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ChapterSixteen
Bleary-eyed, Ariana made her way down the stairs. They were meeting with the architect in a little over an hour — the appointment had been made before the bodies were found and before she knew they would get so little sleep. She needed to drink a pot of coffee, maybe an entire coffee stand, in order to function on so little sleep.
She and Lia had talked until Damon returned home. After they gave up trying to figure out what was wrong with Charles, they made guesses as to which neighbor had killed all those people. Ariana thought the previous owner was the prime suspect, whereas Lia was convinced it had to be Boone.
Or it could’ve been someone connected with Damon’s dad.
She didn’t want to think about that.
Which could also mean that the bodies might not have been there when she and Damon moved in but that they were buried there afterwards. And she really didn’t want to think about that.
Ariana jumped when she got to the kitchen and found Lia sitting at the table, sipping from a mug and looking into space. She was wearing the same clothes as last night.
“Lia, are you okay?”
A beat passed before Lia glanced her way. “Charles didn’t come home last night.”
“What? Why would he do that?”
“It would appear he’s really upset about the cost of steak.”
Ariana poured herself a cup of coffee, topped off Lia’s, and sat next to her. “Did you try calling him?”
“What do you think?”
“I’m just trying to help.”
Lia frowned. “Sorry. Yes, I called and texted. He’s ignoring me.”
“Maybe he slept in his car. Or at the hotel down the block from the bar. Damon said he was slurring his words last night.”
“He still could’ve told me his plans.”
“I’m not disagreeing with that,” Ariana said. “But that could’ve been his thought process. He’ll probably come home in a few hours with a huge headache and a bigger apology.”
Lia sipped her fresh coffee. “I don’t know what’s going on with us.”
“It’s stress. Not only are you dealing with trying to get pregnant, but Damon and I have moved into the guest room. Bodies keep getting dug up on either side of your house. Meanwhile, Rita got pregnant without trying—”
“Thanks for the reminder.”
“My point being, that’s a lot to deal with. It’s no wonder you two are fighting. Damon and I have been dealing with our own issues. Remember, he took off just yesterday, and I wasn’t happy about that.”
“At least he’s back.”
“Speaking of him,” Ariana said. “I’ll go upstairs and see what he thinks. He might have a better idea where Charles is.”
“I don’t care anymore.” Lia rose. “I’m going to sleep. Charles can do whatever he wants.”
“Get some rest. That’s a great idea. If we find him, do you want me to text you? Or let you sleep?”
“Like I said, I don’t care.” She trudged out of the room.
Ariana finished her coffee then put away the mugs. On her way upstairs, she texted Rita to see if she had any ideas about Charles.
No response. Probably sleeping.
She opened the door to the guest room just as Damon stepped out of the bathroom, with wet hair and a towel around his waist. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, taking in the scent of his body wash.
