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It was four thirty when I arrived at the Hilton house. Greg had managed to change his schedule around and work from home this afternoon. He was there when Grace and I had returned from nursey school. I’d left the two of them making ice cream sundaes in the kitchen. As I drove up the highway to Saratoga, I thought about how lucky I was. I had a wonderful husband, kids, and a comfortable home. Perhaps my house wasn’t as grand-looking as Pam’s, but where had that gotten her?
My heart sank into the pit of my stomach when I saw Kevin’s Porsche in the driveway. I thought he’d understood what I’d tried to convey on the phone. Maybe he’d already gone for his extended walk. It was a beautiful day. Showings would be so much easier if the sellers tried to cooperate.
I rang the front doorbell and waited several seconds, but there was no answer. Jacques’ lockbox with the door key inside it was attached to the railing of the porch, so I punched in the code and withdrew the key, inserting it into the door.
“Hello?” I called out. “Kevin?”
My voice echoed through the foyer. The maple dining room table was being used as a buffet. Hot plates had been set up and the scent of barbecued chicken wafted through the air. A platter of cookies was covered with plastic wrap. Plates, silverware, and napkins were set up at one end with soft drinks and water at the other. A portable bar cart had been stationed in another corner of the room. It contained glasses and bottles of wine, brandy, and whiskey. Thank goodness Pam wasn’t here. She didn’t need any more temptation.
I glanced out the patio door, and spotted Kevin swimming laps in the pool. There was a sandwich and martini glass sitting on one of the tables nearby. It didn’t look to me like he planned on going anywhere.
A flicker of irritation shot through me. Kevin had not only disregarded my request, but he clearly didn’t care about his wife or her addiction. If there was one thing they didn’t need in this house, it was alcohol, and I suspected that the party would be loaded with it.
Kevin stopped to catch his breath, and I took that moment to tap on the door with my fingernail. He whirled around. After a moment of confusion, he smiled, waved, and climbed out of the pool. As he reached for a towel, the light from the sun reflected off the diamonds on his pinky ring. Kevin put the towel around his waist, grabbed his drink and slid the patio door open.
“Hi, Cindy. I didn’t expect you so soon. I’ll just sit on the patio and do a little work, if that’s okay. Don’t worry, I won’t be in the way.”
My phone buzzed before I could respond. “Excuse me for a second, Kevin.” But he was already helping himself to a refill at the portable bar. I glanced down at my phone screen and saw Tricia’s number. What now? “Cindy York.”
“Thindy? It’s Thrish. The Thmeyers thwill be thwait.”
“Trish, I can’t understand you.”
She continued babbling, only louder this time.
I struggled not to roll my eyes with Kevin in the room. “Send a text,” I told her curtly and clicked off. Sure enough, ten seconds later my phone pinged. Dang, that woman was quick with her tongue and fingers.
Don’t EVER hang up on me again. My mouth is full of cotton. Brett and Gina are going to be about 15 minutes late. Just deal with it.
Tricia’s dentist had the right idea. What a beautiful world it would be if there was a way to keep her from ever uttering another sound again.
“Something wrong?” Kevin asked breezily.
“Not at all,” I lied. Great. I had come early to discover that Trish’s clients would be late. In the meantime, I was stuck with Mr. Infidelity. “It seems that my clients are running a little behind. They won’t be here until about five fifteen. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Kevin checked his watch. “It’s no inconvenience to me. As long as you can have them out of here as soon as possible. Some of my guests may show up early, around six.”
Isn’t that a little late for a pool party, especially at this time of the year?” I asked.
“Not for my associates.” He laughed. “Once they get a few drinks into them, they start taking their clothes off in any kind of weather.”
An uncomfortable silence followed. Kevin had meant to be funny, but I wasn’t amused. “I don’t expect it will take longer than a half an hour. From what I’ve heard, the Meyers are anxious to see your house.”
Kevin rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. “That’s great. And uh, I was only kidding about the clothes.”
“Sure.” Creep. I checked my watch again. There were still forty minutes until the Meyers were expected to arrive, and I didn’t want to spend them with this man. Kevin was my client too, but my first loyalty was to Pam. It disgusted me what the jerk had done to her, but I reminded myself that I needed to remain civil.
“I’ll give you a call in the morning and let you know how the showing went. I’m going to step out for a few minutes, so I assume you’ll be gone when I return.”
“Cindy, wait.”
I turned around to see Kevin standing by the bar, his hands shoved deep into his swim trunk pockets. “Look, I know that you’re Pam’s friend, but this divorce is the best thing for both of us.”
“I don’t see how,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “She’s always loved you, and then you went and cheated on her. And now you’re forcing her to leave her home. Don’t you even care about your sons and what this must be doing to them?”
Kevin picked up his martini and took a long sip. “You two drifted apart the last few years. Pam’s not the same woman anymore. Yeah, she blames me for having an affair, but she’s the one who drove me to it.”
Bile rose in the back of my throat. What a lowlife. “Look, Kevin, I’d rather not discuss this with you anymore.”
“Pam has become bitter and vicious. And violent.”
My mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about?”
Kevin bit into his lower lip. “She pulled a knife on me a couple of weeks ago and said that she was going to cut my throat.”
I almost laughed because the accusation was so absurd.
He took a step towards me, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. “I’m telling you the truth. She’s mentally unstable. And if you don’t believe me, perhaps you’re not interested in receiving a commission check.”
