He next put in another call to Nadine Ryerson Campbell but only reached her voice mail. He left his name and phone number, reminding her about his purpose, then clicked off. Maybe she would get back to him.
He made himself a sandwich of turkey deli meat, lettuce, and two slices of wheat bread that was just shy of turning to mold. He remembered his dinner the night before, and that brought him back to Jamie, which in turn brought him back to their lovemaking. He had to practically shake himself out of that memory.
“You got it bad,” he muttered.
Cooper forced his mind back to the case. The Vancouver babysitter killing from twenty years earlier and the two recent home invasions and attacks had been perpetrated by someone in a ski mask. Race had said he’d seen someone in a mask near the Ryersons’ the night Emma was stabbed. Was that true? And if so, were the two crimes connected? Maybe today’s attacker was a a copycat, just using props from the past.
“Knives . . . and ski masks . . .” Cooper mused.
* * *
Jamie called Teddy Ryerson on his cell on Sunday afternoon. She was heavy of heart over Gwen, puzzled and tense about the attacks on Bette and Marissa, and over the moon about last night with Cooper. With all of that, she didn’t need to worry about a babysitting gig for Teddy’s twins.
“Jamie,” he greeted her with relief. “I’ve been thinking about you all week. All these terrible things. How’s Emma? And Harley? I spoke to Harley last night and she seemed worried. I guess, kind of like we all are.”
“Hi, Teddy. Harley told me you’d called about babysitting next weekend—”
“You’re going to say no,” he interrupted. “I can hear it in your voice. It’s like my house is cursed.”
“Well, your house isn’t the only one . . .”
“Might as well be,” he said bitterly. “Serena and I have been invited to this party every year. Friends of friends in Portland. I wanted to ask you, too. We can bring anyone we like.”
“Oh, um, thank you. I just can’t. I’ve got . . . stuff.” Jamie fumbled around.
“I figured you’d say that.” He hesitated. “Can we meet, though? I’d like to talk to you about something.”
“What?”
“Well, your finances. Specifically, your mother’s estate.”
She actually burst out laughing. Hysteria, maybe, after everything else. “Teddy, I’m sorry. I’m not really interested in investing with . . . well, I’m leaving things as they stand.”
“Okay. I understand. I really do. It’s just that . . . I spoke to Irene a couple of times.”
Oh, did you?
“She, like you, wanted to leave her finances in the hands of Elgin DeGuerre. DeGuerre did great things for a lot of people for a lot of years. Guided them toward good investment companies. But that law firm is changing management. DeGuerre’s retiring.”
“I know, Teddy.”
“I’m just asking you to pay attention. That’s all. I don’t want you to lose your money, or somehow be . . . cheated out of what’s yours.”
Jamie wanted to laugh some more, but she held herself back. She didn’t know for sure that Ted Ryerson was preying on people—women—and for all she knew, he could be doing a great job for anyone who invested with him. She just didn’t trust him.
As if reading her mind, he said, “You don’t trust me, do you?”
She felt a little bad, but she wasn’t going to change her mind. “Thank you, Teddy. I’ll bear in mind what you said.”
“Please do, Jamie. Your mom and I actually got along, more than you might believe. She said she’d set up an account for Emma. Her goal was to save up enough to take care of her after she was gone.”
Jamie felt an icicle of fear stab her heart. There’d been no separate Emma account.
“Let me know if I can help you in any other way.”
“Thanks.” She wasn’t sure what his deal was, but if there was any chance he was actually trying to help her . . . ? “Wait,” Jamie said quickly, before he could hang up. “If you can’t find a sitter for your party why don’t I bring Oliver and Anika to my house?”
“You mean it?” He perked up.
“I don’t like leaving Emma alone, or Harley, for that matter these days. I’ll be home next weekend. We can all take care of the twins.”
“Oh, man. Thank you, Jamie!” he said in a rush of gratitude. “They’d really like that.”
Once she was off the phone, Jamie ran the conversation through her head again. Was there a pitfall in there somewhere? She had no problem with her decision to bring the twins to her house, and she wasn’t interested in a party, but the conversation over money had left her with a bad feeling.
She’d made the call in her sleeping room, but now she stepped into the hallway. Duchess bounded toward her and circled around her, the most the dog had accepted Jamie into the fold to date. She was definitely third in line behind Emma and Harley. “Hey, girl,” Jamie said.
Emma was just coming up the stairs. Jamie looked at her and asked, “Did Mom have a special account for you? You said something about it.”
“Money for me after she died, and she died. You have my money now.”
“Well, there’s the house.”
“No, it’s special money.”
“Special money,” Jamie repeated.
“So I can go to Ridge Pointe.”
Harley’s door opened and she appeared in the same sweats she’d been wearing the night before. Jamie had almost knocked on her door, Harley had slept in so late, but she’d heard her playing music and decided she was probably okay and had left her alone. Afternoon was normally not an acceptable time to rise, but the old rules hadn’t applied this past week.
“I’m starving,” Harley said, heading downstairs.
“I’m not sure what we have,” Jamie said, following her.
“I don’t care.” Harley grabbed a bowl and shook her favorite cereal into it. She poured milk over it, then flung herself
