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“I doubt it will be much trouble,” Emma says, softening her tone. “And the trip will be fun for me, too.”
Taylor cocks her head, which waggles her gold hoop earrings. “Can I make a tiny suggestion, though?”
“By all means.”
“I remember that before Tom met you and was doing a lot of skiing, he always went to Killington. I think he preferred the trails there, though it’s a longer drive.”
“Hmm. Well, why don’t I start with Stowe and then look into Killington as well?”
“Sure. I mean, you know Tom best of all.”
Emma thanks Taylor for her help and says she’d love the information in the next day or two if that’s possible. “And remember, mum’s the word,” she adds. “I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”
As soon as she departs, Emma lets the fake smile evaporate from her face. The only thing she can do now is wait for Taylor to get back to her.
For the rest of the day, Emma does her best to lose herself again in her work, though she dreads dinnertime when she’ll have to fake cheeriness with Brittany. But at around five Brittany texts her to say she’s spending the night again with her new pal.
Sorry for late notice, she adds.But my friend got concert tix at the last minute. I’ll stop by in the a.m. to change.
It seems Brittany’s taken Tom’s feedback to heart, being less vague about her overnight plans. Emma texts back,Have fun and tx for letting me know.
At about five, Eric and Dario start packing up, and Eric reminds her that they’re headed out to see the latest Marvel release on the big screen. Dario is a superfan, but Eric merelylikes to keep up with blockbuster movie trends for work. She smiles and wishes them a good night.
The studio is totally silent now, except for the faint groan of the minifridge at the far end of the room.Better to be home, Emma thinks, where she can eat in front of the TV, the sound drowning out her thoughts.
After answering a long email from a client, she slips her tote bag over her shoulder, switches off her desk lamp, trudges wearily to the door, and swings it open. A small movement startles her. It takes her a second to realize that a piece of paper has fallen to the ground, alighting on the wooden threshold.
It’s a note. One that must have been wedged between the door and the outer frame. With a start she spots the block letters in pen, the exact same style as the two notes left on her car.
Dropping to her knees, she plucks the paper from the ground.
Are you really too stupid to see the truth?
Her heart’s thudding now. This time the person’s ventured onto her property—while she was sitting alone in the studio, no less. As she raises her eyes to scan the grounds, the doorway suddenly darkens, and then to her shock, a figure appears only a few feet away.
Emma leaps to her feet, so fast that her bag slips off her shoulder and lands on the floor with a thud.
The figure advances and Emma finally sees who it is. Detective Lisa Webster.
