CHAPTER SIXTEEN

C HAPTER S IXTEEN

On the way home, Shannon was enjoying the cool breeze when Mac said, “Sounded as if there was some drama tonight.”

“A little.”

“Ridley and Blake were acting strange tonight, too,” Mac said.

“How so?”

“Blake disappeared to get something to eat. When he returned, his face was pale. He and Ridley ended up huddled together in the corner of the room, whispering. Blake seemed worried about something. He was frowning the entire time he talked to Ridley, but she looked as casual as ever, leaning against the wall, hand in her pocket, as if she didn’t care one bit about whatever he was telling her.”

“Did you ask him what was wrong?” Shannon asked.

“He said he wasn’t feeling well. But I don’t know if I believe him.” Mac gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Something else happened tonight that I thought was kind of weird.”

Shannon stopped at the bottom of the steps leading to their front entry and turned to face her daughter. “What happened?”

“Archer, Mrs. Alcozar’s little boy, tripped on a toy and fell. The floor was carpeted. He was crying and I knew he was being dramatic, but he said he had a boo-boo, and he was rubbing his left shin. As soon as I showed sympathy, he stopped crying. When I asked him if he was bleeding, he pulled up his pant leg. It wasn’t bleeding, but I saw a pale-blue mark the size of a fifty-cent piece. It was an irregular shape, like the wings of a butterfly. Before I could ask him about it, his mom walked in. I wish you could have seen her face. She saw me looking at his leg, and she froze. It was weird, Mom. I didn’t know what was going on. I thought maybe I had done something wrong.”

“Did you say something to her?”

“No. I froze, too, because I thought she might faint. But she snapped out of whatever world she was in, walked over to me, and yanked his pant leg back in place. I told her he fell and I was making sure he wasn’t bleeding. She didn’t say a word. She wouldn’t even look at me as she picked up Archer, gathered his things, and left without ever saying a word.”

“She must have been stressed out after everything that went on tonight.” Again, Shannon thought of what Rosella had said about secrets. She’d been so confident about the possibility of Kaylynn and Nicolas Alcozar hiding something. Why would something so insignificant cause Kaylynn so much grief? Maybe it would be wise to pay her a visit under the guise of simply wanting to get to know her new neighbor. “Come on,” Shannon said. “Let’s get inside.”

After Archer had been put to bed and Holiday was in his room playing video games, Kaylynn finally had a chance to talk to her husband alone. She sat on the couch next to Nicolas and used the remote to mute the volume on the TV. In a low voice she said, “The detectives investigating the murder of Rosella Marlow talked to me today.”

Nicolas’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”

“I guess they’re talking to everyone in the neighborhood.”

“What did they want to know?”

She told him everything.

“And then they left?” he asked.

“Not before pulling out an evidence bag.” She described the doll, then shuddered and said, “It unnerved me.”

“Where did they find the thing?”

“Inside Rosella’s house,” Kaylynn said. “They kept pressing me for more. I was nervous, so I told them about the shadowy figures I saw late Monday night when I got up to use the bathroom.”

“What? You never told me about any shadowy figures.”

Because you weren’t in bed when I returned, she thought but didn’t say. After talking to the detectives, she’d remembered walking back to bed, intending to wake Nicolas and tell him what she’d seen, but he wasn’t there.

Nicolas put a hand on her leg and gave her a gentle squeeze. “This whole thing has been tough on you, hasn’t it? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. But I do hope they don’t come back.”

“I don’t see any reason why they would need to talk to you again. If they do return, don’t talk to them without calling me.”

“Why? Won’t that make me look guilty, like I’m hiding something?”

“Just call me, okay?”

“Sure. I’ll call you.” She proceeded to tell him about Chloe holding a meeting at her house and the argument that broke out after Chloe accused Dianne’s husband of murder.

Nicolas was stunned. “Why did you go?”

“Because I’m friends with most of these women. You and I rarely go out, and I feel trapped in this house sometimes.”

“Things will get better,” he said.

Nicolas had been saying that since the day they were married, promising her they would go out once a week and take a vacation every year. But nothing had changed. Even now, his focus was on the television screen. He was only half listening.

“Where was Archer during the hubbub?” he asked.

“In the playroom with all the other kids.”

“Why didn’t you leave him here with Holiday?”

Kaylynn raked her fingers through her hair. “We’ve been over this a thousand times. Archer spends three days a week with an elderly woman. He needs to spend time with other kids his age.”

“But you know how I feel about Ethan. He’s a bully.”

Kaylynn rolled her eyes. “He’s only five. Ethan is a sweetheart.”

“Every time I see his little sister, she has at least one bite mark on her arm.”

“Not every time.”

“I’m telling you, something is seriously wrong with that kid.”

“Ethan has never hurt Archer. In fact, Archer’s friendship with Ethan and Finn helps him practice basic social skills.”

Nicolas exhaled. “Okay. Okay. You’re right. Sounds like Archer had a good time?”

She nodded, wishing she were normal and fertile and Archer had two or three siblings running around the house. All she had ever wanted was to be a mom. If she could stay home full time, she would, but they needed her small income to help keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Nicolas made decent money as an attorney, but his income alone wasn’t enough to be able to live in the Fabulous Forties. He had suggested they move to another area so she could stay home full time with Archer, but she wanted the best for Archer. She’d always thought if she did get pregnant, they would have no choice but to move, and she would be okay with that since Archer would have a built-in friend.

Nicolas must have sensed her sudden shift in mood because he slid closer to her and put his arm around her. “It’s okay,” he said. “Everything is going to be okay.”

His voice was soothing. More than anything, Kaylynn wanted to believe him. But she wasn’t so sure he was right. The constant feeling of sadness had been hanging on tight, grasping her ankles when she walked, tugging on her ear when she needed to focus at work, and tapping her shoulder to get her attention when she tried to sleep. For months now she’d felt irritable and frustrated over the smallest matters. She had even lost interest in drawing. She used to love to draw. It was a way to express herself and made her feel something. Lately, the only thing she felt was the walls closing in, squeezing out all the light. That same familiar despair was back with a vengeance, and it was coming for her.