Smash Cut (22 page)
Authors: Sandra Brown
Tags: #Legal, #Suspense, #Fiction, #General, #Georgia, #Thrillers, #Rich people, #Atlanta (Ga.), #Trials (Murder), #Legal stories, #Rich People - Georgia
Julie and Kate had a brief reconciliation that morning in the back room of the gallery when Julie arrived. Kate had been waiting for her. No sooner had she cleared the door than the younger woman began apologizing again.
I told you last night that no apology or explanation is neces sary, Julie told her. You had to go to the police with what you knew. It was the right thing to do.
They hugged each other, then Kate went into the main room to watch the store while Julie attacked the paperwork shed neglected for days. The first call came at eleven-thirty. Because Kate was busy with customers, Julie picked up the phone on the second ring.
Chez Jean.
Nothing. She was almost certain the caller was still there, but when she got no response after saying hello twice, she hung up.
It happened again two hours later. Julie said hello only once before hanging up.
The third call came shortly before closing. Kate was signing a receipt for the UPS deliveryman, so Julie answered the phone. Chez Jean. After only a few seconds of that expectant silence, she muttered, Get a life, and angrily replaced the phone in the charger.
Who was that?
A breather.
Kate set the package shed signed for on Julies desk. He called twice this morning before you got here.
You didnt say anything to me.
The first time, I figured it was a wrong number. The second time, I just hung up and didnt think any more about it. Till now.
Julie tried to retrieve the number on the caller ID. Private caller.
Apparently Kate didnt attach any significance to the calls other than that they were annoying. Hell get discouraged and go away, she said and gathered up her things, preparing to leave. Why dont you come out for a drink with me, Julie? Maybe grab an early supper somewhere.
Thanks, but I want to finish up here before I go.
Okay then, see you tomorrow. Kate touched her shoulder affectionately before leaving through the back door.
Julie glanced at the wall clock and switched on the small TV on her desk. The early edition of the news was coming on. She watched the entire half hour, but there was no mention of Pauls killing or the search for Billy Duke. She didnt know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
She had expected the detectives to show up today, confronting her with what Kate had disclosed to them yesterday about the mans visit to the gallery. Shed notified Ned Fulton to be on standby should she need him. But there had been no word from the police.
She hated to think of the hours they would waste trying to link her to this man she didnt know. But her hands were tied. The only way she could tell them to suspend their futile search for a connection that didnt exist was to betray Derek as the one whod told her about it.
Derek.
She hadnt heard from him today. Which wasnt surprising, but she didnt know whether to be relieved or disappointed about that, either. As she went up front to check the bolt on the main door, she admitted that she was mostly disappointed.
Angry as shed been with him last night for the embarrassing thing hed said, it had been a letdown to get up this morning and find him gone, without a word, without a note. Hed even remade the guest room bed, making it appear that hed never been there.
On her way back to the storeroom, she paused in the open doorway of the parlor, imagining that, if she inhaled deeply enough, she could still catch the scent of his shaving soap. It drew her into the room. Wistfully, she moved to the painting of the naked man that he had so disliked and smiled at the recollection of his asking if anyone in their right mind would pay good money for it.
He had discombobulated her completely by showing up at the gallery that day. He was the last person on earth shed expected or wanted to see. And yet shed been hungry for the sight of him again. Shed taken note of everythinghis stance, the shape of his hands, the growth pattern of his hair, the barely discernible scar on his chin. Shed looked at so many photographs of him beforehand that all those physical characteristics had been familiar to her even before she met him on the airplane.
Can I buy you an after-lunch drink?
Hed flashed a nearly wicked grin, which, thinking of it now, still made her tummy take a balloon bounce. Smiling ruefully, she whispered, You had me at hello.
Jerry Maguire.
Her heart lurched. Gasping in fright, she spun around. Creighton filled the open doorway. He was leaning negligently against the jamb, ankles crossed, his expression sardonic. Are you turned on by this portly gentleman with the itty-bitty weenie? Then, in a silkier tone, Or have I caught you daydreaming about the stud-muffin attorney?
