Derek stood on the front porch steps, his hands shoved halfway inside the back of his pant pockets. He watched Addison hoist herself into the truck, watched Luke rev the engine a couple times before steering the vehicle onto the road and driving away. They seemed like decent people, but thinking back on the previous hour he’d spent with them, he believed his mother had been right to express initial concern. They were meddlesome. And though Luke’s knowledge of the manor couldn’t be refuted, his self-proclaimed affection for the place seemed like a lot more than admiration alone.
Then there was his sidekick, Addison, a woman whose keen interest wasn’t centered on the house itself. He’d kept a sharp eye on her during the tour, noticing the way her eyes darted around, never pausing long enough to focus on any one thing. He wondered about the real reason she’d asked to use the restroom.
Rose placed a hand on his shoulder. “She knew Shadow’s name. Do you really expect me to believe you just happened to mention him to her? You hated that cat as a boy. You teased it relentlessly.”
“I didn’t hate the cat. I’ve never cared for cats. I’m a dog person.”
“Exactly my point. Why mention the cat at all?”
Derek stepped back inside the house, closed the door, and turned. “You worry too much.”
She was right to worry, of course, and to express her uncertainty. He’d lied when questioned about the fur ball minutes ago. Even now, he wasn’t sure why he’d done it. Better to corroborate Addison’s story for now than admit his instincts about her may have been wrong. His mother had enough to worry about. Still, there were questions he needed answers to.
How had she known the cat’s name?
And even stranger—how the hell did she think she saw the cat alive and in the library?