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“You and your wife. How come you grew apart?”
She’d woven such an unbelievable tale that he’d forgotten for a moment where his story had left off. His marriage. “She wanted more than a cop’s life.”
“You’re not a cop anymore.”
“Close enough.” He picked up his binoculars and once again focused them on the Cochrans’ house.
“You weren’t that sorry when the marriage failed.”
She’d got that right. But maybe it wasn’t that much of
a stretch. “I thought you said your sister was the seer.”
“You don’t have to be psychic to read people.”
That was probably true enough. He slowly scanned the perimeter of the Cochrans’ estate, but so far no action. He dropped the glasses again. “What about your other sisters and brothers?”
“I don’t really know what they all can do. We don’t talk about it much because it’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous? How is it—?”
“Is that the woman you’re waiting for?”
Rex swung the binoculars to his eyes again to see that the gates of the Cochran estate were sliding open and Kimberley Cochran’s silver-blue Mercedes was idling. She was behind the wheel waiting to enter the road.
Finally. Showtime.
Tossing the field glasses into the backseat, he clicked on his seat belt and twisted the ignition. “Buckle up,” he ordered as he started the engine.
“Why? Are you going to drive fast?”
“It’s the law and I don’t want a ticket.”
“Do you believe what I told you?” she asked, reaching for the shoulder harness, “Or do you think I’m a complete wacko, like everybody else?”
He slid her a quick glance, then eased into traffic. “I’m leaning toward complete wacko.” He turned his attention to the Mercedes slowing for a stop sign at the cross street and felt that little tingle of anticipation he always did when he was on the move and following his quarry.
Chapter 10
It took longer than she’d expected for Elizabeth to pull herself back together and get Chloe cleaned up, then dressed in clothes that didn’t look as if she’d been wearing them for a week. Combing her daughter’s hair was a nightmare as Chloe thrashed and moaned and screamed, “You’re hurting me!” as soon as Elizabeth put the brush to her scalp.
“Sorry,” Elizabeth apologized, though she knew she wasn’t hurting her child. Chloe was just being Chloe and she lived her life out loud all the time. Elizabeth figured her daughter’s outspokenness would be an asset when she was older, though hopefully she would temper it a bit. However, it seemed as if no one was going to run over Chloe or tromp all over her feelings or give her a complex; she just wouldn’t let them.
“There ya go. Take a look in the mirror,” Elizabeth said once Chloe’s wayward curls had been tamed. “All set.”
Chloe had to grin at her reflection of rosy cheeks and bright eyes and finally, tangle-free golden locks. “But I don’t want to go to Lissa’s,” she complained after one last glimpse in the bathroom mirror before hopping off the counter.
Elizabeth silently agreed. She, too, would have loved to bag out. The fact was, she was just plain tired after a very long, very stressful week, and was mentally kicking herself for agreeing to have dinner at Vivian’s. She would have much rather stayed home with Chloe and let her daughter be a bundle of loud energy away from a crowd. But that wasn’t what was going to happen.
Less than half an hour later, Elizabeth wound her way up the curving street to where Vivian’s house stood on the crest of the hill. She pulled up to the curb about two blocks away from the imposing residence. Located in a pocket of houses with a Newport Beach address, the Eachus home was a sprawling California ranch that had a second floor added sometime in the nineties. Vivian and Bill had remodeled once more on a grand scale, courtesy of Bill’s company and the place was huge, surrounded by manicured grounds. Bill was in real estate development and had been savvy enough to skip over the recession and land on his feet. Currently his company was building rows of houses in developments in Irvine just east of I-5.
As she and Chloe walked up the palm-lined street, Elizabeth eyed the exterior of the massive structure. Though it wasn’t quite dusk, palm and eucalyptus trees were already bright with strands of outdoor lights, the gardens manicured. Elizabeth guessed from the sheer size of the home, six, possibly seven bedrooms were tucked inside.
She had been to Vivian’s grand home once before, but it had been for a quick drop-in and she hadn’t been given the tour. She hadn’t seen the upper floor, but thought she’d probably get her chance. No doubt Chloe would barrel upstairs and down, so Elizabeth was probably going to get her chance to see a lot of the house just trying to corral her daughter.
Lissa met them at the door almost before Chloe pressed her finger to the bell. The two girls looked at each other for a second, then Lissa said, “Come to my room,” and they were off, laughing and thundering up a wide staircase. If only they would stay happy with each other, Elizabeth reflected as she stepped across the threshold into a grand foyer, but she didn’t hold out a lot of hope as the two girls’ personalities were bound to clash. They always did.
“We’re in the kitchen!” Vivian yelled.
