Page 15 of All Dressed Up

CHAPTER FOUR

Rachel checked the front door to the familiar cottage.

Locked.

She’d suspected as much. She moved over to the window, attempting to pull it up, but it was also locked. She looked over her shoulder at her accomplice. “Do you have a bobby pin?”

Bethany folded her arms across her chest. “Can you explain to me why you had me drive over to Will Jenkins’s cottage? You know he isn’t home.”

Rachel ignored the worry written all over her best friend’s face and started to search around the porch.

It would be like Will to lose his house key. The last time she’d been here, she’d had to jump up and down to warm her body in the twenty-degree temperature while he searched all his pockets and then his car for his keys.

Once they’d finally gotten inside, he’d promised her that he was going to hide a spare, and then he pulled her in for a kiss that shot her body temperature way up and invited her to use the spare anytime.

So, finding a key out here and then using it wasn’t a big deal. Although, his invitation probably expired months ago.

She stopped searching for a minute to come clean to Bethany to why they were here. “We’re at Will’s because Mary told me to come now.”

Bethany scrunched her nose. “She did? Let me see that card again.”

“She told me to get the purse.” She nodded toward the door. “It’s in there.”

“Will has the purse?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Rachel sighed. “I don’t know. Donovan told me that Mary wanted Will to have the purse, so he gave it to him. Who knows what the crazy witch is up to.” She paused and bent down to check the welcome mat, but nothing was underneath it. “The point is it’s in there, and I’m simply doing what Mary asked me to do. She was pretty clear I needed to get the purse tonight. Now help me look for a spare key.”

“Rachel, this is a bad idea.” Bethany glanced around, lowering her voice. “Not to mention illegal.”

“No one is going to find out.” A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “It’s not like he’ll be home anytime soon.”

That hard fact got a sympathetic smile from Bethany who, without another word, began searching for the key over by his grill.

Rachel walked toward a nearby plant stand, pressing two fingers in and patting the soil. Maybe he hadn’t gotten around to making a spare. Not ready to give up, she turned behind her and stood on her tippy-toes, running her hand along the front door’s ledge.

Suddenly her fingers felt a small flat object with unmistakable ridges.

“Bingo!” She picked up the key and flashed it in the air. “Found it,” she said and shoved it into the lock, triumphantly turning it to the right.

“Wait!”

“What?” She glanced over her shoulder.

“You’re breaking and entering. Rachel, once you do it, it can’t be undone.”

“It’s not breaking and entering... It’s going in unannounced with a key. Will told me I could use his spare anytime.”

“Yeah, months ago,” Bethany scoffed.

“I’m going in.” She opened the door. “You stay out here and be my lookout. If Will comes, make crow noises.”

“Crow noises?”

“You know... like a bird.” Rachel flapped her hands and did her best crow imitation.

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