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“I’m super busy with my family.”
Lisa stood up, sticking her chest out and grinning at Lily. It’d pay to play a little hard to get. Lily frowned, but she looked.
Winking, Lisa walked away, wiggling a little bit, still teasing.
Since she was in town, she might as well get grocery shopping in, give Daniela a break, sending her a text that she’d go to Organic Bonanza and please text her a list of what she wanted.
It felt good to be out, but there was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Why was she even engaging Lily? Lisa wanted something to hang over Lily’s head if she actually acted on her threats of exposure. The idea that Lily had already talked to Alan Stone was especially concerning. If Alan and Dan were still at odds, it could be detrimental to Ryan and his sisters. She wanted to call Julie, to ask her to intervene, but thought better of it. The fewer people who knew about this, the better.
Watching Lisa text someone while she stood on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop, Lily had the same kind of apprehensive dread Lisa did, but more about giving in to what her father called baser desires. She thought about sex with Dan, the way his tongue made her toes curl. Memories of her college roommate going down on her and chills spread over her body. Shivering, she hoped Lisa didn’t string her along because she was ready to explore that side of herself, as frightening as it was.
***
That evening, Laura left the office with Charlotte Timpson’s case file in her briefcase. Will was on call, which meant he usually tried to get as much rest and relaxation in as he could, just in case he was up all night. A text to let him know she’d take care of dinner was in order. She’d go through the drive-thru of their favorite Mexican place and get enough for a couple of meals.
Turning on to Sea View was always a crapshoot; would everyone be out, waving to her, disrupting her privacy, or would she sneak into the garage undetected? Tonight, she saw Alison’s nanny walking from the beach with the older kids in the neighborhood, so she waved to her before pulling into the garage and quickly shutting the door. A wave was one thing, it was another altogether having to make small talk. The older girls loved Laura, too, but she wasn’t interested in nurturing a relationship with them. Let their mothers and nannies take care of that.
As she juggled food bags and her briefcase and purse inside, the relief of homecoming hit her once again. Why was she forcing the job with Jake? She didn’t need to work. Or she could just work for herself. She had the license and qualifications. If Jake died, would carrying on his business be helpful or an albatross?
A text from Will let Laura know he’d be late, so she’d have time to do a little google research. Sitting cross-legged in sweatpants, the window on the beach side open a crack so she could hear the noise the breakers made, she got her computer out and keyed in Valeria Timpson. That was when she got the shock of her life. Not watching television or listening to the news had its disadvantages.
Valeria Timpson, mother and grandmother of slain Charlotte Timpson and her daughter, Emily, were murdered by stabbing last Friday by her daughter, Maria. Police said she suffers from extreme schizophrenia and had heard voices telling her to carry out the stabbing.
Maria Timpson had asked her mother to her apartment Friday morning and repeatedly slashed her with a knife. When police arrived, the daughter still had the murder weapon in her possession.
She has been charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon and is being held without bail.
Scrolling through the story, there was the now familiar picture of Charlotte with the spikey white blond hair. A picture captioned “Valeria Timpson, Charlotte Timpson, Maria Timpson” was an old photograph from their childhood, with a young Valeria, adolescent Charlotte, and toddler Maria. Charlotte’s hair was curly and dark brown, Maria’s lighter.
Continuing to scroll, she finally came to what she was looking for, the mug shot of Maria. An unattractive twentysomething with longish brown hair, there was a look about the eyes that said she had mental illness. The hair was right for what she’d found at the beach, too. How long could hair last outdoors, tangled up in the grasses?
Reaching for the phone, she dialed Henry Wong’s phone again, but this time he answered.
“I got your message. It’s been a while since the bodies were discovered, and they’d been out in the elements. It doesn’t seem likely that the hair would be related in any way.”
“I know, but, Henry, did you see that the sister killed the mother on Friday? And the sister’s hair color matches what I found. If they could do a DNA test…”
There was a slight pause, just long enough for Laura to know that Henry Wong was surprised by this news. But he wasn’t letting on.
“It’s a different jurisdiction. I’ll make a phone call. If she’s already up for a murder rap—”
“If the hair belongs to Maria Timpson, she could be your murderer.”
“She could be. Thanks, Laura. Tell Will I said hello. I’ll be in touch.”
Laura put her computer aside and got up to look out the window. A couple walked on the beach, holding hands. She missed Will. Maybe tonight they’d walk the beach if he got home at a reasonable hour.
The garage door opening echoed through the small house. Running to the mudroom door, she opened it, catching his eye. They smiled at each other, the relief of being home together again.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes.” He ducked out of the car, reaching in the back to get his bags.
“So are you. I saw a couple on the beach, and it made me miss you. If you’re not too tired after dinner, can we take a walk?”
He kissed her on the mouth. “A walk it is.”
“I got Pedro’s for dinner.”
“Oh god, you are an angel. I was thinking of Mexican today.”
