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I whispered to her in a low voice.
“Six o’clock. Gray beard, blue eyes. Wearing a baseball cap. I think I know him?”
Lola turned around.
“I’ve seen him before.”
“Where?”
“The Blue Orchid,” I said.
“What? Eating?”
“No. He was outside. He said his son used to work there.”
“No,” I said. “I would have known. He would have—”
“What?” said Lola.
“I’ve seen him too,” I said.
Only for a second. I remembered it: the day I’d gone out for a walk around the block. I’d brushed him off in the street. What had he said?It’s me.
Like I knew him from somewhere else.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get back to the house.”
Chapter 21
Lola
Whenwegotbackto the lake house, it was still and quiet, a warm afternoon. I’d hoped Alex would take me out on the boat again once we got back, but we’d both been spooked by the appearance of the old man.
“You want to talk?” said Alex.
“Not really,” I said. There was so much on my mind that I didn’t feel like talking, so I went upstairs and showered. I was so spooked that I jumped at my own reflection in the mirror when I got out.
Who could the man have been?
A spy? A guy working for Luca? Luca was a flashy guy, who wore expensive suits and shiny watches and ordered the most expensive thing on the menu (even though he rarely paid for it). I couldn’t imagine the sallow, roughly-dressed man staring at us in the diner on Luca’s payroll.
While I trusted Alex, or wanted to trust him, all kinds of fears began to swirl around my stomach since I’d seen the stranger. Alex had promised I’d be safe when we went out for the day. But how could he keep that promise? Hadn’t the boat ride, having lunch with me, just been his way of taking his mind off everything that was going on?
In the end, I was so tightly wound that I decided to take a nap. I couldn’t believe I was able to sleep at a time like this. But, stressed out and exhausted from the crazy few weeks I’d just had, I fell asleep all the same, and woke later in the evening.
I got up and went downstairs. It was quiet in the house. It had incredible soundproofing, and I couldn’t hear Alex walking through the corridors. I’d been woken a little by him leaving that morning, but now I couldn’t tell where he was. He might have gone and left me again. I’d have a thing or two to say to him if he had…
But on the stairs, I stopped. I heard something.
Music.
Not just any music. I’d know that tune anywhere. It was an old jazz standard,Stella by Starlight, and I hummed along a little, as I gently jogged down to the living room. It was coming gently from a stereo in the kitchen. I stepped forward, and then the smell hit me.
It was wonderful. I could smell a rich, deep tomato sauce, full of garlic and basil.
I poked my head through the kitchen door.
Alex was cooking.
