Living Witness(95)
“Exactly,” Susie said, sounding suddenly satisfied. “And you can’t blame me for watching him then, can you? I mean, it’s not like we’ve got barbed wire and security around the place. We don’t mind people coming in most of the time. But what was he doing there? I mean, really. If he wanted to go up to Annie-Vic’s place, why didn’t he do it on the sidewalk like a normal person?”
Nick leaned back. “He went up to Annie-Vic’s place,” he said.
“Well, I assumed so at the time,” Susie said. “Where else would he be going, going up that hill? There’s nothing much out there except Annie-Vic’s and some other houses here and around, and he wouldn’t be going to any of them, would he? And Annie-Vic’s is right at the top of that hill, isn’t it? And then he was gone a long time. It must have been fifteen or twenty minutes. And now there’s this woman, murdered, and murdered right up there. So I don’t see what it was I was supposed to think, or what it was I was supposed to do about it.”
3
Gary Albright never wondered, even for a moment, if Sarah would be ready to receive an overnight guest on less than an hour’s notice. That was not one of the things anybody had to worry about with Sarah, unless she was truly and significantly ill, and she was almost never that. Gary had had his ideas about what marriage should be like before he ever considered getting himself into it, but he was honest enough about himself to understand that it would be the person who mattered most to him in the end. If Sarah had wanted to go to law school, or to work full-time as soon as the children were in kindergarten, he would have been willing to adjust himself and his life to make her happy. It was his luck that she had wanted for her life what he had wanted for his: a home, and children, and the ease that came with having one person dedicated to taking care of both.
His house was a new one, not in the development—nobody could afford a house in the development on what the town paid its chief of police—but in a row of raised ranches along a leafy and otherwise undeveloped stretch of Route 107. There were five houses on that row, all on the same side of the road, and all of them built to be identical. It was their colors that distinguished them, and now, five years or so since they’d been built, so did some of the additions and oddities their owners had tacked onto them for the duration. Gary’s house now had a large, octagonal deck off the back of it. He and his brother-in-law had built it together. It was big enough to serve for an outdoor party with just about everyone he knew. He was hoping it would one day serve as a graduation party for Michael or an after-prom for Lily. He pulled up into the driveway and didn’t worry at all about what Gregor Demarkian would think of it. It didn’t even occur to him to worry. It was an achievement, buying a house like this, supporting a family like this. Gary expected people to recognize it.
The light was on over the front door as they came in. It was already dark, and what had been a cold day was now a frigid evening. Gary turned the ignition off and got out, waiting for Gregor to get out too before locking up. The front door opened and Sarah stuck her head out. Seeing them, she came forward all the way onto the front steps and waved.
“Eddie Block called,” she said. “He says don’t bother to call him back, but you should know Henry Wackford called and demanded police protection. Honestly, I’d like to protect that man myself.”
“This is Gregor Demarkian,” Gary said.
“How do you do, Mr. Demarkian,” Sarah said, holding out her hand for him. “I’ve got your room all set up for you. It’s right downstairs, and it’s at the front, so you’ve got windows on two sides. It is off the playroom, I’m afraid, but the children go to bed early and they’re not allowed down there with the television on on school mornings, so you should be all right. Oh, and there’s a bathroom just off, and I’ve set up some towels for you. Oh, and I’ve left you some pajamas, and some boxer shorts, brand-new ones, still in their package. Gary said you were about the same size, and you are. It’s really amazing. When I was growing up, all the men I knew were short, and now the world is full of tall people. You should go down and freshen up a little. Dinner will be ready in half an hour.”
They were in the front hall now. Stairs led up half a flight to the main level and down half a flight to the lower level. Sarah was leading the way down, to make sure Gregor Demarkian got where he needed to go without getting lost. Gary saw that the playroom down there was empty, which was unusual. The children were usually down there watching videos after they’d done their homework. The playroom had the only television in the house. Sarah didn’t approve of televisions in the living room. Sarah caught his eye.