Once dressed, she walked back to the living room and turned on every lamp, then sat down on the Boston rocker. Blaine sat beside her, frequently looking up at her face for signs of anxiety. Natalie had never been afraid in this house. Unhappy. Angry. Bored. Never frightened. But three people had been savagely murdered in Port Ariel during the past week. Three people who were children of people linked to Eugene Farley, just like her own father was. And now someone stood in the dark and watched this house.
She rocked faster. Where was Ted? Had he only been humoring her? Had he and the other deputy laughed over her panic as soon as he'd hung up? Maybe she should call Nick Meredith. Yes, that's what she should have done in the first place.
Natalie jumped up and was striding to the phone when she heard noises outside. She rushed to the window. Two men with flashlights, talking. They walked toward the house and in a moment knocked on the front door. She had already seen one in uniform. She swung open the door. 'Ted! How long have you been out there?'
'About five minutes. No lights, no sirens. Didn't want to scare off the creep, but there's no sign of anyone.'
'Ted, someone was out there under the weeping willow.'
'Thought that's where he was. We found two cigarette butts and a crumpled Marlboro package. I got the cigarette package for prints.'
Natalie smiled. 'You don't know how glad I am you're taking me seriously. Sheriff Meredith told me your theory about the connection among the murder victims.'
'He did? I figured he just blew it off.'
'Well, he didn't. He even talked to Constance Farley today. Didn't he tell you?'
'It's my day off.'
Which explained his jeans and work boots. The other deputy was in uniform. 'I'm sure he'll tell you about it tomorrow. He doesn't think she's a suspect.'
Ted looked disappointed. 'I thought I was on to something.'
'I think you are, in spite of Constance 's alibi. So does the sheriff.' She hesitated. 'He respects your abilities, Ted.'
The man's plain face slowly suffused with ill-suppressed surprise and joy. 'He does?'
'Yes. He told me so.' She didn't know what to say next. She might have already said more than Nick would like, but Ted had looked like he could use some bolstering. 'Do you and the other deputy want to come in for some coffee?'
'No, no thanks,' Ted said hurriedly. 'Got to get back to write this up. Are you here alone?'
'Temporarily. Dad should be back soon.'
'I'll have someone drive by once an hour anyway. 'Night, Natalie. Be sure to lock that door.'
Oh, I certainly will, Natalie thought as she closed the door behind Ted. She had no doubt the watcher had been here before tonight and no doubt that he'd come again.
13
Natalie awakened with a sense of dread she couldn't place. She opened her eyes and stared at her bedside clock. 5:55. She slipped out of bed and went to the window to look at the sky. A pale blue wave lapped at the dark shore of night. Birds chirped and sang. It would be a beautiful day.
A beautiful day for a funeral.
Natalie closed her eyes. How could she get through this awful day? She took a deep breath. As bad as this day would be for her, it would be much worse for Lily. Oliver, too, but he had Viveca. In fact, he seemed to have shut out Lily and turned to Viveca for strength and consolation. Natalie thought he was being cruel to Lily, but perhaps she shouldn't judge at a time like this. Still, the situation seemed odd. Oliver had always been so close to Lily- closer than to Tamara, much closer than to his delicate, retiring wife Grace. Natalie clearly couldn't ask Lily what had happened between them. In this case she would keep her own council. Maybe after the funeral the situation would right itself.
A cold, damp nose touched her and she jumped. Blaine. Natalie smiled and rubbed the dog's head. 'It's early but I can't go back to sleep. I think it's time for coffee and dog food,' she said.
When she reached the kitchen, Andrew already sat at the table with a mug of coffee and a piece of toast in front of him. 'What? Just toast? Not the usual breakfast of a prizefighter?' Natalie asked. 'What's wrong?'
'What's wrong? We had a prowler last night and you didn't see fit to tell me,' Andrew said coldly.
'How did you find out?'
'I couldn't sleep. When I saw a police cruiser creep by for the second time in an hour, my laser-sharp brain told me something was wrong. I flagged down the car and asked.'
Natalie calmly poured coffee. 'I didn't want to alarm you.'
'Alarm me? Natalie, you seem to forget who is the parent here.'
'And you seem to forget that I'm twenty-nine, not nine.' She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Dad, I was going to tell you this morning. Last night you looked so tired I didn't see the point in disturbing your night's sleep, especially when the police were keeping an eye on the place. Was that so terrible?'
Andrew took a sip of coffee and gazed beyond her. 'No, I suppose not. In theory.'
'Okay. Let's drop it.' Andrew still looked truculent, but she wasn't going to argue. 'The funeral is at two.'
'I know. I'm bringing Ruth. Will you be riding with us?'
'No. Lily might need me afterward so I want my own car.'
'Suit yourself.' Natalie could tell he was still seething. He rose, dumped his remaining coffee in the sink with a splash, and clumped out of the kitchen. Natalie sighed. An awful start to an awful day. What had she expected?
Her father left around seven-thirty to make rounds. Natalie called Lily to see if she needed anything. 'Someone to lean on,' Lily said plaintively. 'My father acts like he's the only one suffering.'
'Some people aren't capable of recognizing anyone's grief except their own,' Natalie offered.
'Especially when they're encouraged to ignore everyone else by the likes of Viveca.'
Lily's dislike of Viveca would be a real problem in the future if Oliver married Viveca. She felt she should say something placating, but nothing came to mind. Lily wouldn't listen anyway. 'Don't think about Viveca today,' she said. 'Just concentrate on getting through the funeral.'
'At least Warren won't be there. I guess I should be grateful for small favors.' She paused. 'I can hear your disapproval over the phone.'
'I know you didn't like Warren, but he is dead.'
'And even if he didn't kill my sister, he did have at least one affair. Do you know what finding out about that would have done to my sister? My pregnant sister? The bastard!'
The bastard who was killed hours after you found out your murdered sister was pregnant, Natalie thought. Nick's words came back to her: 'Profound grief or shock can make you capable of things you never imagined.'
'Natalie, are you there?'
The doorbell rang. Thank goodness, Natalie thought, overcome by guilt for even considering that Lily could be a murderer. 'Lily, someone is here. I'll be at the church a little early, and I'll be at your house later.'
'I appreciate it. And I'm sorry to be such a harridan today.'
'Don't worry about it.' The doorbell rang again. 'I have to go. See you later.'
She hoped Lily would turn down the virulence a notch before the funeral. Warren 's father would probably attend, and though he didn't seem too fond of his son, he didn't need Lily popping off at him every five minutes. Natalie also didn't want Nick hearing Lily's rancor. If he seriously suspected her of murdering Warren, her hot temper could only make her look worse.
Natalie's mind was completely taken up with the problem when she opened the door. She blinked twice in the light before she recognized his tall, slim form. 'Nick,' she said flatly.
'Her heart pounds with enthusiasm for his unannounced visit.'
