sixteen

Maddy waved goodbye to her daughter the next day as the school bus pulled away from the curb. Glancing impatiently at her watch for the third time in as many minutes, she blew out a breath. Today she and Lainey were going to sit in the car and follow Chrissy Rockford when she went to the bank to open Gino Bernardi’s safety deposit box. The woman was counting on finding the infamous necklace that was supposed to change her life—the necklace that very well might be just what Maddy’s lawyer needed to get her off the hook for Bernardi’s murder.

Maddy had no idea if it really would be useful in her defense—or as a possible motive for killing the man—but right now it was the only lead she had. If nothing else, she’d get to spend the day with her sister and even get a free breakfast out of the deal. Even though it had only been less than a week since she’d been accused of murder and put on paid administrative leave, she was going stir-crazy cooped up in the house all day.

When the doorbell rang, she headed that way, grabbing her purse, sweater, and the bag containing all the files relating to her case. Her mouth began to water with thoughts of breakfast, much like Pavlov’s dog did at the sound of the bell. But that old dog never had an Egg McMuffin with his name on it like she did.

Her smile faded when she saw that it wasn’t Lainey standing on her porch.

“Going somewhere?” Jake Matthews leaned against the doorjamb and didn’t even try to keep his eyes on her face as they roamed up her entire body.

For a second, she wished she had worn something more feminine than sweatpants and a long-sleeved T-shirt, but she quickly dispelled that notion. She was about to go on a stakeout, for God’s sake, not a date.

“Matter of fact I am,” she replied, meeting his stare with one of her own. “I thought you were my sister.”

“Have you given any more thought to renting me your upstairs rooms?”

He was standing close enough for her to smell the faint odor of citrus. She took a step backward to put more space between them. At least it wasn’t alcohol she smelled.

She arched her brow. “Let me make sure we both understand the terms. You want to live upstairs for two months, and you swear there will be no drinking in the house while you’re here, am I correct?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “No alcohol in this house ever, and if I decide to have a few drinks out, I’ll check into a hotel for the night. Agreed?”

She pondered that for a minute before remembering that her lawyer was driving back to Vineyard tomorrow, and was expecting her to hand over his full ten-thousand dollar-retainer—which she did not have at the moment. The man was ready to place a three-thousand dollar check in her hand, which would be more than enough for her defense.

What would it hurt to have him upstairs? She’d insist there be no interaction alone with her daughter, plus Rogers had called last night to tell her he was finished with the background check he’d done on Matthews. Other than the possible drinking problem, her partner had only found citations for bravery and community service awards. Besides, Jake had already assured her that if she caught him drinking in the house, she could throw him out on his ass and keep the balance of the check.

She needed to get that in writing.

And the man was a trained cop—and a very good one, according to Rogers. It might be nice knowing there was someone around to fight off a bad guy or two.

“I can live with that as long as you don’t come into this house drunk as a skunk,” she informed him. “And no bringing women into my house either. I do have a child to consider.”

“Agreed on both counts. So, is it a deal?” When she nodded, he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the check. “It’s all here.”

“When do you want to move in?”

“What about now? I’ve already checked out of the hotel and everything I have is in my car.”

She was hoping she could put him off until the next day, but spotting Lainey’s car pulling into the driveway, she didn’t have time to argue with him. Snapping her own house key off her key ring, she handed it to him. “Lock up when you’re finished, and put this under the mat. It’s the only one I have until I can get another one made at the hardware store.” She handed it to him just as Lainey walked up the sidewalk.

“Hello, Mr. Matthews. It’s nice to see you again,” she said before turning to Maddy. “Are you ready? I’ve got the food and drinks in the car.”

“Where are you ladies off to?” Jake asked, unable to hide the curiosity in his eyes.

“Nowhere,” Maddy blurted.

“Actually, we’re spending a sister day together,” Lainey said. “You know, pedicures, shopping … all the usual stuff girls do when their kids are in school.”

“So why do you need to take food and drinks?”

Maddy stole a quick glance toward Lainey. “Not that it’s any of your business, but we go to the park for lunch when the weather is predicted to be as beautiful as it is today.” She wondered why he was asking. The niggling thought that maybe she’d been a little too quick opening her home to the ex-cop, now insurance agent, wouldn’t go away.

Insurance agent? Maybe he could clear up something that had been bothering her ever since they’d left Chrissy Rockford’s house the day before. She took a deep breath and proceeded, “Let me ask you something, Mr. Matthews—”

“Call me Jake,” he interrupted. “I think the fact that I will be living in your house meets the qualification for using first names, don’t you?”

