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I fumbled with the light switch, breathing easier under 60 watts. The kitchen meandered off to my right. I’d seen that room before, and the laundry and bathroom beyond it, so I veered left, through the dining room, through the archway, into a living room.
A leather recliner held court in front of a TV cabinet filled with electronics galore. The chair’s sweat-stained armrests and scarred seat cushion, along with the worn, dirty carpet at its base, reminded me of its owner. A lumpy sofa leaned against the far wall, below a long window exposing the tattered backyard. I could see the dirty water in Kelly’s kiddie pool from my vantage point. The only thing suspicious in this room was the fluorescent green circle painted on the wall next to the TV.
I tiptoed deeper into the house, passing a small nursery on my left. Tiny clothes were stacked high on top of a changing table. The crib disassembled, leaning against the wall. Donna must not have come with a moving truck yet.
On my right, another bathroom. I didn’t want to look in there after what I’d seen in the toilet in the other bathroom on my last visit.
Next on the right, Kelly’s room. I flicked on the light, barely able to see the pink carpet under the piles of scattered clothes and dolls and stuffed bears and books. A picture of Addy sitting on a green dinosaur was tacked to the wall above Kelly’s headboard. I weaved through the mess and leaned in close to see it. Addy was waving at the camera.
The front screen door banged shut.
I gasped, my knees buckling, dropping onto the bed.Shit!Was Jeff home? I held my breath, listening with every muscle.
“Violet?” a baritone voice called.
I almost fell off the bed. Stumbling to my feet, I found Doc in the kitchen, sniffing. Wearing a pair of khaki pants and a white, rolled-sleeved, Oxford shirt open at the collar, he made my breath catch again. I shoved aside my stupid lust and asked, “What in the hell are you doing here?”
He crossed his arms, a muscle ticked in his jaw. “You shouldn’t have come here without me? It’s not safe. Why didn’t you call?”
“I forgot.” I lied with a straight face.
His lips thinned. “You forgot to call me, but you remembered to call Harvey?”
Ah, that explained Doc’s sudden appearance. Damned Harvey. “I didn’t want to interrupt your date with Natalie.”
“It’s a business dinner,” he clarified.
Not according to Natalie. “Why are you here instead of there?”
“I rescheduled.”
“Why?”
“Something came up.”
“What?” I pushed.
His stare pegged me to the wall. “You.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You figure it out.” He grabbed my wrist and tugged me toward the dining room. “Come on, give me the tour.”
He didn’t let go as we moved from room to room, retracing my steps more slowly, breathing deeply throughout. In Kelly’s room, Doc noticed the picture of Addy. “Is that what you looked like at her age?”
“Basically, but my hair was curlier. I wish I had Addy’s straight hair.”
He tugged lightly on one of the curls that had escaped my French knot. “I like curls.”
“Thanks,” I said when I extracted my tongue from my throat.
“Let’s go check out the shed.” He towed me back out into the hall.
I played anchor, dragging him to a stop in front of the recliner. “Wait! We haven’t checked out Jeff and Donna’s room.”
“There’s nothing in here.”
“What? How do you know?”
