Heart racing, she had climbed half a flight when she finally heard the door to Neil and Terry’s apartment open. Filled with dread, she peeked over the railing. Sure enough, the man she saw slipping out was a stranger. But there had been voices. More than one. She was sure of it.
She crept up the remaining steps to Callie’s and slid the keys in the locks one by nerve-racking one. Inside, with the door securely bolted behind her, she grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1. She was too frantic to search for the names of the polite young policemen who’d come to investigate Callie’s break-in. They’d left a card behind, but right now anyone would do.
But before the call had connected, a knock on her own door nearly had her jumping out of her skin.
“Regina! Are you in there? It’s Neil.”
Regina glanced at the phone in her hand, then quickly placed it back in the cradle. She rushed over to unlock the door.
“Neil, my goodness, you were home. I thought I heard someone, but when you didn’t answer the door, I panicked. I was just about to call the police.”
“I’m sorry. I came home from work with a migraine and went to bed, so it took me a few minutes to wake up when you knocked.”
He sounded nervous. Regina thought of the man she’d seen slipping away and knew at once that he was lying. She thought of poor Terry, who probably had no idea he was being betrayed, and looked Neil straight in the eye until finally he sighed heavily.
“Okay, I didn’t have a migraine,” he admitted. “I had a friend over.”
“Does Terry know about this friend?” she demanded protectively.
Neil winced at the condemning tone. “It’s nothing like that, I swear it. But I knew what it would look like. That’s why I didn’t answer the door.”
Regina continued to regard him skeptically. She might not be so worldly, but she knew there was more to the story than Neil was letting on.
“Why don’t we sit down and have a cup of tea?” she suggested.
He looked as if he wanted desperately to refuse, but he was too polite to do it. He followed her into the kitchen and paced while she put the kettle on and took out the fancy selection of herbal teas that Callie kept on hand.
“Why were you looking for me?” he asked eventually.
Regina had almost forgotten all about her plan to have a makeover. “There was something I was hoping you could help me with,” she said. Maybe the change of subject would make Neil relax enough to finally open up and tell her what was so clearly troubling him.
“What?” he asked, looking relieved.
Regina blushed just thinking about it. “I was considering getting my hair done,” she admitted. “Not just trimmed, you know, but a whole new look. Maybe even some color to get rid of the gray.”
Neil grinned. “What a fantastic idea! You’re a beautiful woman, you know. I always wondered why you’d let yourself look older than you need to.”
“It never seemed important before now.”
“Before now,” he repeated, clearly speculating on the implications.
“Don’t go making anything out of that, young man. It’s just that being around Callie and the rest of you, you always look so nice, I thought maybe it was time I was more in style. Do you know someplace I could go, someplace that wouldn’t go overboard? I don’t want to look like an old lady pretending to be twenty again.”
Neil surveyed her intently. “I know just the place. One of their top stylists is a friend. I’d be happy to make an appointment. I’ll even take you myself.”
“Oh, would you? I’m so afraid I’d make a complete fool of myself.”
“Not a chance.” He regarded her worriedly. “But why aren’t you asking Callie about this? I’m sure she would love to help you.”
Regina wasn’t sure she had an adequate answer to that. Maybe she was afraid Callie would ask too many questions. She wasn’t sure she was ready to explain about Mikel yet. She didn’t want her daughters making judgments and ruining the happiness she’d found before she’d even had time to enjoy it.
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said, praying Neil would accept the answer at face value. “I’ve saved up some of the money she’s been giving me for groceries plus what Terry’s been paying me, and I suddenly had this impulse to indulge myself.”
Neil nodded, his expression understanding. “Well, I’m sure Callie would approve. I’ll set it up for the first available opening. Frank might even be able to squeeze you in tomorrow. Is that okay? Are you free?”
“Absolutely,” she said, already edgy with anticipation. The sooner, the better.
She studied Neil and decided he looked like a man who’d just dodged a bullet. As grateful as she was to him for his willingness to help her, she couldn’t forget what she’d seen earlier.
“Neil, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Startled, he stared at her. “Going on?”
“With you and that man I saw leaving your apartment.”
He shook his head slowly. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
She put her hand over his and squeezed gently. “If I can help, you know I want to.”
“Thanks,” he said. “But no one can help with this. It’s too late.”
Too late for what? she wondered, dismayed by his dire tone. “As long as there’s breath left in a body, it is never too late,” she told him firmly, thinking of both Callie and Mikel when she said it. “I’m living proof of that.”
* * *
Jason was barely listening to what Callie had to say as they made the trip from the studio to her apartment. He couldn’t get his mind off what Dana had told him when she’d called earlier. She had traced Terry’s ex-brother-in-law to New York. He was apparently working for some sleazy tabloid.
Jason kept thinking of the message in those notes Terry had
