The Secret (The Scinegue Series Book 1) (14 page)

“It’s not. Well, it is,” she clarified, “but Ben knows some people who were able to put up blockers for us that keep the bugs from transmitting. I have to get back inside.” She glanced back at the house.

“Please don’t come back.” She gave him a remorseful look and a pat on the cheek, then glanced around cautiously. “You’ll only cause problems for us, and I can’t help you.” One more sorrowful look and she hurried back into the house.

Billy longed to ask more questions. She knew a lot more than he did, but he heeded her warning and climbed back into his truck and left, hoping no one had noticed him being there.

He drove around the neighborhood, not in quite as big a rush to get to Sarah as he had been before. His mind was ping-ponging between thoughts.

Bob sending him a coded message to meet him privately. His huge new office. Jerald, gone from the face of the earth, as far as he could tell. Three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars a year. Ben’s frightened wife. His own wife in a gorgeous mansion.

He knew the money and perks of his new position were making him
want
to believe that Scinegue was okay. At the same time, he didn’t have one shred of hard evidence linking Scinegue to anything really wrong.

Or was that just greed talking? he wondered, trying to keep himself grounded. Reprogramming didn’t sound right, but maybe it was simply a self-help program like what Mr. Bryant said the company offered to help employees reach their full potential. Billy could imagine Mr. Bryant thinking that seven years as a trash collector was a type of ‘just plodding along’, especially when Ben turned down whatever job advancement he was offered.

Ben probably hadn’t wanted to go to a self-help program, Billy pictured the scenario as he drove, but was given the choice of going or losing his job. Ben would have been furious at being basically forced to go and in his anger he could have made the whole program sound a lot worse to his wife than it really was.

There was nothing wrong with the company encouraging people to become the best they could be. Was there?

S
arah came rushing out of the house as soon as Billy stepped out of the truck. She was dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans with her feet bare and her recently polished toenails sported a shimmering crimson color. “I was so scared when that strange truck pulled into our driveway! What are you doing driving it? Where’s your truck?”

Billy couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face as she eyed the new truck. “If you slow your questions down just a little bit, I might be able to answer at least one.”

Filled with relief at the sight of Billy, she laughed brightly. “O.K.” she teased. “Where. Is. Your. Truck?”

“Ha-ha. That’s a little too slow, but to answer your question, this is my truck. Our truck.” He slung an arm around her shoulder, unable to contain the excitement in his voice.

“What. Do. You. Mean?”

“Knock it off, silly. I mean that I have a new truck, a new office, a new house, and I’m getting a new wardrobe.”

Sarah cocked her head, her brow furrowing and all joking forgotten as her stomach clenched with nerves. “What?”

“That job they offered me,” he explained grabbing both of her hands. “I went to work this morning, and the job was already mine.”

“You never accepted it, did you?” she asked, concern deepening her voice.

“No, of course not. You know I wasn’t going to divorce you for a job. There was a note with my paperwork saying they’d reconsidered and my marriage is no longer an issue.” He held her look with an eager smile.

“Sarah, you should see my office. And our new home!” He continued, digging in his pocket for the right key. “That’s why I came home early. I wanted us to go see our new house together!”

Sarah led him a little farther away from the house, and looked up and down the street. She didn’t see anyone watching them. “Billy, you aren’t seriously thinking about moving into their house and driving their vehicle?” she asked quietly, motioning to the shiny new truck. “These people have something strange going on, and the more you take from them, the more they own you.”

Frustrated by her words, but knowing there was truth in them, Billy jammed both hands in his pockets and tried to respond calmly. “Sarah, I know. I really know what you are saying is right. I keep thinking there has to be some way for us to take these things without being required to go along with anything we don’t agree with. You know,” he reasoned, “Bob and the Browns think it’s important for me to get inside the company. If I turn down this job I probably won’t be offered another one. They already filled my old position, so I doubt I would be able to work for Scinegue at all.”

He put his hands on her hips and pulled her close, looking pleadingly into her eyes. “Can we just pretend for a little bit that nothing strange is going on, and enjoy the excitement of a new house and a new vehicle? Oh, I almost forgot, I also got a huge pay increase.”

“You’re kidding? How much?”

“They tripled my salary.” Billy couldn’t help puffing up and sounding a little smug as he told her.

Sarah gave him a troubled look. “Exactly what is your new job?”

