“That’s also why he offered childcare.” Rosamund set her mug down with a disgusted clunk. “To get the kids out of the house so they could search it.”
“And when we declined, he lured the kids away.” Kiersten reached for another brownie.
Piper took a thoughtful sip from her mug. “And that gave him an opportunity to frame the kids, make us look like unfit day drinkers,andsearch our houses.”
“I’d bet you my next royalty check they’re behind everything that’s happened on Beaverbrook Lane,” Rosamund said in disgust.
“But why exactly?” Kiersten asked. “What do they gain from all this,besidesgetting their hands on the diaries and covering up Dottie’s murder?”
“I can tell you why,” Reggie said. “They’re trying to force us to sell our houses.”
They all looked at Reggie. “What do you mean?” Brendan asked.
“My daughter’s been getting calls from Chip over the last couple months. He says he’sconcernedabout me.” He rolled his eyes. “Says he sometimes finds me wandering the cul-de-sac, looking confused. He said I drove up on the curb the other day and knocked over his mailbox, which is a damn lie. He told my daughter she should think about selling my house and moving me to assisted living ... before someone gets hurt.”
Kiersten’s mouth dropped open. “But you’re in better shape that I am!”
“Iknow,” Reggie said indignantly, spinning his finger in the air. “I’m in better shape than all y’all.”
Valentina nodded vigorously. “My son Paolo and my nephew in Milan get emails from Chip. Just last week they got an email saying I am bothering you”—she pointed at Piper and Kiersten—“when you are doing home school. He says I am a pest. A nuisance to my neighbors. And he says this neighborhood is not safe for me and my sister. He says we have crime and vandalism, that Paolo and my nephew should sell our house and find a nice, safe retirement home for us.”
Kiersten’s mouth went dry. “I heard the same thing from Lillian’s son just now at the hospital. He said he’d gotten some concerning phone calls from Chip about his mother and asked if she’s a burden to us. Apparently Chip claims he goes over there every day to check on her.”
“That’s a damn lie. I can tell you that for free,” Reggie said indignantly.
Kiersten swallowed a bite of her brownie. “Lillian told me that Trey comes by frequently to ask her about selling her house. And the day of the Harvest Festival, Chip tried to tell me our neighborhood isn’t safe, that I should be careful and keep my wits about me.”
“So what do we do with this information?” Garrett asked. “I mean, I’m not a cop or a lawyer, but expressing concern about your elderly neighbors isn’t against the law. Even if those concerns are actually lies.”
Kiersten glanced at the people sitting with her in Rosamund’s kitchen. Two hours ago she’d been ready to pack her bags and leave Beaverbrook Lane behind.
But as she looked at her neighbors, she realized she couldn’t leave. Not now. These people were more than neighbors. They werefamily. And you didn’t abandon family when times got tough.
“But terrorizing and harassing peopleisagainst the law,” Brendan pointed out.
Piper’s forehead creased in a deep frown. “Do you remember that story a few years back, about those executives at eBay who harassed a couple by sending them sick things in the mail.”
Miles looked at her over the rim of his mug. “I do remember that story.”
Kiersten nodded. “They sent things likecockroaches.”
“And spiders,” Rosamund said.
They all looked at each other.
“Those bastards,” Reggie whispered.
Kiersten’s eyes narrowed. “He’s trying to drive us out of our houses so he can tear them all down and build new ones. Like he’s doing with those two-million-dollar homes he’s putting up at the end of the cul-de-sac.”
Never in a million years would she have thought of doing something so nefarious to another human being, much less aneighbor.
Rosamund frowned. “But Miles hasn’t gotten any hissing cockroach deliveries or weird things in his trees.”
They all turned to look at Miles. “True,” he said, swallowing a sip of tea. “But I’m renting.”
“What?” they all asked in unison.
He nodded. “After my wife passed away, I couldn’t bear to be in our home. Too many memories. So I sold my house and looked for a rental. I figured eventually I’d buy another place, but I just needed some time first. So I went on Zillow, and I found my house here on Beaverbrook.”
