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My gaze flitted to the stairs and back again, a brief, involuntary movement that I hoped would go unnoticed. Unfortunately, judging by the slight narrowing of Mr. Connery’s eyes, it was more obvious than I thought. I swallowed thickly again. “I’m fine. Just nervous about this paper. I really want to do well.”
He nodded slowly, lips pressing into a thin line. “Right. Of course,” he said. I could tell he was straining to maintain a light, breezy tone.
“I better get going. Thanks again for letting me work tonight,” I said, forcing another smile. “And thanks for letting me leave early.”
“Before you go…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out two crisp hundred dollar notes. A mere pittance to him, but a fortune to a girl like me. “Here’s a tip for your hard work.”
My eyes bulged. “Mr. Connery, I couldn’t possibly accept so much. Especially when I’m leaving an hour early.”
“You deserve it,” he replied, still holding the cash out. “I’m very happy with your performance tonight. And your discretion.”
Ah. He was probably worried that I’d seen something upstairs, and this was a bribe to make sure I kept my mouth shut about it.
“Thank you,” I said in a weak voice, slipping the money into my pocket. “It’s very generous.”
He gave me a tight smile and put his hand on my shoulder again. “Let me walk you out to your car. It’s very dark out there.”
He followed me out to the large staff parking area near the left side of the mansion. My car was close to the edge, and I felt hot pinpricks of shame creep over my neck and face as we arrived at it. Mr. Connery was probably used to driving the flashiest vehicles in the world, so I figured the sight of my ancient, beat-up car would make him feel pity or secondhand embarrassment for me.
I gritted my teeth and cringed internally, wondering how and when I became so horribly self-deprecating. I worked hard for my car. As soon as I turned sixteen and got my driver’s license last year, I saved up every penny I could from my diner job and bought the old Honda from my neighbor.
It was only a thousand bucks and broke down every few months, but it worked most of the time, and it got me from A to B. That was all that mattered in the end. It might not be pretty, but it meant I had some independence and a means of transport, which was more than I could say for a lot of other teenagers out there.
I should be proud of myself, not ashamed.
“You bought this car all by yourself, didn’t you, Delaney?” Mr. Connery said as I fished my keys out of my pocket. It was like he’d psychically read my thoughts. “I think I remember your mother mentioning something about it to me.”
I nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“Good job. I wish more kids were like you and saw the value of hard work. You’ll go far in life if you keep at it.”
I smiled politely. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Anyway, I’ll let you go. Good luck with the Civil War paper.”
He gave me one last smile before turning and trudging slowly back over to the mansion’s side entrance.
I stuck my key in the car door. As I turned it, something caught my eye. A silhouette had appeared in one of the mansion’s second-story windows. At first I thought it might be one of the upstairs party guests sitting by the window for whatever reason, but then I realized I was looking at the east wing of the house. The guests were only in the south wing.
I squinted at the silhouette, curious about who or what it was. It didn’t really look like anything or anyone, just a random dark mass… until it moved.
I stared with wide eyes as a person rose to their full height by the window. It was unmistakably a man—I could see a head with short hair, a muscular torso, and long legs. Then the curtains slid open, ever-so-slightly, as if the man was peeking out of the house just to look at me. After all, there was nothing else out here except me and a bunch of cars.
For the briefest of moments, I thought it might be Charles Connery checking to make sure I’d left safely. Then I realized that wasn’t possible, because when I lowered my gaze, I could see him stepping into the house. He’d only just reached it.
I blinked and looked up again. The shadowy figure was gone, and the light in the room was off. There was no one there anymore.
I shrugged it off, figuring it was probably just one of the staff members checking all the rooms for anything out of the ordinary. Or maybe I simply imagined the whole thing. After all, I was still fairly jumpy from everything else that had happened tonight, and it was after eleven o’clock, so I was pretty exhausted.
I got in my car and turned the key in the ignition. As I backed up to turn out of the parking lot, I glanced in my rear view mirror. Goosebumps immediately peppered my arms, and every hair on the back of my neck rose.
Even though the light in that east-wing room was off, and I’d assumed the figure I saw was either gone or never even existed, I could see that wasn’t the case now that I was slightly closer. The curtain was still open, even wider now, and there was a black person-shaped shadow in the gap.
Whoever it was… they were watching me.
