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“Do you have electrical tape?” Brody asked.
Lainey frowned. “I’m sure I do. Why?”
“I’ll tape the edges of your curtains together, if you like. So no one can see through the crack between the panels.”
Lainey closed her eyes, but not before he saw the sheen of tears in them. “Thank you, Brody,” she said softly. “I would really appreciate that. Although it’s something I can do myself.”
He steered her toward the front of the house again, holding her elbow lightly. “I know you can. But I can do it for you. You shouldn’t have to do everything yourself.” Anger churned in his gut. He wished Ron Martin was still alive so he could beat the crap out of him.
As they reached the front of the house, he nodded at her SUV. “Do you always park in the driveway instead of the garage?” Wouldn’t she have worried about Ron vandalizing her SUV?
She slanted him a narrow-eyed look. “Why do you ask?”
Brody raised his hands. “Not trying to tell you what to do. But in case you were thinking about Martin doing something to your car, you don’t have to worry about that now.”
She sighed, relaxing her shoulders. “Sorry, Brody. I shouldn’t be defensive with you. I just started parking out here a few days ago. Ron’s stuff is in the garage.”
So he wouldn’t have had to come in the house to retrieve it. “That was smart,” Brody said, his voice even. “What’ll you do with it now?”
Lainey turned the key sharply in the door. “I’ll see if his sister wants any of his things. Whatever’s left I’ll donate to the battered woman’s shelter in town.”
“Good idea,” Brody said, keeping his voice even. Calm. But inside, he was seething.
He waited for Lainey’s invitation to enter her house, then looked around the living room. Bookcases lined the wall closest to the door, and a couch with matching end tables sat against another wall. A vacant space on the carpet looked as if it had held a chair, and a television sat on a low stand beneath the front window. The drapes were drawn in the room, making it dark and giving it a claustrophobic feel.
Lainey threw open the drapes and let sunshine flood the room. He wondered if she’d kept them closed because she suspected Ron was outside and watching her.
Lainey rubbed one finger over her palm, and Brody remembered the blood he’d seen on her hand. “You cut yourself on the glass in the mess hall?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said. She curled her hands behind her back. “Have a seat. I need to wash it off.”
“Need any help with that? Can be hard to work with one hand.”
“I’m fine,” she said, too quickly. “Should just take me a minute.”
Lowering himself to the couch, he said, “Yell if you need anything. While you’re doing that, I’ll tape your curtains together.”
“Ron’s dead,” Lainey said, taking a deep breath. “I think that solved the problem.”
Brody studied her for a long moment. She bit the edge of her lip. Smoothed her tongue over the spot, then bit it again. “But you’d feel better if the curtains were taped closed, wouldn’t you?”
She closed her eyes for a moment. Finally opened them. “Yes. I would. Which is stupid, but…”
“Not stupid. Tell me where the tape is and I’ll take care of it.”
“It should be in the middle kitchen drawer,” she said.
“Go take care of your hand,” Brody said. “I’ve got the curtains covered.”
Moments later, he heard water running as he taped her living room curtains together, then the ones in her bedroom. He wanted to help her. Clean her hand. Put a bandage on it. But he suspected Lainey was still too raw, too upset to let him help with an intimate task like that. So he’d honor her request and keep his ass on the couch.
Five minutes later Lainey reappeared, her hand bandaged, a bright smile on her face. “I’m all set. Thanks for seeing me home. I know you have work to do on your ranch, so I’ll let you get back to your errands.”
She wasn’t going to shuffle him out the door. “Lainey, sit down a minute. Tell me about the noises you’ve been hearing at night.”
Her whole body tensed. Then she drew a deep breath. Looked away from him. But he could still see the shame in her expression. He waited her out, and finally she said, “I don’t think those noises will be a problem anymore.”
“Do you think it was Ron? Prowling around the house?”