“I have no idea!” He laughed.

Sarah remained serious. “Please don’t let them suck you in. That’s an awful lot of money for you not to even know what you’ll be doing for them.”

Billy sobered and shook his head. “I won’t. Don’t get me wrong. I’m praying that Scinegue is on the up and up, and I’ll just be doing some kind of normal job that, for whatever reason, they really want me to do. But, I won’t do anything wrong for them or turn a blind eye if I find out they are doing something wrong. Can we forget about the possible bad for just a little while and go look at the house?”

Hearing and understanding the plea in his voice, Sarah put on a bright smile and tucked away her reservations. She knew Billy was excited and wanted to let him enjoy the moment. They would
both
have to be careful not to let themselves become blinded to anything bad going on.

“Let me just grab my purse and some shoes,” Sarah called over her shoulder as she jogged toward the house.

B
illy showed his credentials at the guardhouse leading to the Scinegue neighborhood and found the address matching his key ring. He parked in front, then he and Sarah just stared at the house in silence.
House
didn’t seem to do it justice. Perhaps not technically a mansion either, but big and beautiful.

The large, white plantation style house was nestled quite contentedly between a large red-brick home on its right and a Mediterranean style home to the left. It boasted two stories, each with a full porch. The bottom level had a porch swing with bright green cushions on one side of the front door. On the other side was a small table with a cluster of white chairs placed in a causal yet complimentary arrangement around it.

The yard was meticulously tended, as were all the yards in Scinegue, and added to the picture-perfect appearance. Sarah could easily imagine the house gracing the cover of an architectural magazine. She realized her mouth was hanging open and snapped her lips together.
She would not get sucked in. She would not get sucked in
, she repeated to herself with a glance at Billy.

“Do you think this is the right place?” his voice was filled with uncertainty and he rechecked the address before looking at the house again.

“There’s one easy way to find out,” Sarah replied with forced confidence as she climbed out of the pickup and started up the curved, brick-lined walk that led to the front door. She turned when she noticed Billy was still in the truck. “Coming?” she mouthed and signaled for him to join her.

He stared at the house a minute longer in indecision. Was this some kind of joke? He knew Sarah was right, there was one way to find out. He joined her on the sidewalk and they walked together hand-in-hand up the front steps to the double front door.

Billy’s eyes darted from side to side, the habit instilled in him to look without appearing to be looking in this neighborhood. He saw this house every day on his garbage route. Walking up to the front door as its owner gave it a whole new appearance.

“Should we knock?” Billy whispered while fumbling with the keys.

Sarah tried to act confident, but was feeling overwhelmed herself. What if this
was
the right house? What if they really got to live in a place like this? What if it wasn’t?

She finally reached over and gave the doorbell a firm push. “If no one answers we’ll try the keys. If someone is here, at least they won’t think we’re trying to break in.”

They could hear brisk footsteps approaching the door. Billy looked to Sarah with a shrug, his hopes deflated by the presence of the home’s occupant. Maybe this
was
just a joke or a ploy to get Billy to sign a contract or something. People really weren’t just given houses like this for accepting a job, right?

When the door opened a beautiful woman with long, dark hair swept back into loose curls wearing a typical black and white maid’s uniform stood before them expectantly. “May I help you?” Her dark eyes scanned them from head to toe, indicating she was quite sure they didn’t belong there.

“We must have the wrong house,” Billy mumbled, holding up the keys for another look. “I work at Scinegue and was given these keys today...”

The maid’s look of disdain melted into one of surprise. “Mr. and Mrs. Roth?”

Billy and Sarah were even more surprised that she knew them. “Yes,” Billy drawled.

Her face broke into a welcoming smile as she bobbed a little curtsy. “Welcome home, sir. Ma’am. I am Maria. I guess you could say I come with the house. Please come in. I have been expecting you.”

Sarah gave Billy a surprised look before extending a hand to Maria. “Hi Maria, I’m Sarah, and this is my husband, Billy.”

They stepped into the large open foyer. “This is such a gorgeous house!” Sarah couldn’t help exclaiming as she turned in a full circle admiring the shining dark wood floors offset by creamy yellow walls. A huge chandelier hung overhead blending into the room in a homey rather than ostentatious way. Tasteful works of art graced the walls and by the front door a cheery, potted lemon tree with glossy green leaves contrasted with the walls. A staircase to the right led to the floor above. From where they stood she could see into a living room that was fully furnished.

