Page 31 of The Perfect Deception
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Diane Lawson felt like a busybody.
The truth is that shewasa busybody.Everyone in Lafayette Square knew that.But she didn’t like to feel that way.Still, she knew herself too well.She wasn’t going to be able to let this go until she did something about it.
When she’d taken her labradoodle, Carmine, on his last walk of the night at nine, she’d noticed a light on the second floor of the Patel house.At first she couldn’t put her finger on why that bothered her.But then she remembered.Melanie Patel was supposedly away on a long weekend girls’ trip somewhere.In fact, she’d asked Diane to watch for any packages on her porch while she was gone because her husband, Robert, was away as well.
Now, just because a light was on when the couple wasn’t there, that wasn’t immediate cause for alarm.After all, Diane used a timer system on her own lights when she and Maynard went out of town.Lights throughout their house would turn on and off at certain points throughout the evening to suggest they were still home.But a single light in one room on the second floor?
That didn’t suggest a timer system.It suggested that either someone left it on or was at home.And since neither Patel was supposed to be there, it had her internal alarm bell ringing, if only softly.Normally she would have asked her husband for his opinion.But Maynard was on a flight back from a stockholders’ meeting in New York.He wouldn’t arrive at LAX for another two hours.
Ultimately she decided it was better to be safe than sorry and scratched the itch.So once she returned home from the walk, she found Melanie Patel’s contact number in her phone and called.When Melanie answered, the music in the background was so loud that she could barely hear her.
“Hey Diane,” Melanie shouted over the din.“Everything okay?”
Clearly,shewasn't back home, or Diane would have heard the music in person rather than just over the phone.
“Sorry to bother you—” she began.
“Hold on!”Melanie interrupted.“It’s too loud in this club.I can’t hear a word.Give me a second.I’m walking outside.”
Diane waited, trying not to pass judgment.At 63, she was well past her clubbing days.And while Melanie was barely half her age, she was married and, according to neighborhood scuttlebutt, thinking of having a child with Robert.Should she really be out at a dance club, partying the night away without her husband around?How would that look?Girls’ trips were not an excuse to throw caution—and morality—to the wind.
“Okay,” Melanie said a moment later.“I’m outside now.Can you hear me?”
“I can.”The unyielding bass was now only a distant thumping.
“So what’s up?”
“I gather from your ‘clubbing’ that you’re still on your girls’ trip?”She could hear the judgment in her voice but it was too late to do anything about it.
“I am.Belinda Tropper and I are on Catalina Island through Sunday.Why?”
“And Robert is still away too?”
There was no response.After several seconds Melanie’s voice returned.
“Diane, I think we have a bad connection.You cut out there for a second.The cell service on this part of the island isn’t great.What did you say?”
“I’m just double checking that Robert is still out of town as well.”She realized that she was shouting, which wasn’t necessary.Yelling wouldn’t improve the connection.But she was getting agitated.
“Yes, Melanie said, “He’s on a guys’ golfing trip in Lake Tahoe.Why?”
Despite her apprehension that she was being overcautious, Diane decided she couldn’t back out now.“I was walking Carmine by your place and noticed a light was on in a second floor room.I wasn’t sure if you have a timer system for them or if it was just an oversight when one of you left.”
“I don’t think so.”Melanie cut out for a second.“—left after Robby did and I’m usually diligent about that stuff.Are you worried about an intruder?”
“The thought had occurred to me.There was some police activity at two homes a few blocks over earlier today.The authorities kept everything close to the vest so I don’t know the details, but it had me on heightened alert.”
“Let me call Robby to see if he came back early from golfing without telling me.I know his shoulder was bothering him so it’s possible.”
While Diane waited, she kept her eye on the room in question.It was hard to tell much of anything but she didn’t see any movement or shadows.After a bit, Melanie came back on.
“He’s not answering.But that could mean anything.He might be at a loud restaurant.Or he could have gone home and be taking a shower or sleeping.”
“It sounds like it’s nothing to worry about,” Diane said, though she wasn’t convinced.
“I’m sure that’s true,” Melanie said.“But do you think you could do me a favor?”
