"Ladies," Red said as he tipped his hat, his red hair having faded to more of a strawberry blonde as he aged.
With her nose lifted into snobby perfection, Miss Lily let out her best impersonation of Whitney yet. "Officer, is there something we can do for you this night?"
Kenna saw Red's lips twitch. "Let me guess, you ladies broke out some spiked lemonade and decided to celebrate the downfall of Miss Bruce?"
Miss Lily's eyes got wide and then they narrowed onto Red. "I'll have you know I'm a good Baptist and would never partake in spirits. And I don't want to hear you spreading that gossip, Red. Are you trying to get me in trouble?"
"It seems you've gotten yourself into enough trouble. One of your neighbors called, complaining about the loud ruckus going on out here so late at night."
"That would be Linda. It's barely ten o'clock. That old bat, bless her heart, she sees smiles and it's her mission to stomp them out," Miss Lily huffed.
"After the other night, I think it's a good idea all of us get to bed a little early," Kenna said as she stood and stretched her arms above her head. The fatigue from the last day washed over her. She said her goodnights and climbed the stairs up to her room.
Kenna changed into an old Syracuse Lacrosse t-shirt and climbed into bed with her book. Before she could open it, she spotted her laptop, and the urge to check her email hit her. She opened the laptop and turned it on. Every time she checked her email, her stomach tightened into a knot and she broke out into a cold sweat. She opened her browser and logged into her account. She stopped breathing when the screen went blank to load the page. When she saw the new email from Danielle, she wasn't sure if she should breathe quite yet. She made herself exhale and clicked to open the email.
K-
Beware! I think they found you. I don't know exactly where you are, but the men in black have stopped trailing me and left town. I really think they've found you. Please be careful. Let me know you're okay.
XoXo
D
Shit. Shit. Shit. Kenna tossed the laptop onto the bed and turned off the lights. She went over to the door and slowly opened it. Miss Lily tended to leave the front door unlocked so she quietly made her way down the old creaky staircase in the dark to the front door. She could see that the deadbolt wasn't thrown. As she approached, she peeked out the window. There were no cars on the streets or people lurking in the bushes. Kenna locked the door, ran back upstairs, shut her own door, and locked it. Breathing hard now, she got back into bed and picked up the laptop.
Dani-
Doors are locked and no creepy guys outside. I'll keep my eyes open and let you know if I see anything. Make sure you stay out of sight, too. You never know if they pulled back to lure you out.
Keep safe,
K
* * *
The next day dragged for Kenna as she sat in a constant state of paranoia. In court, she looked back every time the door opened, so much so that Noodle even got anxious. She quickly walked back to the office, checking out everyone on the sidewalk to make sure she recognized them before jumping into her office at the last possible moment. She managed to get some paperwork done after she told Tammy that no one was to know she was there. Tammy had agreed although her confusion was plain.
She managed to get home knowing no one saw her and dressed for a night out with Will. The last thing she wanted to do was go into Lexington. But knowing she'd be with Will made her nerves calm down enough to talk herself into not canceling. She needed to tell Will the real reason she was in Keeneston. However, just the thought of doing so made the terror seem more real. It made the men looking for her real, and closer to her.
“Come on, McKenna, you can do it. It's easy,” she rehearsed in the mirror. “Will, I'm really here running from some powerful people. Saw something I wasn't supposed to that would get them into a heap of trouble. Please tell me if any strangers are looking for me. Thanks,” and she finished her practice speech. "There, simple. Just a couple of quick sentences and it'll all be out in the open," she told herself.
Kenna heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway, grabbed her purse, and started downstairs. As she rounded the curve in the staircase, she saw Miss Lily at the front door with Will. He was holding a bouquet of pastel-colored tulips in his hand and looked so handsome in black dress slacks and a French blue dress shirt that Kenna almost stopped to stare. She was glad she had dressed up in a little black dress with half-inch wide straps that crossed to form an X in the front and then crossed in the back as well. She chose to wear her purple Prada heels as a silent toast to Danielle.
"You look amazing," Will said, his voice a little huskier than normal as he handed her the flowers.