AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The woman covers her mouth with her hand as she stares in horror at the house, her red hair cascading down her back in a low ponytail.
As if they can sense us staring at them from where we stand next to our back porch, the man turns his head to look in our direction, searching for the source of whatever strangeness he’s feeling. When his eyes land on us, the woman turns her head, too.
Unlike the first couple, these two walk toward us, moving down the porch and onto the grass with determination. In the driveway is a blue SUV that I haven’t seen here before.
The man shields his eyes from the sun with his palm. “Hello there!” he calls warily.
My entire body is stiff as I feel Memphis step slightly in front of me. I move to stand next to him, refusing to be protected. Stubbornly, I find myself rebelling against the idea that I should be his to protect.
“Hi,” I say.
“Can we help you?” Memphis asks.
“Are you the young woman who called the police last night?” The man ignores Memphis and directs his attention at me.
“Yes, that was me.”
He sighs, running a hand over his forehead. “Our front door has been destroyed because of this.”
I jerk my head back.That’swhat they’re worried about? Not about the poor woman who was murdered in their house?
“That door cost two thousand dollars,” the woman says, her lips pinched together. “Do you really think the police are going to replace it?”
“A woman was hurt,” I say angrily. “She needed help. What was I supposed to do?”
The man studies me, his thick eyebrows drawn down. “The police told us there was no sign of any break-in or any sort of altercation. No one was staying in our house.”
“Could it have been your cleaners, perhaps?” I ask. “A man and a woman. She had shorter brown hair, and he had black curls like you.”
The man and woman exchange an odd glance.
“Do you know who I’m talking about? They’ve been here twice since we arrived. And then last night, she was covered in blood in your kitchen. That’s why I called the police.”
She opens her mouth, but he’s the one who speaks. “It’s impossible. We don’t have cleaners, no one broke in, and no one has a key to our house.” He pauses, shaking his head. “Look, I don’t know what you saw, but I’d appreciate you minding your business. There was no one in our house.”
“Take it easy, man. She was just trying to help,” Memphis says.
“Well, all her help did was force us to end our vacation early and figure out how to replace this door,” the woman points out, massaging the space between her eyes. “Please, just…stay on your side of the yard.” She waves a hand at me and turns, pulling her husband to walk away and lowering her voice as she says, “This was exactly what we were worried about when they started renting that house out to random strangers. What did I tell you?”
“Look, I know what I saw,” I call after them. “Please. We aren’t troublemakers, and we weren’t trying to inconvenience you. There have been two people staying in your house all weekend. I swear I’m telling the truth. I’ve seen them a few different times. They drive a dark car and look about your age.”
They stop briefly, and she turns to look over her shoulder at me. “We’ve told you, we have no idea what you’re talking about. We don’t know anyone who fits that description and,again, no one would’ve been able to get inside our house.”
“Are you sure?” I push, stepping forward. “You didn’t have a key hidden under a plant or a rug or something that someone could’ve found? Did you buy the house recently and forget to change the locks, maybe?”
They spin around to face us and she pins me with a glare. “Look, Nancy Drew, I think I would know if someone was allowed in my house. I don’t need to answer to some child about any of this.” She turns on her heels, pulling her husband to follow her. “Please don’t try to help us anymore.”
Memphis touches my arm. “Come on. Let’s go back inside.”
“They’re wrong, Memphis. Or they’re lying. They have to be.”
He doesn’t say anything, just nudges me forward gently while checking over his shoulder.
Bitter tears sting my eyes. “I know what I saw,” I say. I’m not sure if I’m telling him or myself.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Back inside, everyone has finally woken up, though they’re all blissfully unaware of the nightmare of a morning Memphis and I have experienced. When we make our way into the kitchen, Mara stands next to the toaster, humming a song as she waits for her breakfast.
