I stuck the key I’d picked up from Ernest into the door of the lake house and stepped inside. The house itself was small, with two bedrooms, a single bath, and a small kitchenette. The knotty-wood furniture and black bear coat rack lent to the overall cabin feel of the home. Rebecca, it seemed, was far more eclectic and had added colorful touches of purple, orange, and lime green throughout the place.
Photos of Rebecca and Oliver plastered all over the refrigerator in the kitchen caught my attention. I slipped one off the magnet and took a closer look. Rebecca was a stunner. Her long, wavy, brown hair, bright-red lipstick, and voluptuous frame reminded me of a ’40s pin-up girl. She looked happy and full of life, with a wide smile I found infectious. What a shame her life had been snuffed out too soon.
I returned the photo and walked down the short hallway to the first bedroom. The bed was unmade, and a few of Oliver’s toy trucks were strewn around the floor. I walked to the second bedroom and flipped through the clothes in Rebecca’s closet. Everything she owned had been designed to complement her curves. I riffled through a chest of drawers. There were no T-shirts, sweatpants, or loose-fitting clothing of any kind. Her entire wardrobe was made up of dresses, skirts, crop tops, and the kind of lingerie that would make a conservative woman blush.
My phone rang. It was Maddie.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked.
“You at the lake house?”
“Yep. Got here about ten minutes ago.”
“Find anything?”
“Not yet.”
“Thought you’d like to know Coop just stopped by the lab.”
“Let me guess—he doesn’t want you talking to me about the case.”
She popped a bubble into the phone and said, “Ooh, when did you become psychic?”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him he could shove it up his bum hole.”
“I’m sure he was thrilled.”
“He was something, that’s for sure. Hate to say it, but I think you’re in for a rough ride. He isn’t going to make this case easy on you.”
He never did.
“I’d expect no less from Coop,” I said. “I intend to prove myself on this one. I’m sick of him treating me like I’m incompetent just because I was never a cop.”
“You have nothing to prove to anyone, Sloane. People will always stand in your way. It’s what people do. It’s the society we live in. What matters is what you think of yourself.”
She was right. I wasn’t sure why I allowed Coop to get to me. In some ways I supposed I saw him as the parent I worked too hard to please and couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. Maybe it stemmed from my broken relationship with my own father, a drunkard who preferred to connect with his fist instead of his heart. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to return to a time I’d worked so hard to forget. The past had always been a fickle friend, blowing in like a cyclone determined to wreak havoc whenever my anxiety flared up.
“Hey, Maddie, I gotta go,” I said. “I’ll call you later, all right?”
“Yeah, sure, fine. Go do your thing. I’ll catch up with you later.”
I ended the call and scanned the room for anything the police might have missed. Few personal items remained. There was no purse, no cell phone, no computer. I lifted the mattress. Nothing. Removed the bedding. Nothing. I got down on my hands and knees and peeked under the bed. Except for a few tissues and a lacy black bra, the space was empty.
Because the room was small, the bed had been pushed against the wall to conserve space. I pulled it out just to be sure the tissues I’d noticed didn’t contain something important. They didn’t.
I glanced at the carpet, and my OCD went into overdrive. In the corner behind the bed, where the carpet seam met the trim on the wall, about a foot of the carpet’s edge had come loose, like the carpenter hadn’t kicked it in all the way when the floor was laid. Unless …
I grabbed the edge of the carpet and peeled it back. Beneath it I found several pieces of paper folded in half. I opened the first and scanned its contents.
Bunny,
I miss you, and I know you miss me. The last time you were here, you gave me an ultimatum. I don’t believe you meant it. How could you when you still looked at me with the same desire and longing you’ve always had?
I’ve thought a lot about why you said what you did during our argument, and I’ve come to realize you were in shock. Now that you’ve had time to calm down and process everything, I’m sure we can figure it all out. Can’t we?
A love like ours is forever. The flame burns strong even when we’re apart, a flame that burns inside me now in the form of our child. This past week has left me uneasy and worried. I can’t shake the feeling I’m being followed. Maybe I’m just paranoid. Who knows? Every time I turn around, no one is there. Still, I’m sure it’s not all in my mind. Is it you, my love? Have you been keeping tabs on me?
I wanted to talk in person, but you’ve been avoiding me. You won’t return my phone calls, and at this point, I don’t know what else to do. Remember when we first got together, and you said you’d do anything for me? I’m asking you to honor what you said and to do it now. Stand up for us. Make me and our life together your priority. Find a way back to me, Bunny. Soon. I’m here, and I’m waiting.
Yours always,
Kitty
P.S. Oliver misses you too. He keeps asking when we can see you again.
xo
I bagged the note and opened the next one, and then the next one after that. The words were the same, but with minor changes. In one, a sentence had been removed. In another, an additional paragraph had been added. The message had been tweaked until she got it “just so,” it seemed.
Questions ran through my mind.
What was the real name of the note’s intended recipient?
Was the final draft among the pages I’d read, or had she written another one—one that she’d delivered?
It was possible she’d changed her mind and never delivered the note at all.
Or maybe she died before she had the chance.
Had someone followed her like she thought, or had it all been in her head?
I flipped the carpet back down, and my eyes came to rest on a small, shiny object trapped between the fibers. I looked closer and saw it was a sapphire ring with diamond side stones. I slipped on a pair of plastic gloves, bagged the ring, and slid it into my pocket.
I exited the house with my newfound evidence and walked to the edge of the dock. I stared out at the lake. It was calm and serene, offering the illusion that nothing grave had ever happened here.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught something unexpected. In the distance at the side of the lake, a man stared at me through a pair of binoculars. I assessed the space between us and ran for my car. He lowered the binoculars and took off on foot. I tore out of the driveway and headed for the spot where I’d clocked his position, five pine trees in from the lake’s edge. By the time I got there, he’d disappeared. I checked for shoe prints. If they were there, the grassy terrain hid them. I found no discerning tire tread marks by the road either. Whoever he was, he was gone.
I walked back to my car with a single goal in mind—I needed to convince Ernest and Judy to let me speak to Oliver.