Knowing she couldnt reveal either her fear or her revulsion, she made her voice sound demanding. What do you want, Creighton?
Julie, Julie. I sense hostility. Since you were practically my auntie, I thought Id stop by, see how youre faring.
You could have asked me how Im faring when you called today.
Called?
Its rather silly and unworthy of you to play that phone game, Creighton. Severing the head of a helpless animal is more like you.
I have no idea what youre talking about. Not the reference to the phone game, or decapitation. He tsked. Honestly, Julie.
She was finding it difficult to breathe. Her loathing of him was suffocating her, and that gave her courage. The gallery is closed. Youre intruding. Im asking you to leave. If you dont, Im going to call the police.
He picked up the cordless phone off the cocktail table and extended it to her. Do. That would make for an interesting scene. You, me, the two detectives who are already suspicious of you, getting cozy in your little parlor here. Me telling them that youd invited me here, that now that my uncle Paul is out of the way, you wanted to pick up where you left off that evening in the pool house.
They would never believe you. Derek didnt.
He arched one eyebrow. Derek didnt?
I told him the truth about it.
He raised the subject?
She said nothing, causing a slow grin to spread across his face.
The fact that he did leads me to believe he doubts your version. But dont despair. Maybe youll have better luck with the detectives. He waggled the phone. Want me to dial for you?
She shoved him aside and passed through the door. If you wont leave, I will.
She continued down the hallway in the direction of the storeroom, keeping her back straight, pretending that her heart wasnt in her throat, pounding with fear. After Maggie, there was no question about the violence he was capable of.
He hooked her elbow with his hand and slammed her against the wall, pining her there with his body, his fingers around her neck. Maybe you liked fucking Uncle Paul. Stranger things have happened. I figure you enjoy fucking the daring and dashing Derek Mitchell more. But what I think you like best of all is fucking with me. He ground himself against her. She struggled to get free, but that only caused him to smile the triumphant smile that made her skin crawl.
Let me go.
You like messing with my life, dont you, Julie? Hmm? You think you can fuck me over by swaying the lawyer to your side? Think again.
Im warning you, Creighton.
Of what? What are you going to do? His fingers tightened around her neck. Youre way out of your league, sweetheart, and, sadly, too proud and foolish to realize it. You should back off while your sweet, soft skin is still intact.
He released her abruptly and grinned when she hugged herself protectively. Not that Im not tempted to drag my tongue over every inch of that delicious skin. Ive always wanted to do that. Robert Patrick,
The Faculty.
Ive also longed to discover what about your snatch kept my uncle so bewitched. But, alas, Julie dearest, well have to save that salacious exploration for another time. Tonight Ive got a date.
Having said that, he strolled to her back room. As he passed her desk, he paused and looked down at the package. Dont forget to open your parcel.
He went through the back door and soundly closed it behind him. Julie remained huddled against the wall, her legs trembling so badly they could barely support her.
Eventually she made her way to the back room, still relying on the wall for support. She staggered to the door through which hed passed and bolted it decisively, then spun around and leaned against it, breathing loudly through her mouth.
She stumbled to the desk and reached for the phone, but reconsidered and left it where it was. Creighton wouldnt have come here if he hadnt believed he could manipulate the situation, use it to his advantage and damage her. He probably hoped she would report the incident to the detectives so he could distort anything she told them, making her look ridiculous or guilty.
Her gaze dropped to the package on her desk.
From the shipping label, it wasnt readily apparent who had sent it. It appeared innocuous, but she mistrusted Creightons nonchalant reference to it.
Her mind whirled with cinematic images of people finding horrifying things inside ordinary boxes.
There wasnt a sound in the gallery except for the pounding of her heart as she opened the lap drawer of her desk and picked up the box cutter. She slid the button that exposed the razor blade and applied it to the boxs packing tape, making one long slash that reminded her of a scalpel slicing through skin. She quickly cut through the tape at the short ends of the box, then laid the opener aside.
