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“You, too?” She looked to David for shock or surprise, but his face was stern and unfazed. “Does everyone on this street own a gun except me?”
“This is Louisiana,” David reminded her. “And we’re an openly gay mixed-race couple in Louisiana. I’ll be damned if some Bubba in a pickup truck is gonna roll up on us and he’s gonna be the only one with a gun. We both served in the military before we met, and we know how to safely handle a weapon.”
“I feel like I’ve stepped into the twilight zone.” She set the glass of juice on the coffee table and pressed a hand to her queasy stomach. “Surely, it’s not going to come to anyone running around here with guns.”
“I don’t think we can assume anything until we know for sure what’s going on.”
“Fine.” She hated the waspish tone that reminded her of her mother, but she was already done with the three of them telling her what to do when they didn’t know for sure that what happened the night before was even related to Kim’s death. “But we’re going to call the detective I met yesterday and let her know. Maybe there’s something she can do.”
“That’s a better idea than just having random cops roaming around the neighborhood,” Ethan agreed.
“No objections?” David and Jackson both shook their heads, and she pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I’m glad I kept her number yesterday.”
The men sat in silence as she had a brief but unhelpful conversation with Detective Chen that left her feeling frustrated and embarrassed.
“No luck?” Ethan asked when she hung up.
“No, she said if I think there’s someone trying to break in I should call 911 but they don’t have any leads on Kim’s death. Without some kind of theory as to why her murderer would have turned their attention to me, there’s not much she can do except advise caution and ask me to call back if I have more information.”
“There was no evidence of anyone snooping around outside, was there?” David looked back and forth from Ethan to Eloise and waited for them both to shake their heads. “Without some evidence that someone was outside, I doubt there’s any way for us to even begin to figure out what they were after and there’s nothing for the police to go on either.”
“I don’t think I’m at all prepared to do that kind of investigation, anyway,” Eloise admitted. “I was terrified yesterday, and I don’t want anything to do with whoever did this to Kim.”
“We’re not going to go looking for trouble,” Ethan said. “I just want to make sure we’re prepared if trouble comes looking for you. If what happened to Kim is related to someone showing up at your house last night, it might mean you know more than you think you do about her death.”
“I don’t know anything.” She looked from Jackson to David, afraid she’d see suspicion on their faces. “I would never hurt her.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Ethan reached across the space between them to grab her hand. “It could have been something as simple as a paper you signed or a conversation you overheard. Anything that would make them suspect you could figure out who they are, and you don’t even have to remember it. As long as they believe you know it, you could be in danger.”
“Oh, God.” Eloise picked up her juice glass and drained the contents to wash the taste of terror out of her mouth. “What am I going to do?”
“Let Jackson and David keep an eye on the house,” Ethan said patiently. “And while we wait to see what happens, you should check in with Chloe and Sarah. See if they’ve noticed anything strange or if it’s just you.”
“I should have called this morning to check on them and I didn’t even think to.” Eloise fumbled for her phone, worry for her friends overriding the worry she felt for herself. “I can’t believe I’m that selfish.”
“You’re not selfish.” David hugged her and got up to refill her glass. “You went through a lot yesterday. You’re allowed to be a little shaken up.”
“He’s right,” Ethan agreed. “Cut yourself some slack. None of what you’ve gone through is easy, especially not the idea that the next target might just be you.”
Nineteen
“Wait.” Sarah’s voice on the phone was tired and thin, but there was her usual thread of steel winding through it. “Someone tried to break into your house?”
“Yeah.” Eloise rubbed the bridge of her nose and shook her head when Ethan held up a bottle of wine and gave her a questioning look. She’d already agreed to order pizza for lunch, but she wasn’t going to start drinking before noon, no matter how bad the last twenty-four hours had been. “I couldn’t believe it after everything that happened yesterday.”
“That’s so scary. Did you get a good look at their face? Call the cops?” There was an edge of panic now that made Eloise almost wish she hadn’t mentioned it.
“No, I didn’t see anything well enough to recognize him if I saw him again but I’m okay and he didn’t take anything.”
“And the cops didn’t find anything?”
“Ethan went out, but he didn’t see anyone and there was no way to prove what I saw, so we didn’t think it would do any good to call them.”
“Well, I’m glad he didn’t take anything and you’re okay. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you, too.”
Sarah sounded so relieved, so fragile in her recent grief, that Eloise decided to not to worry her further by mentioning Ethan’s theory that the attempted break-in might be related to Kim’s murder.
“I’ll be careful, and I want you and Chloe to do the same. Maybe we’ll find out soon what Sun Valley plans on doing about the security issues at the building. If you find anything out, let me know.”
