“I love you, too.”
I got in the truck and Mike pulled away from the house. Violet stood in the driveway, watching me go.
“You sure you’re really goin’ to be okay?” he asked. “You know you’re not puttin’ us out stayin’ with us.”
“I know, thanks.”
He parked his truck in front of my house. “Do you want me to come in with you?”
I hesitated. I really did want him to come in but couldn’t think of what he would accomplish, other than allowing me to escape responsibility for myself. “No, I’m fine.” I got out of the truck. “Thanks, Mike.”
“Call if you need anything, Rose. I’ll come straight over.”
“I know. See you this afternoon.” I walked toward the house as he drove away. Stopping next to my car, I scanned the yard, still in denial about the events of the previous evening. The scraps of crime scene tape lying in the bushes proved otherwise.
The side door stood slightly ajar. Whoever broke in had busted the doorjamb and now the latch no longer worked. I entered the kitchen, surprised to see my purse and library bag still on the table. After a little digging, I found my wallet, amazed it hadn’t gone missing in all the excitement. The sink full of dirty dishes caught my eye. I’d get to those later.
When I stepped into the living room, I gasped at the sight of the bloodstained sofa, a square cut out from the fabric in the center of the stain. The surrounding curtains and walls were blood-splattered as well. I couldn't face cleaning the mess at the moment so I walked down the hall to the linen closet to grab a sheet. Covering the sofa seemed like a good idea until I could figure out what else to do with it. The dark hall made it difficult to see in the closet. I flipped on the switch, but the light didn’t come on. The electricity hadn’t been turned back on yet.
I knew the utilities connected at the back of the house and I decided to go check it out. I had no idea how to turn the electricity on, but I leaned over and parted the shrubs anyway, looking for the broken connection.
“I already called the utility companies for you.”
I screamed and jumped up, clutching a hand to my chest. Joe stood a few feet away.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
The now-familiar lightheaded feeling returned, but I shook my head to clear it. “That’s okay. Thanks for calling.”
“They said they’d be out early this afternoon, the electricity anyway. The phone will have to wait until Wednesday.” He moved closer. “What are you lookin’ for?”
I laughed. “I don't really know, I’ve never dealt with somethin’ like this before.”
“How’d you know about the footprint?”
I tucked my hair behind my ear, suddenly nervous. How much had he heard the night before? “I’m sorry. What footprint?”
He raised his eyebrows. Joe gave me the impression he was a no-nonsense kind of guy.
We stared at each other, clearly at an impasse. I wasn’t giving any information away and for him to press the situation further would be admitting he’d eavesdropped.
He threaded a thumb through a belt loop on his jeans. “So, what are you doin’ here?”
I suspected he meant snooping behind the house, but I decided to evade the question. “I live here.”
“You’re stayin’ here?” His tone matched the shock on his face.
“Why does everyone keep sayin’ that? I live here. Why wouldn’t I stay here?” I started walking to the side of the house.
“Rose, do you think that’s really a good idea? What if the people who did this come back?”
I stopped and studied him. The sun shone behind his head, the copper tones in his brown hair glinting in the sunlight. I squinted and tried to read his face. He was serious.
“You’re not like everyone else in this town, are you?” I asked, amazement in my voice.
His face went blank. “What does that mean?”
I placed a hand on my hip, staring up at him like he was an angel dropped to earth. “First of all, most of the town thinks I killed my Momma, so other than you and my sister and her husband, no one and I mean no one is concerned I’m in danger. Second, why do you think they’ll come back?”
He peered down at the ground, shifted his weight from side to side then shrugged. “I didn’t say I did, but it makes sense that a single woman would be frightened to stay in the house her mother was just murdered in.” He looked up into my face. “You have to admit, it looks a little suspicious, you comin’ back here to stay all alone the mornin’ after she was killed.”