6

T.C. turned the knob. ‘You left the lock just as it was?’

Laura nodded.

‘Who else has a key?’

‘Nobody.’

‘Was it locked when you left for Australia?’

‘Yes.’

They stepped into the foyer. ‘And nothing was disturbed down here?’

‘Right.’

‘Show me the upstairs.’

He followed her up the stairs and into the bedroom.

‘Here’s the desk,’ she said.

‘You sure David didn’t mess it up?’ T.C. asked. ‘He was never known for his tidiness.’

‘I’m positive,’ Laura replied. ‘I specifically remember that right before we left I opened the drawer to take out our plane tickets. Everything was neat and in place.’

T.C. examined the desk. Whoever had done this was in a rush. The intruder had rummaged through the top drawer, pulling out papers, books, whatever. But he had left the money and the ring. Why? T.C. studied the few pieces of a photograph that were in the area. Where was the rest of the photograph? Chances are the intruder had destroyed the picture and accidentally left a few pieces behind in his haste. But why? Who?

He pulled out a magnifying glass, feeling like a poor imitation of Sherlock Holmes. He placed it near the small pieces. It was an old photograph, a black and white that had begun to yellow from age.

‘Do you know what was in this picture?’ he asked.

She shook her head. ‘I could go through the photo album and try to figure it out.’

‘If you feel up to it.’

‘I do,’ she lied.

‘Then take it with you. We can go over it later.’

T.C. quickly checked the rest of the house. First, he scanned the upstairs, followed by the kitchen and den. Lastly, he went over the basement. There was nothing out of place. No sign of forced entry. When he was finished, he met up with Laura at the front door.

‘I don’t mean to dwell on this,’ he said, ‘but this is a rather sophisticated lock and alarm system. How many keys did you make up for this place?’

‘Just two. I left this one in my apartment before we left.’

‘And the other?’

She swallowed. ‘David had the other one with him in Australia.’

Judy contemplated her sister. Despite the years and the recent anguish that had ravaged her face and body, Mary was still gorgeous by any man’s standards.

The two sisters sat in Mary’s bedroom. It was tastefully decorated in the latest style, whatever that was. Judy noticed that the furniture looked like it had been sculpted out of fiberglass. The bookshelf was jammed with all the latest reading. Mary read all the time, though Judy knew that she did not really enjoy it. Books were props to Mary, her way of telling the world that she was more than a pretty face and gorgeous body. For as long as Judy could remember, Mary had always worried about her image, sure that she had been labeled a ‘scatterbrain’ because of her physical perfection.

In truth, Mary Ayars was neither an intellectual nor an airheaded stunner. Judy had been told that everyone had a special gift. If that was true, Mary’s was beauty and she relied heavily – too heavily – on this asset. True, it had given her much and had always made her the center of attention, but it had also made her somewhat superficial and in the end, her beauty had caused uncontrollable disaster.

Oh, how Judy wished she could start over again. If she could somehow get her hands on a time machine, she would go back to the days when she and Mary were the little Simmons children. She would steal into Mary’s room late one night while everyone was asleep. She would approach her sleeping sister and slice up her face with a broken Coke bottle. Or maybe she would use their father’s straight razor. Or maybe she would use acid and melt Mary’s flawless features into horrible clumps of waxy organisms – something, anything to destroy the evil before it could flourish, before it could make its way out of the womb.

The thought made her blanch.

It was my fault too. My fault as much as anyone’s.

She was being hard on herself but that was understandable. Earlier today, Judy had met with Laura. Vivacious Laura, the woman who was everything that Mary wanted to be, was still in shock. Her niece stared dazed, her eyes wondering why the world had suddenly decided to crush her very being.

What have I done to you, Laura? What have I helped cause?

Judy remained silent, letting her sister vent, watching her sister cry uncontrollably as she spoke. Then Judy asked her sister the one important question.

‘Does James know?’

The words stopped Mary’s hysteria like a sharp smack. ‘What?’

‘Does your husband know?’

‘Of course not. Why should he?’

Judy ignored her sister’s question. ‘Has he acted any different since you returned?’

‘For pete’s sake, our daughter has just lost her husband. Of course he’s a little uptight.’

‘I mean, toward you.’

Mary shrugged uneasily, the tears starting to show again. ‘He treats me like I’m not there. Since David’s death, he can’t even look at me. But he’s devastated. James was very fond of David.’

‘David was a wonderful man.’

Mary paused. ‘He loved Laura very much.’

‘I know.’

‘What should I do, Judy?’

‘Do?’ Judy repeated, remembering the last time her sister had asked her for advice. It had led to tragedy and even death. ‘This time, don’t do anything.’

Laura poured Stan another cup of coffee. ‘So when are you heading back to Michigan?’

‘Anxious to get rid of me?’

‘Of course not. I didn’t mean – ’

Stan waved her off. ‘I’m only kidding, Laura.’

‘I’m glad you’ve been here. Your visits have been very important to me.’

‘That’s nice to hear,’ he replied as he sipped the coffee, ‘because I’m seriously considering staying in Boston.’

‘Really?’

Stan shrugged. ‘There’s not much for me in Michigan. I closed a deal there before I left so I have nothing that ties me there anymore. Plus I’m trying to line something up in Boston. You see, there’s a deal I’m hoping to raise some money for. A mall with a basketball theme or something. But more important than that…’ He stopped and looked up. ‘I hope I’m not being too forward.’

‘Not at all.’

‘Well, to be honest, the most important reason I want to stay is that I have no family in Michigan. And the way you and your family have treated me… I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I feel like I’m part of a family. I feel good when I’m with all of you.’

‘You are family, Stan.’

He took her hand. ‘Thank you. That’s very nice of you to say. It’s been so long since I had anybody close to me.’

She smiled sadly. ‘I still can’t believe David’s really gone. I keep expecting Earl and him to burst through that door in their sweat clothes, David spinning a ball on his finger and Earl doing all he can to distract him.’

Stan moved closer to her, his arm snaking around her shoulders. ‘You’ll get over him, Laura.’

The phone rang.

Laura pulled away and stood.

Shit! I had her. Damn that fuckin’ phone.

She picked up the extension in the kitchen. From his seat in the den, Stan could only hear murmurs. Three minutes later, she hung up.

‘That was Gloria. She’s coming to pick me up in about an hour.’

‘She’s a wonderful woman.’

‘Yes, she is.’

‘I like her very much.’

‘I’m glad.’

‘She seems to be a very interesting person. Had a lot of interesting experiences.’

‘And paid for them.’

‘Paid?’

‘Nothing, Stan. I shouldn’t have said anything.’

‘She told me she’s seeing a psychiatrist. She also told me that you saved her life.’

‘That’s being a bit dramatic.’

‘She’s really grateful to you.’

‘There’s no need for her to be.’

‘Was it very bad when she first came back? Oh God, I’m sorry. That’s none of my business. Please just forget I asked. I guess all this family talk clouded my judgment.’