Her fingers were so cold she could barely feel the pasteboard as she folded back first one side of the top, then the other. Inside were green foam chips. Standard packing material. Perfectly harmless.
She extended her hands, then quickly closed them into fists and yanked them back. She took several deep breaths and willed her heart to slow. Tamping down her anxiety, she stretched her hands toward the box again. After one agonizing second of sheer dread, she plunged them into the weightless material. Dozens of the green chips spilled over her arms, out of the box, onto her desk and the floor. Heedless of them, she groped.
She found the object secured in Bubble Wrap.
She grasped it with both hands and pulled it out.
Immediately recognizing what it was, she gave a soft cry. Her knees gave way, and she sank to the floor, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. A sob issued from her mouth.
It was the blown glass bowl she had special-ordered for a client.
Nothing more.
As she sat there trying to recapture her breath, she looked at the door through which Creighton had passed.
She imagined hearing gloating laughter.
I told you last night that no apology or explanation is neces sary, Julie told her. You had to go to the police with what you knew. It was the right thing to do.
They hugged each other, then Kate went into the main room to watch the store while Julie attacked the paperwork shed neglected for days. The first call came at eleven-thirty. Because Kate was busy with customers, Julie picked up the phone on the second ring.
Chez Jean.
Nothing. She was almost certain the caller was still there, but when she got no response after saying hello twice, she hung up.
It happened again two hours later. Julie said hello only once before hanging up.
The third call came shortly before closing. Kate was signing a receipt for the UPS deliveryman, so Julie answered the phone. Chez Jean. After only a few seconds of that expectant silence, she muttered, Get a life, and angrily replaced the phone in the charger.
Who was that?
A breather.
Kate set the package shed signed for on Julies desk. He called twice this morning before you got here.
You didnt say anything to me.
The first time, I figured it was a wrong number. The second time, I just hung up and didnt think any more about it. Till now.
Julie tried to retrieve the number on the caller ID. Private caller.
Apparently Kate didnt attach any significance to the calls other than that they were annoying. Hell get discouraged and go away, she said and gathered up her things, preparing to leave. Why dont you come out for a drink with me, Julie? Maybe grab an early supper somewhere.
Thanks, but I want to finish up here before I go.
Okay then, see you tomorrow. Kate touched her shoulder affectionately before leaving through the back door.
Julie glanced at the wall clock and switched on the small TV on her desk. The early edition of the news was coming on. She watched the entire half hour, but there was no mention of Pauls killing or the search for Billy Duke. She didnt know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
She had expected the detectives to show up today, confronting her with what Kate had disclosed to them yesterday about the mans visit to the gallery. Shed notified Ned Fulton to be on standby should she need him. But there had been no word from the police.
She hated to think of the hours they would waste trying to link her to this man she didnt know. But her hands were tied. The only way she could tell them to suspend their futile search for a connection that didnt exist was to betray Derek as the one whod told her about it.
Derek.
She hadnt heard from him today. Which wasnt surprising, but she didnt know whether to be relieved or disappointed about that, either. As she went up front to check the bolt on the main door, she admitted that she was mostly disappointed.
Angry as shed been with him last night for the embarrassing thing hed said, it had been a letdown to get up this morning and find him gone, without a word, without a note. Hed even remade the guest room bed, making it appear that hed never been there.
On her way back to the storeroom, she paused in the open doorway of the parlor, imagining that, if she inhaled deeply enough, she could still catch the scent of his shaving soap. It drew her into the room. Wistfully, she moved to the painting of the naked man that he had so disliked and smiled at the recollection of his asking if anyone in their right mind would pay good money for it.
He had discombobulated her completely by showing up at the gallery that day. He was the last person on earth shed expected or wanted to see. And yet shed been hungry for the sight of him again. Shed taken note of everythinghis stance, the shape of his hands, the growth pattern of his hair, the barely discernible scar on his chin. Shed looked at so many photographs of him beforehand that all those physical characteristics had been familiar to her even before she met him on the airplane.
Can I buy you an after-lunch drink?