“This is a beautiful home, ma’am,” Maria agreed. “The decorating was just finished a couple of days ago. My husband and I have been here for about two weeks now, helping to get everything ready for you.”

Billy and Sarah exchanged a discreet, puzzled look. Billy hadn’t even been aware of this job two weeks ago, yet the company had already been preparing a house for them?

“My husband, Fredrick, is still working in the garage,” Maria continued, wringing her hands in front of her. “He was told you enjoy gardening, Mr. Roth, and he has been busy stocking the garage with equipment and supplies he hopes you will be able to use.”

Maria looked at the Roths in uncertainty. “Would you like me to give you a tour of the house, or would you rather explore on your own?”

Sarah looked at Billy and he shrugged. “I guess a tour would be nice.”

Maria’s face brightened and she launched into a narrative as she led them from room to room, obviously quite proud of the house herself. She told how and why each room was decorated and arranged the way it was, and seemed relieved every time they expressed their delight.

They followed her through the house exchanging occasional awe-filled looks. They each knew if they had decorated the house themselves, with unlimited funds, it would have looked much like this. Someone knew an awful lot about their tastes.

Maria led them upstairs and into a huge master bedroom with a king-sized bed and beautiful rugs arranged precisely over the dark hardwood flooring that was throughout the house. She gave her spiel as she had done in each of the other rooms, telling them where some of the items came from and her part in acquiring just the perfect decorative bowls and baskets that were interspersed on bookshelves flanking the fireplace.

“Does everything meet with your approval?” Maria asked with pride, since Billy and Sarah had been thrilled with every other room she’d shown them.

Billy looked at Sarah with a twinkle in his eye, and she drew confidence from his look. “It’s gorgeous, really. You’ve done a remarkable job,” she added, knowing now that Maria had a huge part in the decorating. “But,” she started, and Maria’s eyes widened, “pink isn’t one of my favorite colors.” She indicated the light pink covering on the bed, accented in several pictures on the walls, and even intertwined in one of the rugs on the floor.

“Everything else is just as I would have decorated it myself,” she hurried on, noticing Maria’s fearful expression. “Much, much better than I could have done myself. I can’t even imagine furnishing this whole house so beautifully.”

Maria’s eyes darted from the bed to the other items in the room with pink in them. “I did not know.” Her slight foreign, perhaps Spanish, accent became more amplified. “I will fix. I will fix today. It will all be beautiful, and you will be very happy here, yes?” She bobbed her head and scurried toward the door. “It will all be perfect, and you will be pleased with me.”

“Maria, wait!” Sarah called and Maria turned back to look at her. “It’s okay. Really. Pink isn’t my favorite color, however this is beautiful. We can be very happy here. Right, Billy?” She gave Billy a nudge.

“Um, yeah, sure. It’s not a big deal. You’ve done a great job.” He looked at Maria’s fear-filled face. “We are very happy with what you’ve done,” he said slowly, trying to break through the maid’s panic. She obviously had a lot riding on them being pleased with the house.

“Thank you,” she finally managed to say in a calmer tone. “I am happy that you are pleased. If it is all right with you, though, I would like to modify this room to make it perfect for you.” She looked at them expectantly.

Billy glanced at Sarah. “Yes, of course that would be all right. There’s really no rush, okay? It’s beautiful just how it is. I’m sure we will be very happy here,” he reaffirmed.

Maria dipped her head in a nod and backed out of the doorway. Although she was calmer, they could hear her footsteps scurrying down the stairs.

“Wow!” Sarah exclaimed. Billy put a finger to his lips to remind her not to say anything else that she didn’t want others to hear.

“Wow! She is amazing,” Sarah said louder. “I just can’t believe what an absolutely perfect job Maria did with this house.” Turning around she grinned and gave Billy a wink. Maria seemed like a nice woman, and Sarah wanted to be sure she didn’t get in trouble or lose her job because of anything she said.

“Wow is right,” Billy echoed in awe as he walked slowly through the master bedroom. He pulled a book from the shelf and read the back cover, finding himself intrigued with the story. He placed it back in its spot then opened a door on a large piece of furniture finding a television tucked away inside, which was perfect for his TV before bed habit. He felt sure that many people probably liked to watch TV in bed, but it was kind of eerie to think someone knew him and Sarah well enough to be able to design an entire house to their exact tastes.

