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“Your coffee.”
“Oh.” I twist the wedding ring I can’t force myself to take off. Around and around it goes. She notices. “Black is fine.”
“It’s not just any coffee,” she informs me. “It’s from Jamaica.” This is the part where she’s going to tell me about her last trip there. I’ve heard the story secondhand. She surprises me instead. “And worth every penny it costs to import. I think you’ll like it.”
I’m sure, I tell her, and then I take account of all the other imported things I’m surrounded by. Her house looks different without everyone in it. She appears more relaxed, dressed in a sweater and jeans, same as me. Only hers are tailored and fit well, and of course, are at least a dozen sizes smaller.
“Crap,” she says abruptly. She’s leaning over a pan of Danishes she’s just pulled from the oven. She fans them with her hand. “The butter I need for the glaze is in the garage.” Ann looks up at me. “God—I miss my old house. Even the refrigerator was bigger.”
“I can grab it,” I offer, standing.
“Would you mind?”
“Not at all.”
THE GARAGE IS where the good stuff is, and by that I’m not just referring to the butter. Thinking of my predicament with the taillight on the way here, reminded me. If Ann hit that woman with her car, and I’m nearly certain she did, there will be evidence of it. Just in case this should all go south, I’ll need proof. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
This, and I have to know.
Ann’s car hasn’t moved in days. It dawns on me that I’ve only seen her drive Paul’s SUV, which she likes to do when he’s away.
My pulse quickens as I retrieve my phone from my pocket. I use the flashlight to check Ann’s front end for damage. There are minor scratches and a small dent, but as best I can see, no blood. No obvious bicycle paint. No broken headlights. I press the camera function to snap a photo, for later, in case I’m missing something. For now, I don’t see anything that can’t be explained away.
“Sadie?”
I jump. The sound of my pulse floods my ears. The hairs on the back of my neck make their presence known. All of my senses heighten.
It’s Ann’s voice, and she’s close behind. I can’t see her but I can smell her perfume. “I’m really sorry,” she says. My chest tightens. “I sent you on a pointless mission. I found the butter inside.”
“Oh.”
Her hand comes to rest on my shoulder. “Is everything okay?”
“I dropped my wedding ring,” I sigh.
“Your wedding ring?”
“I flung it off when I opened the refrigerator. I’ve been searching with the flashlight on my phone, and I still can’t find it.”
“Hmmm,” she murmurs. “Why don’t you just turn on the light?”
I shake my head as though the thought has just occurred to me.
She walks over to the wall, flips a switch, and suddenly a bright overhead light illuminates the space.
“There it is!” I exclaim, bending at the knee to retrieve it. “The cold makes it loose.”
She steadies her gaze on mine. “Maybe you’re losing weight.”
“Fingers crossed,” I laugh. It comes out disappointingly fake.
Ann offers a tight smile. “If they were crossed you wouldn’t be in this predicament.” She pivots fully in my direction. “Say, can I get a look at the photos you took the other night? I’ve been meaning to upload some to the neighborhood app.”
She’s referring to the photos from the dinner party. I’d only taken two. I wasn’t aware she knew.
I hold my breath and hand her my phone. “Sure.”
Ann smiles favorably as she takes the phone, and favor is exactly what I need right now. But I’m not thinking of that. I’m not thinking about how to explain this away or what I might say. I’m cataloging all of the weapons in this garage. I’m thinking of how I might defend myself.
