Harley shook her head and shut the door after Duchess, who came out to sniff Jamie as if she were a stranger again. The dog seemed to know what game she was up to. Sheesh. The lengths it took to parent a teenager. Maybe she was doing it wrong. Maybe she wanted to protect Harley too much from the many pitfalls of growing up.
That had been two hours ago. She’d purchased some barbecued ribs from the store and put together a salad for Harley and Emma. She hadn’t mentioned that she was going out.
Her cell rang and she realized it was Gwen. She’d forgotten she’d called her and had determined over the day that it was probably all right to leave Harley and Emma on their own for the few hours she would be out. They would have Duchess and each other. It was probably okay . . . but if Gwen were available . . .
“Hi, Gwen,” she answered the phone.
“You called.” Her voice sounded strained.
“I was checking with you. Seeing if you were around this weekend.”
“I am. I’m catching up on some work at home. What are you doing?”
“I’m . . . well, I’m going out to dinner with Cooper.”
“That’s promising.” She seemed to perk up a little.
“Yeah, I was . . . well, if you’re busy, don’t worry. But, um, I was wondering if you were free, if you could check on Harley and Emma. They’re going to be home alone tonight for a few hours.”
“Oh. Sure. I’d be happy to.”
“Great. Emma will be here soon and Cooper’s coming by at about six-thirty. Harley doesn’t have any plans. With what’s been going on, she and Marissa have been sticking pretty close to home.” Jamie chewed on her lip for a moment, aware that Gwen hadn’t mentioned the attack on Bette, even though the story had hit the news. “You know about Bette, right?”
“No . . . what happened?” The tension was back in her voice.
Jamie quickly explained about the attack on her in her home. Gwen was so silent that Jamie asked, “Are you still there?”
“Yeah, I haven’t been watching television today. Umm . . . I’ll come check on them a little later . . . after I get some things together.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, of course. Just stunned. I don’t know Bette Kearns personally, and yet I feel I do in some ways. We’re all connected, aren’t we?”
She said it in her usual woo-woo way, but Jamie responded, “Yes, we are.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t meet her at Leander’s with the others.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Jamie asked. There was something strange in her tone. Something . . . fearful? . . . which wasn’t Gwen’s style at all.
“Yes. Perfectly. Go to dinner. I’ll make sure Emma and Harley are safe.”
Cooper showed up right on time, just as Harley and Emma were serving up their dinner. This time Duchess allowed him in with a little less vigilance on her part.
“Given enough time, she might actually think I’m okay,” he said as they headed out.
Jamie smiled. Harley had looked at her accusingly, but hadn’t said anything. Jamie had the feeling she was being blamed for telling about Tyler and Katie, although Vicky had popped out with her fears that morning all on her own. Jamie had barely hinted at the teenagers’ exploits.
Cooper took her to a steak house that was also known for its fish selections. Jamie ordered sea bass and Cooper had a rib eye. The conversation centered around Bette for the first half of the meal. They both had a lot of processing to get through, and then it switched to Marissa and Katie and Tyler. Cooper assured her that the police knew all about it without him telling them. Apparently, Tyler had told some of the truth. Enough to get Katie in trouble, and then Katie had popped out with the rest.
Finally, Jamie was having a decaf coffee and Cooper was working his way through an apple caramel dessert when he looked her in the eye and said, “Race Stillwell told me he saw a man in a ski mask near the Ryerson house the night Emma was stabbed.”
Jamie nearly dropped her cup of coffee, her fingers felt so slick. “What?” she asked in a whisper.
Cooper explained about his meeting with Race and his phone conversation with Dug. “There’s more there. I don’t know how much more, but something.”
“Do you think Dug . . . or Race . . . or this guy in a mask . . . ?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Race made up seeing the guy in a ski mask. Maybe he was telling the truth. It was Halloween, or close to it. We had some masks with us. It seemed significant when he first said it; now I don’t know. What I do know is they didn’t tell the whole truth.”
“And Marissa was attacked by a guy in a ski mask . . .”
Cooper rubbed his forehead. He was clearly thinking about something.
“What?” Jamie asked.
“We’re holding something back from the press about Bette’s attack. Her attacker was wearing a ski mask, too.”
Jamie put her hand to her mouth. Her fears of leaving Harley and Emma alone suddenly intensified.
“We’re going on the assumption that the attacks on Marissa and Bette were by the same person. They happened within a week of each other. The same MO, with a ski mask and a knife. What Race said about seeing a guy in a ski mask outside the Ryersons’ twenty years ago is probably either a coincidence or something he concocted on his own. I don’t see how that has any bearing on these recent attacks, but it’s in the Zeitgeist. It’s of the moment.”
Jamie said, “Twenty years ago, the killing of the babysitter in Vancouver was by a man in a ski mask.”
“It was her boyfriend, according to the victim’s family. But maybe that’s what keyed Race’s imagination at the time.” He sat back as the waiter brought the check. “We
