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“I swear on Bear’s life, I didn’t.” I instantly regretted my words, not wanting to put our beloved dog in any jeopardy. I could hear him barking outside.
Finding nothing of interest in the liquor cabinet, she grabbed one of the bottles from the floor—an expensive Cognac—and opened it. Tilting her head back, she took several swigs and then met my gaze, her eyes glinting wickedly. “By the way, reject, your former boyfriend is a great lay.”
A stab of hurt. Then, I took a fortifying breath and inwardly smiled. It was time to let her know she was screwing with the wrong person. Me.
“Oh, he shagged you?”
“Huh?” She contorted her face. Guess our so-called English exchange student had never seen an Austin Powers movie.
“You know…” I did some exaggerated pelvic thrusts until she got the message. “I sure hope he used a condom.”
She snickered. “It doesn’t matter. I’m on birth control.”
“Oh, didn’t he tell you he has herpes?”
She looked aghast. I had to pinch my lips together so I wouldn’t burst into hysterical laughter. She took another glug of the Cognac.
“Oh, and by the way, drinking is harmful and can cause birth defects. Didn’t they teach you that at your fancy boarding school?”
“Screw you!” she screeched, her fake British accent gone. “You’re just jealous and pathetic. And ass-ugly!”
I smirked. “Don’t you mean arse-ugly?”
The bottle in her hand, she stalked off. Feeling a little giddy, I traipsed over to the liquor cabinet and began to put the bottles back inside. Thank God she didn’t fling them all over the room. Cleaning up broken glass and liquid would have taken hours. Putting the last bottle away, I heard my brother.
“Yikes!”
I turned to face him. He stared wide-eyed at the wreckage. I hadn’t been able to put everything back to normal. Cushions, pillows, and books were still strewn all over the place. And one of the couches was still overturned.
I was about to ask Will to help me straighten up the room when loud, rapid footsteps sounded in my ears. An alarm bell rang inside me.
“She’s heading upstairs!” My door was locked, but my brother’s wasn’t. “Willster, what if she tears your room apart?” At the forefront of my mind: The psycho was going to destroy the robots he’d spent weeks building.
My brother gave me a wry smile. “Don’t worry, Pudge. I brought Bear inside and up to my room. The door is shut, but he’ll go nuts if he hears or smells her. Trust me, she won’t be going anywhere near it soon. So let’s finish cleaning up this mess.”
Once again, I was reminded of how much I loved my little brother. He was so smart. He would go far in life for sure.
The living room almost back in order, we heard Bear barking madly. Tanya came careening back downstairs and sneered at us. “I bet you hid my laptop in that little twerp’s room. I’ll find it! Meanwhile, I’m going to look outside.”
“Good luck!” I said as she stomped toward the French doors that led to the backyard. Thank goodness my studio was locked and she couldn’t get inside. Knowing she’d be outdoors for a while as our backyard was vast with tons of hiding places, I asked Will if he was hungry. He was starving, and I was too.
Using the veggies my mother had cut up, the knife within reach, I whipped up a pasta primavera along with a simple salad. Will wolfed down his dinner. Given how skinny he was, I didn’t know where he put it.
Seated at the island, I told him about my phone call with Mary. And the research I’d done on Jolene and Roy Perkins and their daughter, Billie Rae. Not leaving out a detail.
“Wow! That’s creepy!” he said, after ingesting his last forkful of pasta. His plate was scraped clean.
“Yeah, like a ten on the creep-me-out scale.” I helped myself to some of the salad. “Put your Sherlock hat back on.” I laughed when he folded up a napkin into the shape of a hat and put it atop his head. “Okay, why do you think Tanya would have that old Indio High photo?”
“I’ve given it some thought, my dear Watson.” He stole a bite of my remaining pasta. “I don’t believe it’s random.”
I weighed his words as the sound of footsteps burst into the kitchen.
Tanya. Her face scrunched up. Her hands fisted by her sides.
“Oh, did you find your laptop?” I asked, my tone airy.
“No, I didn’t. But I found this while I was upstairs.” She extended an arm and uncoiled a fist. I recognized the small white object in her hand instantly. The spy cam. She knew what it was too.