Hed flashed a nearly wicked grin, which, thinking of it now, still made her tummy take a balloon bounce. Smiling ruefully, she whispered, You had me at hello.
Jerry Maguire.
Her heart lurched. Gasping in fright, she spun around. Creighton filled the open doorway. He was leaning negligently against the jamb, ankles crossed, his expression sardonic. Are you turned on by this portly gentleman with the itty-bitty weenie? Then, in a silkier tone, Or have I caught you daydreaming about the stud-muffin attorney?
Knowing she couldnt reveal either her fear or her revulsion, she made her voice sound demanding. What do you want, Creighton?
Julie, Julie. I sense hostility. Since you were practically my auntie, I thought Id stop by, see how youre faring.
You could have asked me how Im faring when you called today.
Called?
Its rather silly and unworthy of you to play that phone game, Creighton. Severing the head of a helpless animal is more like you.
I have no idea what youre talking about. Not the reference to the phone game, or decapitation. He tsked. Honestly, Julie.
She was finding it difficult to breathe. Her loathing of him was suffocating her, and that gave her courage. The gallery is closed. Youre intruding. Im asking you to leave. If you dont, Im going to call the police.
He picked up the cordless phone off the cocktail table and extended it to her. Do. That would make for an interesting scene. You, me, the two detectives who are already suspicious of you, getting cozy in your little parlor here. Me telling them that youd invited me here, that now that my uncle Paul is out of the way, you wanted to pick up where you left off that evening in the pool house.
They would never believe you. Derek didnt.
He arched one eyebrow. Derek didnt?
I told him the truth about it.
He raised the subject?
She said nothing, causing a slow grin to spread across his face.
The fact that he did leads me to believe he doubts your version. But dont despair. Maybe youll have better luck with the detectives. He waggled the phone. Want me to dial for you?
She shoved him aside and passed through the door. If you wont leave, I will.
She continued down the hallway in the direction of the storeroom, keeping her back straight, pretending that her heart wasnt in her throat, pounding with fear. After Maggie, there was no question about the violence he was capable of.
He hooked her elbow with his hand and slammed her against the wall, pining her there with his body, his fingers around her neck. Maybe you liked fucking Uncle Paul. Stranger things have happened. I figure you enjoy fucking the daring and dashing Derek Mitchell more. But what I think you like best of all is fucking with me. He ground himself against her. She struggled to get free, but that only caused him to smile the triumphant smile that made her skin crawl.
Let me go.
You like messing with my life, dont you, Julie? Hmm? You think you can fuck me over by swaying the lawyer to your side? Think again.
Im warning you, Creighton.
Of what? What are you going to do? His fingers tightened around her neck. Youre way out of your league, sweetheart, and, sadly, too proud and foolish to realize it. You should back off while your sweet, soft skin is still intact.
He released her abruptly and grinned when she hugged herself protectively. Not that Im not tempted to drag my tongue over every inch of that delicious skin. Ive always wanted to do that. Robert Patrick,
The Faculty.
Ive also longed to discover what about your snatch kept my uncle so bewitched. But, alas, Julie dearest, well have to save that salacious exploration for another time. Tonight Ive got a date.
Having said that, he strolled to her back room. As he passed her desk, he paused and looked down at the package. Dont forget to open your parcel.
He went through the back door and soundly closed it behind him. Julie remained huddled against the wall, her legs trembling so badly they could barely support her.
Eventually she made her way to the back room, still relying on the wall for support. She staggered to the door through which hed passed and bolted it decisively, then spun around and leaned against it, breathing loudly through her mouth.
She stumbled to the desk and reached for the phone, but reconsidered and left it where it was. Creighton wouldnt have come here if he hadnt believed he could manipulate the situation, use it to his advantage and damage her. He probably hoped she would report the incident to the detectives so he could distort anything she told them, making her look ridiculous or guilty.
Her gaze dropped to the package on her desk.
From the shipping label, it wasnt readily apparent who had sent it. It appeared innocuous, but she mistrusted Creightons nonchalant reference to it.
Her mind whirled with cinematic images of people finding horrifying things inside ordinary boxes.
