This really was unnerving, especially since I couldn’t imagine what this person or people might be after. What in the world did they think I knew that could be perceived as a threat? I turned my face up to the hot water, letting it cascade over me. If I were less stubborn, I might have made the decision to leave, but I was made of sterner stuff. And I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Kyle when we were just getting to know each other. No, I would stay for the remainder of the week and take my chances.
Once I was ready, I headed downstairs. Kyle was already in the morning room, reading something on his phone.
“Can I make you a cup of coffee?” he asked.
“Do you know how I like it?” I teased.
“I do.” He made me a cup of coffee and then poured one for himself.
“Someone’s been in my room again,” I said under my breath.
Kyle looked like he was just about to ask me about it when Lisa bustled in, bringing us racks of toast and a jug of cream.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” she asked, smiling at us in a way that suggested she knew exactly what we’d been up to.
“No, you’re okay,” Kyle replied, meeting her inquisitive gaze with one of his own.
“All right, then,” Lisa said, and departed.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, during which I refrained from making eye contact or engaging with Lisa when she returned to bring fresh coffee and refill the platter of sausages and fried mushrooms. I was too angry and about five minutes away from confronting her about the forays into my room, but Kyle placed his hand over mine, his gaze telling me to keep a lid on my feelings.
“Let’s speak to Andy first and see what he has to say,” Kyle said once we were safely outside.
He took my hand and we walked toward the reservoir, enjoying the crisp autumn morning. Falling leaves twirled gently in the breeze, settling at our feet and covering the spongy ground in a colorful quilt. The woods were quiet, the silence broken only by the sound of moisture dripping from leaves and the snapping of twigs beneath our feet. It was sunny this morning, but it had rained all night, and I was surprised to note that the water level had risen, only the bell and the very top of the tower still visible above the still surface of the reservoir.
“In a few days, the water will cover the tower, and it will be as if it’d never been here at all,” I said wistfully. “It’s as if Alys had never been here.”
“It takes more than a few inches of rainwater to wash someone away,” Kyle said, looking down at me.
I nodded, knowing he was right and I was being overly melodramatic. “It’s time to ring Andy.”
Kyle pulled out his phone and made the call to Andy Cunningham while I walked on ahead to give him a bit of privacy, my thoughts still on Alys. She must have walked in these woods, possibly even spent time at the big house before her arrest. She had most likely worshipped at St. Botolph’s and had gazed at the same tower I was looking at that very moment.
What did you do? I asked her silently. What line did you cross? Whom did you threaten?
Kyle spoke for a little while, but mostly he listened. After a few minutes, he thanked Andy and ended the call.
“What did he say?” I asked, some part of me afraid to learn the truth.
“He ran a quick check on the Prentisses and Paul Scanlon,” Kyle replied. “He found nothing on Paul aside from the pending plagiarism lawsuit. Neither Lisa nor Alastair has a criminal record; however, a charge of fraud was brought against them. Twice.”
“Is fraud not a crime?” I asked.
“It is, but the charges were dropped in both instances.”
“What does that mean?”
“I suppose they made some sort of restitution, or it had been a misunderstanding,” Kyle explained. “Andy doesn’t believe you’re in any danger, but he thinks you should be careful, especially on social media.”
“What’s that got to do with it?” I asked.
“Social media sites are a goldmine for scammers. People post all sorts of quizzes where they ask you to share your likes and dislikes, the names of pets, your favorite food, color, holiday spot, city of birth, even mother’s maiden name. All this information can be used to try to hack into your accounts and bypass the security questions.”
“Is that what you think someone was doing? Trying to hack into my accounts? I think they might have tried to log in,” I said, feeling rather violated.
“Do you think they succeeded?”
“I changed my password yesterday, using something no one would possibly guess.”
“A good hacker probably could,” Kyle replied.
“Not this time. I chose something so random, no one would ever associate it with me.”
“That’s good. I should do the same. I get lazy about my passwords.”
“Don’t tell me you use your birthday or the name of your cat.”
“I don’t own a cat,” Kyle replied, smiling down at me.
“Your birthday, then,” I said, nodding righteously when I saw the guilty look on his face.
“Yeah. I’ll change it today.”
“When is your birthday?” I asked, curious.
“April fifteenth,” he replied.
“An Aries,” I said, nodding as if my worst suspicions had just been confirmed.
“What wrong with that?”
“Fiery, passionate, independent. Absolutely nothing wrong with it,” I said, grinning at him.
“What about you?”
“March eleventh.”
“Ah, a Pisces. Quiet, sensitive introvert.”
“That about sums me up.”
“Clearly there’s no future for us,” Kyle said.
“Clearly,” I agreed, wondering if he meant it.
Kyle gazed out over the water, his expression thoughtful. I wasn’t surprised when he returned to discussing his