“What does that mean?”
Kevin swallowed the rest of his drink in one gulp. “That’s right. Pam wanted to use you because she said you’d always been fair and honest. But there’s a lot of real estate brokers out there, if you get my drift.”
Oh, I got his drift all right. A burning sensation settled in the bottom of my stomach. “Don’t try to threaten me, Kevin. I left the real estate business a few years ago because I wanted to concentrate on raising my family. If I don’t sell your house, it’s not the end of the world for me.” I was tired of being a pushover.
Kevin’s mouth tightened into a fine, thin line. “You don’t have to be a b—” He stopped himself short before he could utter a word. “Now you sound like my wife.”
It seemed to me that he was going to use a word that rhymed with witch, and I wasn’t amused. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll run out to get some pumpkins.”
He snorted. “Pumpkins?”
“Yes. They’ll look nice on your front porch. I passed a vendor on Route 9 selling them. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.” I couldn’t resist adding, “And I’m sure you’ll be gone by then.”
Kevin didn’t respond, but there was no need to. The hatred was evident in his expression as he stared back at me. Feeling chilled, I quickly exited the house, got into my car, and zoomed out of the driveway. The entire encounter had done nothing but infuriate me further. Had Kevin always been like this? I tried to remember. Even though I’d last seen Pam a couple of years ago, it had been ages since I’d had the displeasure of Kevin’s company. I thought back to the time that Pam, Kevin, Greg, and I had dinner together shortly after Greg’s and my wedding. Pam and Kevin hadn’t been able to take their eyes off each other all night. How sad that it had come this.
I caught the vendor as he was starting to pack up for the day. He had several pumpkins left in a variety of sizes. I chose four for Pam’s porch, and then some for my own. Grace had not yet carved her own pumpkin but wanted to, so Greg and I agreed she could this year, with our help.
“Do you think these will last until Halloween?” I asked the man.
He puffed out his chest. “Mine always do, ma’am.”
I selected six that ranged from about eight to ten pounds for my family, and if Darcy didn’t return by the holiday, one of us would carve a pumpkin for her. After I paid, the man helped me load them into the back of my car. I glanced at my watch and noticed that it was five minutes after five. I doubted that the Meyers had arrived yet, but in the worst-case scenario, they’d be waiting in their car or Kevin would let them inside. Maybe Jacques had been right. I should have asked Pam if he could show the house instead of me. Money wasn’t everything, and I didn’t need the added drama that came along with this.
Kevin’s Porsche was still parked in the driveway by itself. I arranged the pumpkins on the porch steps, then removed the house key from my purse and unlocked the front door. “Hello, I’m back. Kevin?”
There was no answer.
I started towards the patio as a knock sounded on the front door. Maybe he’d gone upstairs to put on some clothes. One could only hope.
A well-dressed couple in their mid-thirties were standing on the porch. I smiled at them pleasantly. “Hi, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Meyers.”
The man nodded. “Yes, Brett and Gina. Thanks for showing us the house on such short notice.”
“My pleasure. I’m Cindy York from Forte Realty. It’s nice to meet both of you. Please come in.”
The couple were both tall and slim with short, dark hair and reeked of professionalism. Brett wore a gray business suit while Gina was dressed in a beige skirt and sweater set and brown leather boots that bore the distinct mark of Gucci. Despite Tricia’s phony attitude, she somehow always managed to find the most lucrative clients.
“Where are you two from?” I asked.
“We’re relocating from Boston,” Brett explained. “I’m starting a new job next month as a software design manager. The company’s in Clifton Park, only about fifteen minutes from here.”
“Saratoga is a wonderful place to live.” I gestured for them to follow me into the kitchen. “As you can see, there’s all new stainless-steel appliances in here. The washer and dryer are also included in the sale. They’re in the mudroom, which leads to the three-car garage.”
As I chatted along, I prayed that the house would sell quickly. I also hoped that the potential buyers would not ask why the owners were selling. I’d never been very good at lying. At least Kevin had finally gotten the message and left the property. He must have taken a walk around the neighborhood, or perhaps his girlfriend had come to pick him up. Either scenario would explain why his car was still here.
The Meyers were staring with interest at the chafing dishes that had been set up in the dining room. “It sure smells good in here,” Brett teased. “I hope they didn’t go to too much trouble on our account. We had a late lunch.”
I laughed. “No, the owners are having a small get-together tonight. This house is perfect for entertaining, especially during the summer months when the pool is open.” Surely Kevin hadn’t set the buffet up by himself. Denise must have done it before she’d left.
“Can we see the pool?” Gina asked eagerly. “Both of our kids love to swim.”
“Of course, it’s right this way.” I threw open the sliding glass door, grateful that it was such a beautiful day. The sun had begun to sink in the sky but was still shining brightly enough to cause me to blink.
There were more chairs on the stone patio than usual, and another portable bar had been set up next to the pool, which partially blocked my view of it. “Mr. Hilton is an avid swimmer,” I said. “There’s also a hot tub located on the other side.”
My shoe started to skid along the wet stone. I stared down at it and noticed a small bunch of red dots that led to the pool’s edge. My mouth went dry when I realized what it was.
Blood.
I quickly moved behind the bar, with the Meyers following. I shielded my eyes against the sun and stared down at the water. In the center of the bright blue brilliance, a red stain was spreading.
Gina let out a hair-raising scream from behind me.
Floating face down in the water was the body of Kevin Hilton.