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"Sure. Hold on," the woman said, and Cami let out a relieved breath. Maisie was still at work. There was still time to warn her.
But then the woman came back again, sounding apologetic. "I'm sorry. She's already gone. She left early today to pick up her husband. She'll be in tomorrow. Can I take a message?"
"It's alright, thanks," Connor said heavily. Cami cut the call.
She checked her phone, feeling impatient. Until Ethan found a cellphone number, there was nothing they could do. Was there a home number anywhere? A home number might help. They needed some way of warning this woman before the worst happened.
Wondering if she could explore that in the meantime, Cami went on the search, trying to distract herself from her exploding sense of anxiety as Connor sped toward Maisie's home.
She didn't find a home number, but when she backtracked to the original community website and found Maisie's IP address, Cami looked it up and saw that it was connected to a smart home network.
Anything might help them now, anything, if the killer was already there and waiting. If she could hack into this home network, there might be something there she could use.
Cami set her programs to run. She was sure that she could get into the home, given time. It was just that she didn't know how much of it they had.
She felt sick with worry. She thought of the happy-looking teacher at Little Lives, who would walk into her house, expecting a quiet afternoon with her husband, only to be attacked and killed.
And then, with a sense of nervous relief, she heard Connor's phone beep. Ethan had sent through Maisie's cellphone number.
With luck, they might now have a direct way to contact her. But would they be in time to warn her?
Quickly, Cami punched the number in, set the phone to speaker, and waited breathlessly as it started to ring.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
"It's so good to see you!" Maisie pressed the Unlock button as her husband, Dylan, climbed inside the car. "And you get an afternoon off at home. What a treat!"
She was so looking forward to a quiet afternoon and quality time with her husband. It would make up for the craziness of the last week, and the stress of attending their friend's wedding. Since she had been the maid of honor and she and Dylan had done most of the organizing, it hadn't really felt like a vacation at all.
"It's good to be home," Dylan agreed, and leaned over to kiss her. "It's been a long few days, for sure. Why’s work always so hectic after you’ve been away? Things seem to start going wrong on purpose."
"I know, right," Maisie said, and she meant it.
They deserved some rest and relaxation after the stress of last week, especially with the weird things that had been happening at home. Maisie was quietly convinced that their house was haunted. That was the only explanation she'd been able to find for why they'd gotten back from the busy trip to find some things had been moved and misplaced. Some packed away, others unpacked.
Either there was a friendly poltergeist at work, or she was going crazy herself. Neither option was appealing. Perhaps all she needed was a few hours to relax, and she'd feel less worried about all of this strangeness.
And she had some good news for him, which she was going to announce over a bottle of champagne—she'd bought it on the way to fetch him and hid it in the trunk.
She had been promoted to deputy principal of Little Lives. The new job came with more responsibility, slightly longer hours, and a hefty increase in the size of her paycheck. Best of all, it was affirmation to her that she was doing her best in the career she loved. Teaching was her passion. She adored every minute of it, interacting with the kids, and having a positive and educational influence on so many young lives.
"This is definitely my reward for good behavior and spending the whole of the weekend at the construction expo," Dylan, who worked as a quantity surveyor, agreed.
He leaned over and gave her an affectionate kiss. She stared into his blue eyes, feeling a rush of adoration for this kind, funny, and hardworking man she'd married. Five years had passed in a flash. She couldn't wait for the next five.
And now, with some quality time together, they were headed home.
"I asked on that group if the weather was supposed to clear up this afternoon," she said. "It's such a helpful group. I really enjoy the sense of community there."
"And is it?" Dylan asked.
"Yes, it's supposed to be a fine afternoon, with some sunshine. So, I was wondering if we should take a picnic out into the garden?"
"Great idea!"
"Remember, we did that one weekend in summer, and it was so fun? We could take the music outside too."
"We might even be able to pipe the music out," Dylan said. "That's the advantage of living in a smart home, after all. Might as well use technology since we have that speaker system."
