The doorbell rang. Chloe didn’t want to go downstairs.
Her mother would die when she learned that Eloy was the guy she’d been seeing. He looked every one of his twenty-seven years. What in the hell was he doing here?
There was a static sound from the household intercom. “Chloe, it’s for you.”
What if she pretended to be asleep?
“Chloe! Did you hear me?”
She walked to the wall and pushed the button. “I’ll be right down.”
Feeling like she was going to an execution, she made her way down the stairs to the foyer.
Her mother’s face was pinched with annoyance. “One of your friends sent you a pizza,” she said in a soft tone.
“Huh?”
“I don’t know. Just take what he’s delivering and get rid of him.” She started back toward the family room. “Don’t forget a tip.”
She opened the front door and there stood Eloy, dressed as a delivery guy. The car in the driveway even had a lighted sign on top.
She whispered, “What are you doing here?”
“Are you Chloe Conrad?” His voice was overly loud.
She glanced over her shoulder. “You don’t have to talk like that. She can’t hear you.”
He lowered his tone. “Take the box. Under the red and white paper beneath the pizza are instructions. You need to follow them.”
“What’s this all about?”
“Just do it,” he hissed.
They both heard her mother’s footsteps.
She started to close the door. “Wait here, and I’ll get you a tip.”
“I have it,” Tami said, waving a twenty-dollar bill.
Eloy’s eyes widened. “Wow, thank you.”
Her mother smiled. “I know it’s a long way out here, and gas is so expensive.”
He took the money and turned to go. “Thanks again.” Then he looked directly at her. “Enjoy your pie.”
As soon as the door was closed, her mother stood with her hands on her hips. “What’s going on?”
“Mal and I were talking the other day, and she was telling me about this place where their pizza was the best. I wouldn’t believe her. I guess this is her attempt to convince me.”
Her mom turned toward the back of the house. “Let’s take it to the kitchen and give it a try.”
“Oh, I don’t want you to feel obligated. I know you won’t want all those carbs.”
She laughed. “A person has to splurge every once in a while, dear.” She grabbed the box from Chloe’s hands. “Come on, we’ll probably have to reheat it in the microwave.”
Any other time, there would be a lecture detailing the evils of processed food. But not tonight. Once they got in the kitchen, she set the box on the massive island.
“Mom, can you grab a couple of plates? I’ll get some slices ready.” She didn’t want her any closer to the pizza than necessary.
To her relief, her mom walked over to the cabinet where the dishes were kept.
As soon as she turned her back, Chloe opened the box and pulled apart two sections, a couple of pieces each.
When her mom set the plates down, she popped one of the portions onto the plate. “It’s pretty cold. I’d put it in the microwave for at least a minute.”
Her mother carried the food over to the oven.
She took her first good look at the interior of the box. If a person looked closely, they might notice there was something under the red and white paper the pizza rested on. The more pieces that were removed, the more obvious the message beneath would become.
She put the second portion onto the waiting plate.
While her mom watched the oven timer, she reached under the pizza and pulled out Eloy’s note, folded it, and placed it inside her black leggings just above her butt.
After eating the pizza, which her mother said tasted like cardboard, they both went upstairs to their bedrooms.
Chloe scurried into her bathroom and locked the door, then pulled the note from her clothing.
She scanned it.
The cops came to talk to me. They asked what we’d done yesterday. We need to meet and get our stories straight. They’re pretty sure it was a woman driving your car at the mall. They sent the video to the FBI to see if they could get better images. Call a ride share and meet me at the Oaks Motel on Topanga. I’ll be in room 312 after midnight.
With shaking hands, she folded the paper and put it back in her leggings’ waistband.
The FBI is involved! They’re going to find out that it was me behind the wheel. They didn’t even see Eloy in the video. He’ll pin the whole thing on me.