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The street where Emily Porter’s house was located turned out to be one of the steepest in hilly Globe, and so I was glad that I’d decided to drive, even though it was less than half a mile away. Her place was a little bigger than most on the street, a sturdy farmhouse-style place painted cream with dark red shutters. It seemed large for someone who supposedly lived by herself, but I guessed that maybe she’d wanted to make a splash with her inheritance.
A new-looking Mustang convertible was parked in the driveway, shimmering red in the sun. Yes, it was almost six, but at that time of year, the sun didn’t seem too inclined to sink behind the horizon any time soon.
I took the coward’s way out and parked half a block away, with my dusty blue Beetle halfway hidden behind a neighbor’s big Chevy truck. For some reason, it just felt safer to not be too obvious about my approach.
Of course, once I reached Emily Porter’s property, I couldn’t do much to hide myself. Rosebushes marched their way along on either side of the patterned brick front walk, but they certainly weren’t tall enough to conceal an adult person.
Well, I just had to hope that she wasn’t sitting in any of the front rooms, staring out the window to see who might be dropping by for a visit.
As I went up the front walk, a little shiver walked its way down my spine. Suddenly, this didn’t seem like such a good idea.
Don’t be a baby,I scolded myself.You’re the one who wanted to get to the bottom of Lilith’s murder, and Emily Porter has some kind of connection with Boden Marsh. Ring the darn doorbell and act like a grown-up.
With those bracing inner admonitions to guide me, I reached out and touched the button mounted next to the front door. It rang with a no-nonsenseding-dong.
I waited, resisting the impulse to reach up and smooth my hair. No, what I really needed to do was rehearse what I planned to say to Emily Porter so I wouldn’t sound like a lunatic.
Hi, Emily. I heard you hooked up with Boden Marsh the night of Lilith Black’s ritual. Did you know there’s a strong possibility he might be her killer? Did he say anything to you before, during, or after you had sex?
Right.
So sorry to bother you, Emily, but I got a psychic flash that you were hanging out with Boden Marsh, and I just wanted to let you know he could be a murderer.
I didn’t get any further than that, because the door opened, and Boden gazed down at me, a curiously resigned expression on his face.
“I thought you might find me here,” he said.
17
Bonnie and Clyde
Before I could respond— mostly because my mouth was waggling, and I didn’t know whether to come up with some kind of cogent answer or just turn tail and run — he reached out and grabbed me by the arm, and hauled me inside.
“Ow,” I said indignantly, once I’d recovered myself. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Getting you inside where no one can see you,” he replied, which didn’t do much to soothe my nerves. “How did you do it?”
I didn’t bother to ask what he meant by “it.” I pointed at my head, and he released a sigh.
“Just what I thought.” He gestured toward the space off to our left, which looked like the living room. “Go sit down.”
“Is Emily here?” I asked, staying firmly planted in the foyer, my feet practically glued to the ceramic planks underneath. From what I could see of the house, it looked thoroughly updated, but also oddly soulless, as if whoever had decorated it had taken every idea directly from a show on HGTV without putting anything of their own personality into the place. “I need to talk to her.”
“She’s busy,” Boden said.
However, his eyes wouldn’t meet mine, and I caught sluggish red pulses emanating from his aura.
Guilt…and something worse.
“What did you do?” I demanded, worry surging through me.
“She kept asking questions,” Boden said. “So…I made her stop.”
I swallowed. He still seemed completely calm, almost easygoing, and yet underneath it all, I sensed the horror of the crimes he’d committed over the past several days.
For the moment, I figured it was better to go along with what he wanted. I hadn’t sensed any hostility toward me…yet…but I guessed his emotions could turn on a dime.
I went into the living room and sat down on the slipcovered sofa there. “Why Emily, Boden?” I asked.