Something about the way his eyes crinkled sent a rush of heat up her cheeks. “Agreed. I’m Maddy. Now back to my question. Why would an insurance company pay someone a lot of money for a finder’s fee? I mean, if a claim had already been paid for something that was lost and later found, why would they hand over more money to someone who may very well have been responsible for the item going missing in the first place?”

The amusement in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a scowl. “Why are you asking?”

“No reason,” Lainey answered before grabbing Maddy’s arm. “We have to go, Jake. Maybe I’ll see you around.” She took a step forward but he never budged.

“Guess you haven’t heard. I live here now.” He pivoted and walked to his car.

As he opened the trunk and pulled out a small suitcase, Maddy caught her breath and followed Lainey out the door. “Don’t even ask,” she said. “And get the food. We’re taking my car in case Chrissy remembers yours from yesterday.”

After piling into Maddy’s Honda, they headed down the road just as Jake Matthews shut the car trunk and walked up the sidewalk.

“That boy does have a nice back view,” Lainey observed, finally twisting around to face forward. “Okay, should we go to Bernardi’s apartment or to the shack Chrissy lives in?” She dug into the bag and pulled out a breakfast sandwich. After unwrapping it, she handed it to Maddy before grabbing one of her own.

“I asked Rogers to check on Bernardi’s house right before you showed up. He said there’s no one there. Apparently Chrissy’s gone back to her own place.”

They drove the rest of the way devouring the food and making small talk. As they turned down the familiar street, the first thing Maddy noticed was how deserted it was. Even though it was a school day, usually a neighborhood had some kind of action going on—a woman pushing a stroller, a mailman making deliveries. Something.

Maddy pulled up to the curb two doors away from Chrissy’s house and turned off the engine. “Now comes the boring part where we sit back and wait,” she said, pulling out the latest woman’s magazine she’d picked up the other day at the supermarket. “You keep your eye on the house while I skim through this, then I’ll take over while you check it out.”

“It always looks like so much fun on the cop shows,” Lainey said, leaning to her left to read with Maddy. “Jeez! What was Rebecca Lawrence thinking when she wore that dress?” She straightened back up when Maddy shot her a stern look. “Oh, sorry. Forgot I was supposed to be watching the house.”

Some kennels don’t have mirrors, Tessa said, suddenly appearing in the back seat. Anything happening yet?

Maddy waved a greeting, and then shook her head. “We’ve only been here about ten minutes, but since the bank doesn’t open for another half hour it’s a pretty safe bet she’s still in there, probably taking a shower now.”

“Hey, Tessa,” Lainey said when she realized that Maddy wasn’t talking to herself.

Hey, sis.

“She says hi,” Maddy said, thinking it was so nice to see her sisters no longer at war like they’d been for nine years. Guess when Lainey had helped Tessa solve her own murder, it had ended the rift. That and the fact that Lainey was now married to Tessa’s ex.

She closed the magazine. “Since the three of us are together, now’s as good a time as any to talk about Deena. Have either of you noticed a change in her lately?”

If by that you mean the way she’s apparently eaten herself into way bigger clothes, then yes. I hate to see that happening to her. Mike is far from the perfect husband, but he has to notice, too.

“Something’s bothering her,” Lainey said. “Remember when I told her I’d seen Mike playing nice with another woman in Ruby’s one day before they got married? She didn’t believe me. Said I was reading too much into a casual lunch with a coworker. Then she went into a state of depression for two weeks.”

You think he’s found another playmate?

“Yeah, the louse hasn’t changed, I’m afraid.” Maddy said. “Deena told me the other day that he was working a lot of overtime at the lumberyard. I never said anything, but I happen to know firsthand that they’ve cut back over there because of the economy. Mike is lucky to still be working forty hours, let alone overtime.”

He’s a pig! Tessa said, scrunching her nose. Deena has always been way too good for him. Some people are has-beens. Mike Hernandez is a never was.

“That’s the truth,” Maddy said. “I’m not sure if I should approach her about this or wait until she’s ready to talk about it. My guess is she wouldn’t believe me even if I brought it up.”

Men can be such assholes. I’ve always said if it has tires or testicles, it’s gonna give you trouble.

Just then Maddy spied Mrs. Witherspoon skirting the weeds in Chrissy’s yard and walking across the sidewalk to the steps. She grabbed the binoculars and focused on the woman.

