Page 25 of I Know She Was There

I moved into the living room and turned on the end-table light. If I didn’t reveal I had the nail fragment but simply shared my knowledge of Jeffrey’s key to the Pine Hill house, police would want to know how I knew that. They’d eventually learn I’d trespassed onto the property but probably wouldn’t care about him having a key to an empty house.

I ran both hands through my hair as I began pacing. If I wanted to know why Jeffrey had the key, I’d have to ask him, which would be foolish. I had Emmy to think about. I couldn’t expose myself and my infant to a possible murderer. Even if I went to the police with my “evidence” and somehow convinced them to scrape DNA off the fake nail, it would turn up nothing about Jeffrey or Melanie if their DNA wasn’t already in the system. I pressed my lips together tightly. As far as I knew, no woman had been reported missing. According to police the residents of the property had sold it and moved away.

The sudden knock on my front door made me flinch. Who could it possibly be? It had to be close to midnight. Fear stalled my breath in my throat, until I heard Mary’s voice on the other side. When I yanked the door open, I was greeted by her crooked smile as if it were the middle of the day. I noticed again her top row of teeth looked like they’d been packed together haphazardly, as if someone had shoved them into her mouth quickly without taking the time to ensure they were properly aligned. In the dim night, the effect was creepy jack-o’-lantern rather than friendly neighbor.

“What are you doing here this late at night?”

“I saw your light pop on. Figured you couldn’t sleep either.”

“Now’s not a good time?—”

“Not too busy now, I hope. I just made that long trek from next door...” She tilted her head to one side and raised her brows inquiringly.

“Actually, I’m in the middle of something. Emmy’s restless tonight, and it’s been crazy around here lately.”And I’ve had my fill of potential murdersuspects, thank you very much.

“Tell me about it,” she said, stepping up next to me so we both stood just inside the doorframe. “The timing’s off, but I’ve finally carved out a few moments for you.”

For me?I tried not to roll my eyes. How was I going to get her out of my house without physically pushing her past the threshold? I’d have to humor her for a minute or two and then plead fatigue.

“I need to check on Emmy. There’s seltzer in the fridge if you’d like some.” Maybe she’d scoff at my paltry drink selection and go home.

When I walked into my kitchen a few minutes later, Mary had two cabinets open and was rifling through one of them.

“You’ve got an awful lot of baby food, Caroline. Looks like you’re creating a fallout shelter. Hundreds of jars?—”

“Not hundreds.” I tightened my lips into a thin line. “Dozens, maybe.”

She looked skeptical. “Do you eat this stuff?”

“Sometimes. Baby food is very nutritious.” I knew my tone sounded defensive, but honestly, I was just starting Emmy on the stuff. Why waste the food she didn’t eat?

“That’s why you’ve turned to skin and bones, girl.” She closed the cabinets. “Living on baby food.”

I looked down at the pouch in my midsection. “I’m afraid I’m still fighting off the excess pregnancy fat.”

Mary rammed her hands onto her hips, her gaze scanning me from head to toe. “Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You could stand to gain at least ten pounds.”

I looked at the older woman’s plump form, the approximate shape of a ripe lemon. I decided against a retort. After all, my mother had taught me to treat my elders respectfully.

My mother.

Something about my mom made me feel uncomfortable suddenly. And then I remembered: the first anniversary of her death was approaching. “Would you like a drink, Mary?”

“What have you got?”

I opened the fridge. “Like I said, seltzer water.”

“I suppose, if it’s all you have.” She dropped heavily into a kitchen chair and rested her elbows on the table. “I meant to ask you the other day, was that a police car in your driveway in the wee hours of the morning early last week?”

I looked at her. Mary’s powers of observation were stronger than I’d given her credit for. But to notice the police cruiser just hours before dawn? Did the woman ever sleep?

“Yes, actually.”

She studied my face, looking worried. “What happened? Did you hurt yourself?”

“No, I’m fine.” I opened the fridge door and ducked my head inside, afraid to show her my reddened face. I was an abominable liar. Snagging the seltzer bottle, I tried to make my voice sound light, carefree. “Tim signed us up for some police fundraiser when we first moved here. They’ve been buzzing around here ever since. Looking for donations.”

“Before sunrise? Rubbish. Why were they really here? Did it have anything to do with you and Tim and the...”

---