Beth’s escape?” Her cheeks were pink, her words rushed.
Only one name came to mind. “Brody Pittman?”
She nodded. “He said he left his tools, and because he’d had clearance before, they let him in. But nobody had turned in any tools after the construction work finished. And within half an hour, my sister had escaped.”
“So there
“Looks that way. The police have an APB out on them both.”
Jason tried to follow the logic in his brain and couldn’t. “Let’s talk this through. So your sister and Brody meet up at the prison. We don’t know how long ago. In the meantime, you come to the house and find it’s been vandalized, right?”
Eyes wide, Lauren nodded. “Go on.”
“Then one day, Pittman gets himself hired at JR Plumbing, the only plumber in town, so he can end up
“Or was tampered with?” she asked.
“I knew you were smart.” He grinned. “Okay, what reason would your sister have for sending Brody Pittman here to screw with the house?”
Lauren hazarded a guess. “She didn’t want me to sell it?”
He leaned against the counter. “But why would she go to such lengths to hold on to this old place? Sentimental reasons? Or something else?”
Lauren shrugged. “I don’t know.”
She sounded frustrated and he didn’t blame her. “Let’s backtrack. What else did the doctor say?”
She closed her eyes, trying to remember. “He said Beth had been agitated ever since our visit.”
Just as Jason thought, her sister had reacted to their conversation. “And we discussed the Corwin Curse and the journal,” he said, naming the two things Beth had responded to. “And then she escaped. Because…”
“She wanted something.”
“The journal?”
Lauren sighed. “That might have been the impetus for her escape, but what about before? What was she sending Brody Pittman here to find?”
They stared at each other blankly, until something else niggled at the back of his mind. “Um, Lauren?”
“Yes?”
“If Beth is looking for something in this house, she
Lauren shivered. “The police aren’t sitting in their car anymore. They’re doing drive-bys.”
“I know.” Another reason Jason refused to go home.
Lauren shifted uncomfortably. “I still don’t think my sister would hurt me,” she said at last.
Jason, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure.
GABRIELLE HAD an impromptu book-signing and speaking engagement in Boston. She’d invited Amber and Mike and Jason and Lauren. Despite the awkwardness between Jason and Lauren, they’d agreed to go. For Gabrielle’s sake.
Lauren was excited. A night away from the house. A night on the town. An evening when she could wear fun, funky clothing, put her troubles behind her and just have a good time.
She’d even taken the morning off from working on the house to head over to the nearest mall for a quick shopping trip. She couldn’t drive to New York for her clothes, but she could afford a few purchases on her credit card, or so she told herself as justification.
No sooner had she walked into the house and placed her bags on the floor than the doorbell rang. She shrugged off her jacket, placing it on the coat stand, then looked through the peephole before opening the door to one of the local cops she’d met before.
“Ms. Perkins, may I come in?” the officer asked.
A chill rushed through Lauren as she nodded and stepped back to let him inside.
“What’s wrong? Did you find my sister?” she asked, visions of a shoot-out running through her mind.
“What’s going on?” Jason asked, striding up to her side.
He acknowledged the cop with a nod of his head.
“He was just about to tell me.” Lauren swallowed hard, unable to keep the tremor from her voice.
Jason placed his hand on her shoulder and she appreciated the support.
The officer took off his hat and tucked the cap beneath his arm. “No, ma’am. We haven’t located your sister but we did have a report of a sighting.”
Lauren’s heart pounded hard in her chest.
“Where?” Jason asked.
“There was a convenience store robbery across state lines in Rhode Island. The suspects fit the description of your sister and her accomplice. Witnesses claim they took off in a southwesterly direction. Away from here.”
“Robbery?” Lauren could barely speak through her dry mouth.
The officer nodded. “I’m sorry to have to add to your burdens, but that’s the most recent update.”
“We appreciate it,” Jason said. “Is the search focused in Rhode Island now?”
“It’s as good a lead as we’ve got, so the Rhode Island authorities are following up. Of course we’ll still be vigilant here. This is her home, and if she panics and needs help, she might come to you.” He studied Lauren intently, as if sizing her up.
“What?” she asked, uncomfortable under the scrutiny.
“If you hear from her, you
“Of course! And I don’t appreciate you thinking otherwise.”
Jason’s grip on her shoulder tightened. “He’s just doing his job.”
She nodded. Antagonizing the police wasn’t a smart strategy.
“If there’s anything else you can tell us that you think might help find her, call. I’ll let myself out. Lock the door behind me.” He tipped his head and started for the door.
Then he was gone.
“Robbery?” Lauren asked.
“You can’t even pretend to know what’s in her mind anymore,” he said.
She nodded. “You’re right about that. If she’s in Rhode Island and heading away from here, do you think she’s given up on whatever it is she wants from this house?”
Jason spread his hands in front of him, apparently as confused as Lauren was. “Like I said…”
“I can’t begin to guess at what’s going on in her mind.” She sighed then met Jason’s gaze. “Hey. Why didn’t you tell the police there might be something here she’d come back for?” Lauren bit the inside of her cheek.
It hadn’t been easy for her to remain silent. She’d been surprised Jason had kept quiet, too.
He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, staring at her. “I did it for you. We have no solid proof she wants anything here, just a series of coincidences like you said. I figured I’d give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“Even if you are certain she’s behind the vandalism, the tampering and the arson?”
He nodded, not denying his belief. “Even then. She escaped. She’ll be caught eventually and the truth will come out.” His expression filled with compassion and, despite the emotional distance between them, something that looked suspiciously like love.
Lauren’s heart beat more rapidly in her chest, her emotions a rioting mix she didn’t know how to deal with. And as long as he kept his feelings inside, as long as he kept sending out mixed signals instead of overt ones, she didn’t have to.
She ran her tongue over suddenly dry lips. “I don’t know what to say except thank you.”
She might not have anticipated her sister would fake mental illness, but she had to believe that whatever Beth’s motives had been, she was far away from here by now.
“THEY HAVE TO LEAVE the house sooner or later,” Brody said in the whiny voice Beth had come to hate. She cringed every time he opened his mouth.
Still, she’d needed him and he’d come through. She’d managed to contact him with the nurse’s cell phone and leave a message. He’d gotten into the prison by telling them he’d left his tools behind, and a little fire had distracted people, enabling him to sneak her out amid the chaos. Minimum security and paying close attention to who was stationed where had helped.