Sarah went to explore the master bathroom and walked back out with a sick expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Billy asked, rushing to her side.

She shook her head and motioned for him to follow her. Opening one cabinet after another she showed Billy that the room was stocked with everything they normally used: same brand of aspirin, same colognes and perfumes, same razors, and even the same toothpowder they recently switched to when they decided they wanted to avoid fluoride and some of the other things in regular toothpaste.

She looked at Billy in silence. She didn’t have to state the obvious. They’d been watched. Closely. Much closer than they had ever honestly imagined. Someone must have been inside their home to know the exact brands they used.

Billy spoke loudly for the sake of whoever might be listening to them. “This is all so exciting! Let’s go do something to celebrate. Maybe a picnic lunch?”

Sarah’s stomach felt leaden, but she nodded then followed his lead. “That sounds great. Do you think the kitchen is stocked here? We could make sandwiches to take with us.” Her voice sounded stilted, even to her, but it was the best she could do considering the turmoil that filled her at the discovery of this blatant violation of her privacy.

They returned to the kitchen which they’d seen earlier in their tour, no longer able to fully appreciate its beauty or functionality with their thoughts focused on how closely they’d been observed. A quick look around showed it to be fully stocked. Some of their favorite snack foods were there. The majority of the food consisted of vibrant fresh fruits and vegetables, and meat wrapped in white butcher’s paper and labeled clearly.

Sarah pulled a pack of sliced roast beef from the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. A quick search turned up a freshly baked loaf of bread in its own special cupboard area on the counter. She found a long bread knife and sliced through the crunchy crust and into the tender loaf before assembling the sandwiches.

Billy rifled through the cupboards revealing fragile looking glasses and gorgeous plates sporting bold colors. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Sarah noticed the plates, so similar to the ones they had at home. She was occupied with the sandwiches so he just closed the door without a comment before continuing his search. Unable to find any paper plates or plastic bags, he finally turned up some sky-blue cloth napkins in a drawer and turned to hand them to Sarah. “Can you use these?”

“Sure.” She wrapped a sandwich in each napkin and tied them into pouches before stacking them together. “Want to take something to drink or should we stop and buy drinks?”

“Let’s see what they have.” He opened the refrigerator again and pulled out a glass carafe filled with a ruby red liquid and gave it a swirl. “This looks like the juice I had during dinner with Mr. Bryant,” Billy observed with an excited look at Sarah. “If it is, you are going to love it!” He went in search of glasses and came back with two travel drink bottles. Both were clear glass wrapped in brightly colored silicone coverings.

He filled the bottles while Sarah tidied the kitchen, leaving it as spotless as they found it, then they headed for the front door.

“Do you think we should leave Maria a note telling her we’re leaving?” Sarah stopped and asked in concern.

“I don’t know.” Billy shrugged. “I can’t imagine we’re supposed to check in with her every time we go anywhere.”

Sarah gnawed her lip thoughtfully. “I’m going to just leave a quick note. She might come back to tell us something and won’t even know we left. She could spend quite a while searching this whole house for us.”

She handed Billy the sandwiches and jogged back to the kitchen, scrawling a quick note in her flowing handwriting on the large chalkboard she had seen on the side of the refrigerator.

Billy and I are going on a picnic. The house is perfect. Thank you! Sarah

B
illy drove to the same park they had been going to. There were several people there this early in the day, but he and Sarah were able to find an empty picnic table.

“Do you think we can talk?” Sarah whispered.

“I have to think so,” Billy replied looking across the table at her. “I’ll go crazy if I think we’re being watched that closely. I almost exploded in the house, not being able to say anything.”

“Me too! Billy, they had to have people in our house going through our stuff to know everything about us, down to what kind of deodorant we use!” Sarah unwrapped the sandwiches and set one before Billy. “Do you think it’s safe to eat their food?” she asked, as the thought hit her that maybe it was poisoned.

“I think it’s safe.” Billy reached across the cool concrete table and held Sarah’s hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of it. “They want me for some reason. If they wanted us dead they could have taken care of that at our house. Like you said, they were definitely inside.”

“I don’t mean this as rude as it’s going to sound,” she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes in consideration, “but why do you think they want you so much? I think you’re awesome, of course, and I know you are smart and a hard worker, but they can’t really know that much about you.”