There wasnt a sound in the gallery except for the pounding of her heart as she opened the lap drawer of her desk and picked up the box cutter. She slid the button that exposed the razor blade and applied it to the boxs packing tape, making one long slash that reminded her of a scalpel slicing through skin. She quickly cut through the tape at the short ends of the box, then laid the opener aside.
Her fingers were so cold she could barely feel the pasteboard as she folded back first one side of the top, then the other. Inside were green foam chips. Standard packing material. Perfectly harmless.
She extended her hands, then quickly closed them into fists and yanked them back. She took several deep breaths and willed her heart to slow. Tamping down her anxiety, she stretched her hands toward the box again. After one agonizing second of sheer dread, she plunged them into the weightless material. Dozens of the green chips spilled over her arms, out of the box, onto her desk and the floor. Heedless of them, she groped.
She found the object secured in Bubble Wrap.
She grasped it with both hands and pulled it out.
Immediately recognizing what it was, she gave a soft cry. Her knees gave way, and she sank to the floor, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. A sob issued from her mouth.
It was the blown glass bowl she had special-ordered for a client.
Nothing more.
As she sat there trying to recapture her breath, she looked at the door through which Creighton had passed.
She imagined hearing gloating laughter.
CHAPTER
20
D
EREKS FIRM WAS PRESENTLY HANDLING OVER A DOZEN active cases. Three times that many were pending. He was well versed on each and had hands-on involvement in the defenses being prepared even if other lawyers in the firm were representing the client in court.
After the lengthy staff meeting, his mind had even more data to store and process. But when he answered his cell phone and Dodge said, Ive got him, Dereks brain sharp-focused, and he didnt have to ask who his investigator was referring to.
Where?
Sleazy motel out toward the airport.
Howd you find him?
Ive got a paid snitch who frequents the bar adjacent to it. Hes got a thing for this Korean gal who runs the motel, so he was hanging out there and showed her Billy Dukes pictures. She started acting fidgety. He called me, so I went to see the lady myself. After I greased her palm, she admitted to recognizing Billy Duke when they showed his picture on TV. Hes been renting the room for almost a month, but not under that name.
Why didnt she report it?
Shes illegal. I had to give her a coupla hundred to keep her from going completely apeshit, afraid she would get deported. Dodge paused to inhale. I think my snitch can forget a romance with her, but anyhow, Ive got Billy Duke. Want me to knock on his door, say hi?
No. Weve got to call Sanford and Kimball.
Do we? Dodge asked, suggesting that they didnt.
What does Billy Duke drive?
The Korean claims not to know.
If he leaves, follow him, but notify me immediately. Keep your eyes glued to the door of his room.
Derek clicked off and asked Marlene to get either Sanford or Kimball on the phone. Tell whoever you talk to that its urgent.
While he waited, he considered calling Julie, but Dodges words of caution prevented him. If she was telling the truth, she would know soon enough that Billy Duke had been captured. If she was lying, and Duke was her accomplice, Derek would be breaking the law by telling her he was soon to be apprehended.
For the time being, his integrity was preserved.
EREKS FIRM WAS PRESENTLY HANDLING OVER A DOZEN active cases. Three times that many were pending. He was well versed on each and had hands-on involvement in the defenses being prepared even if other lawyers in the firm were representing the client in court.
After the lengthy staff meeting, his mind had even more data to store and process. But when he answered his cell phone and Dodge said, Ive got him, Dereks brain sharp-focused, and he didnt have to ask who his investigator was referring to.
Where?
Sleazy motel out toward the airport.
Howd you find him?
Ive got a paid snitch who frequents the bar adjacent to it. Hes got a thing for this Korean gal who runs the motel, so he was hanging out there and showed her Billy Dukes pictures. She started acting fidgety. He called me, so I went to see the lady myself. After I greased her palm, she admitted to recognizing Billy Duke when they showed his picture on TV. Hes been renting the room for almost a month, but not under that name.
Why didnt she report it?