Isn’t that the neighbor lady from yesterday? Tessa asked. I sure would like to get my hands on one of her pies right now. I’m starving. Even though I can’t eat any, just smelling it would help.

“Yeah, that’s her. Wonder why Chrissy isn’t answering?” Maddy handed the binoculars to Lainey.

After a few minutes, Mrs. Witherspoon apparently gave up and walked back down the steps. She disappeared into her own house.

“That’s weird,” Maddy said. “Why didn’t Chrissy open the door? Think we might’ve missed her?”

“It’s a possibility, but I doubt it. She seems like the kind of girl who stays up late and sleeps in. We were here at eight forty-five,” Lainey said, setting the binoculars on the seat beside her and reaching in the bag for an apple.

“You’re probably right.” Maddy glanced at her watch. “But it’s already after ten. As anxious as Chrissy was to get the finder’s fee for the mystery necklace and get out of Dodge, I find it hard to believe she’d sleep in today.”

“I say we give her another fifteen minutes and then go knock on the door,” Lainey said.

“Okay. Got another apple?” Maddy was already fumbling in the sack. When she found one, she took a big bite and leaned back against the headrest.

It was looking more and more like this was probably going to turn out to be a wasted morning. Had Chrissy left before the crack of dawn? Or was it possible she’d already found herself another camera-ready partner in crime and had spent the night on a sleepover.

Fifteen minutes seemed to take forever as they waited without much conversation. Finally, Maddy opened the door. “Let’s go see if our girl is there. I’ll leave it up to you, Lainey, to come up with a good reason why we’re here if she does open the door. You seem to have a knack for thinking on your feet.”

Lainey was already out of the car and caught up to Maddy. “I kind of do, don’t I?” She huffed. “Watch and learn, sis.”

They maneuvered their way around the weeds and up the front steps where Maddy rang the doorbell. After a few minutes, she knocked on the door and was surprised when it opened slightly.

“What the hell?” Lainey asked.

“Should we?”

Lainey swallowed. “Do you have your gun?” When Maddy shook her head, Lainey narrowed her eyes. “What can it hurt? If we get caught we’ll just say we thought we heard her say, ‘Come on in.’”

Maddy pushed the door the rest of the way open and shouted Chrissy’s name several times. No response. After only two steps into the rundown house, the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. The place looked like an F-5 tornado had blown through. The dingy cushions on the upholstered couch were slit open with the padding strewn about, chairs were overturned, and a small TV was smashed on the floor.

Whatever happened here can’t be good, Tessa said. Somebody was seriously looking for something.

Maddy made her way to the kitchen where most of the contents of the cabinets were laying on the counters and all over the floor. She noticed Chrissy’s purse next to the toaster with all the contents dumped out.

A wave of apprehension swept over her, especially when she recog-nized most of the things from the purse except for one. The rubber-banded pictures of the five men having sex with Chrissy—the ones that she and Tessa had seen in the purse yesterday—were gone. She gave it a second look to make sure, but they weren’t there. Could Chrissy have taken them out and put them in another hiding place? Or was it possible that they were the reason Chrissy’s house had been tossed?

She looked up and made eye contact with Lainey whose body language said she was more than a little nervous, too.

“I’m going back to the bedroom,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t give away how frightened she was about doing that. “You stay here with Tessa.”

She had no idea what she’d find there—hopefully, nothing—but she wanted to make sure Lainey wasn’t traumatized by something gruesome. She chided herself for letting her imagination get the best of her. Chrissy was probably having breakfast in bed at some hotel after a night of partying.

She opened the bedroom door slowly, immediately noticing that the queen-size bed was empty and the comforter and pillows were all over the floor. Cautiously, she walked closer, her breath coming faster with each step.

When she was close enough to touch the footboard, she saw it.

Poking out from one side of the bed was a human foot. Feeling her pulse racing, she forced herself to walk around the bed to that side and gasped when she realized the foot belonged to Chrissy Rockford, who was lying in a pool of her own blood. She bent down and checked for a carotid pulse, but as she expected, there was none. She stared a few more minutes at Chrissy’s eyes, fixed in a grotesque stare of death before she moved her gaze downward to the massive hole in her chest.

Her cop instincts kicked in, and she stood up quickly. Walking backward, she made it to the door. She took one final look before stepping into the hallway, and after covering her hand with her sweater, she closed the door behind her. This was now a crime scene and needed to be preserved for the CSI team.

Both Maddy and Tessa were waiting anxiously when she rounded the corner into the living room.

Shaking her head, she made eye contact with Lainey. “Chrissy’s dead. I have to call Colt.”