairwell as a place for cover, she tucked back into it. Held her breath.
Listened hard for the sound of footsteps heading her way.
Because if the unknown visitor had been in the kitchen, the person would have to walk within just a few feet of her to exit the home using the family-favored side entrance.
When the footsteps sounded, coming toward her, Gina’s fingers found the gun at the small of her back. Taking comfort from the weapon, she drew it. Just in case. Breathing fast through her panic, she debated making a break for the second floor. But what if the stairs creaked beneath her feet?
Before she could decide, there was a rustling in the mudroom. Like a bag being picked up or put down. A jingle of keys.
A moment later, the door opened. Gina could feel the rush of cool autumn air as it shut behind the departing person. Were they really gone?
She counted to ten. Then counted to ten again before she moved.
Silently, she padded toward the mudroom, the 9mm still in her hand. When she reached the area with the cubbies, she took in the blank space where her shoes should have been.
The canvas trainers had vanished.
What the actual hell?
Stuffing the weapon back into the holster at her back, she rushed to the door to peer out one of the sidelight windows. In time to see Sophie’s older daughter walking toward a convertible BMW, with a backpack slung over her shoulder, her phone in one hand and her keys in the other.
Charlotte Durand was wearing Gina’s shoes.
Could the daughter be just as much of a manipulative mind-game player as her mom?
Gina didn’t bother trying to make sense of it.
Her mission complete, she needed to get out of the house fast before Sophie returned from her errands.
So a moment later, she slid behind the wheel of her SUV and headed for home in her socks.
Only once she was safely in her own driveway again did she rearm the security system at Luke and Sophie’s place.
All the camera feeds came back to life in a grid pattern on the app before she closed out of the program.
It had been a close call, and her heart still beat like a jackrabbit’s half an hour later.
The discovery of those vials in Luke’s possession didn’t sit well, and the fact that Charlotte had taken her shoes still messed with her mind.
Gina had come out all right though. Evidence of her affair had been planted.
The deed was done.
Everything was in place for Halloween and her last book club with Sophie Durand.