Shes illegal. I had to give her a coupla hundred to keep her from going completely apeshit, afraid she would get deported. Dodge paused to inhale. I think my snitch can forget a romance with her, but anyhow, Ive got Billy Duke. Want me to knock on his door, say hi?
No. Weve got to call Sanford and Kimball.
Do we? Dodge asked, suggesting that they didnt.
What does Billy Duke drive?
The Korean claims not to know.
If he leaves, follow him, but notify me immediately. Keep your eyes glued to the door of his room.
Derek clicked off and asked Marlene to get either Sanford or Kimball on the phone. Tell whoever you talk to that its urgent.
While he waited, he considered calling Julie, but Dodges words of caution prevented him. If she was telling the truth, she would know soon enough that Billy Duke had been captured. If she was lying, and Duke was her accomplice, Derek would be breaking the law by telling her he was soon to be apprehended.
For the time being, his integrity was preserved.
When Julie got home, she was still trembling. Creightons surprise visit to the gallery had completely unnerved her. Untenable but true: He had the ability to frighten her. He had played one of his sick mind games, and shed fallen for it. Hed made her afraid to open an ordinary package.
Using her remote, she closed her garage door as soon as shed driven her car inside. But being safe in her garage didnt relieve her fear. Remembering the pressure of Creightons fingers against her throat, how hed ground his body aggressively against hers, she folded her hands over her steering wheel and laid her forehead against them, breathing deeply.
Whenever she saw him now, outside the bar, in the gallery, he became more physically aggressive. Was this a sign of increasing psychosis?
The garage had retained all the heat of the day. It didnt take long for her skin to become clammy with perspiration, but still she shivered in fear of Creighton. Whatever hed started when he plotted to kill Paul wasnt finished. She was almost certain of that. He felt threatened by her to some extent or he wouldnt be issuing threats, he wouldnt be warning her to back off. Something was brewing. But what? If she didnt even know what crime he planned, or who the victim might be, how could she prevent it?
Eventually the compressed heat forced her out of her car.
Since the break-in, she took special care to keep all the doors to her house locked, including the one connecting the garage and kitchen. She used her key now to unlock it.
Faulty motion detector notwithstanding, shed also started setting her alarm system religiously, even when she was going to be away from the house for a short period of time. She kept it set when she was at home as well.
So when she pushed open the door into the kitchen, she expected to hear the warning beep. Its failure to go off was more startling than a shrill alarm, its silence portentous and terrifying.
Her heart began to beat wildly. The gloss of perspiration became sweat, bathing her instantly as adrenaline surged through her system. She could barely breathe. Her mind went into overdrive, but she forced herself to think rationally and not to panic. Not yet.
Could her maid have forgotten to set the alarm when she left?
No. Her maid hadnt come today. Thered been no need after the thorough cleaning the house had received yesterday.
Had she herself failed to set the alarm that morning? She racked her brain, trying to remember her actions, and she could swear that the last thing shed done before locking the door was to set the alarm.
Soundlessly, she set her handbag on the kitchen table and slipped off her shoes. In bare feet, she tiptoed to the counter and slid a butcher knife from the wood block. It had a long, serrated blade, but she would have felt more confident with her handgun, which shed replaced beneath the bed. She crept to the door leading out of the kitchen and stopped to listen.
The house was as silent as a tomb except for the drumming of her own heart.
After five minutes, when her muscles began to quiver with the strain of holding so still for so long, she forced them to relax. Was she yet again playing right into one of Creightons mind games?
Had
she set her alarm this morning? Shed been upset with Derek, first for saying what he had last night,
You came
, then for leaving without an apology or word of any kind. Maybeapparentlyshed been so preoccupied with thoughts of him that the newly formed habit of setting her alarm had slipped her mind.
Nevertheless, she held the knife in front of her as she went through the house, checking for an intrusion. Nothing had been disturbed. Leaving the living area, she looked cautiously down the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Again, she paused to listen but heard nothing.
Still on tiptoe, she approached the guest bedroom. The bed was as Derek had left it. The door to the bathroom stood open. Before she could talk herself out of it, she crossed the room. The bathroom was as it always wasready for a guest. She worked up enough nerve to check the closet and felt rather foolish when she theatrically flung open the door. It was empty except for extra hangers on the rod and a folded blanket on the shelf above. To top off her foolishness, she got down on all fours and checked beneath the bed.
Standing again, she shook her head and stepped back into the hall. The door to her bedroom was open.
She was steps away from it when he sprang into sight. He appeared like a monster in a spook house. Suddenly. Jarringly.
Julie had been expecting a scare. Nevertheless, she screamed.
Using her remote, she closed her garage door as soon as shed driven her car inside. But being safe in her garage didnt relieve her fear. Remembering the pressure of Creightons fingers against her throat, how hed ground his body aggressively against hers, she folded her hands over her steering wheel and laid her forehead against them, breathing deeply.
Whenever she saw him now, outside the bar, in the gallery, he became more physically aggressive. Was this a sign of increasing psychosis?
The garage had retained all the heat of the day. It didnt take long for her skin to become clammy with perspiration, but still she shivered in fear of Creighton. Whatever hed started when he plotted to kill Paul wasnt finished. She was almost certain of that. He felt threatened by her to some extent or he wouldnt be issuing threats, he wouldnt be warning her to back off. Something was brewing. But what? If she didnt even know what crime he planned, or who the victim might be, how could she prevent it?
Eventually the compressed heat forced her out of her car.
Since the break-in, she took special care to keep all the doors to her house locked, including the one connecting the garage and kitchen. She used her key now to unlock it.
Faulty motion detector notwithstanding, shed also started setting her alarm system religiously, even when she was going to be away from the house for a short period of time. She kept it set when she was at home as well.
So when she pushed open the door into the kitchen, she expected to hear the warning beep. Its failure to go off was more startling than a shrill alarm, its silence portentous and terrifying.
Her heart began to beat wildly. The gloss of perspiration became sweat, bathing her instantly as adrenaline surged through her system. She could barely breathe. Her mind went into overdrive, but she forced herself to think rationally and not to panic. Not yet.
Could her maid have forgotten to set the alarm when she left?
No. Her maid hadnt come today. Thered been no need after the thorough cleaning the house had received yesterday.
Had she herself failed to set the alarm that morning? She racked her brain, trying to remember her actions, and she could swear that the last thing shed done before locking the door was to set the alarm.
Soundlessly, she set her handbag on the kitchen table and slipped off her shoes. In bare feet, she tiptoed to the counter and slid a butcher knife from the wood block. It had a long, serrated blade, but she would have felt more confident with her handgun, which shed replaced beneath the bed. She crept to the door leading out of the kitchen and stopped to listen.
The house was as silent as a tomb except for the drumming of her own heart.
After five minutes, when her muscles began to quiver with the strain of holding so still for so long, she forced them to relax. Was she yet again playing right into one of Creightons mind games?
Had
she set her alarm this morning? Shed been upset with Derek, first for saying what he had last night,
You came
, then for leaving without an apology or word of any kind. Maybeapparentlyshed been so preoccupied with thoughts of him that the newly formed habit of setting her alarm had slipped her mind.
Nevertheless, she held the knife in front of her as she went through the house, checking for an intrusion. Nothing had been disturbed. Leaving the living area, she looked cautiously down the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Again, she paused to listen but heard nothing.
Still on tiptoe, she approached the guest bedroom. The bed was as Derek had left it. The door to the bathroom stood open. Before she could talk herself out of it, she crossed the room. The bathroom was as it always wasready for a guest. She worked up enough nerve to check the closet and felt rather foolish when she theatrically flung open the door. It was empty except for extra hangers on the rod and a folded blanket on the shelf above. To top off her foolishness, she got down on all fours and checked beneath the bed.
Standing again, she shook her head and stepped back into the hall. The door to her bedroom was open.
She was steps away from it when he sprang into sight. He appeared like a monster in a spook house. Suddenly. Jarringly.
Julie had been expecting a scare. Nevertheless, she screamed.
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