Carolyn threw her clothes into a bag and was ready to walk out the door in fifteen minutes.
Rebecca came down the winding staircase with a worried look her face. Her straight dark hair fell to the center of her back. She had inherited her father’s olive skin, hair, and hazel eyes. “I heard what happened,” she said. “When they said a probation officer was murdered, I was afraid it was you. Why didn’t you call us?”
“I’m sorry, honey,” Carolyn said, embracing her. “I just did whatever people asked of me. I didn’t have time to do anything else.”
“You have to quit that hideous job,” her daughter said. “You don’t need the money now that you’re marrying Marcus. He wants you to quit, too. How do I know what happened to Veronica won’t happen to you?”
“Jude is missing, Rebecca,” Carolyn said, changing the subject. “I know the two of you have never been close, but have you heard anything about her recently?”
“She’s a tramp, Mom. I run into her at school now and then, but other than that, I don’t have anything to do with her. Wasn’t she supposed to graduate last year?”
Something wasn’t right. “You saw Jude at Ventura High?”
“Yeah,” the girl said. “I haven’t seen her in a while, though.”
“She’s not attending classes,” Carolyn said. “Her father said she’s just bumming around. Veronica told me the same thing. She must be hanging out at the school because of her friends.”
“I’m pretty sure she’s enrolled, Mom. There are a lot of kids who didn’t graduate with their class. Haley Snodgrass flunked and came back. I know because she’s Anne Marie’s big sister. Her parents insisted that Haley get her diploma instead of a GED. Rebecca glanced at her watch. “I have to go. I need to stop for gas. I love living here, but it takes me forever to drive to school. Where’s Marcus?”
“Making breakfast,” Carolyn told her.
Rebecca laughed. “He can’t cook. What’s he making, toast? Where’s Josephine? She’ll have a fit if Marcus makes a mess in her kitchen.”
“Today is her day off.”
Carolyn followed Rebecca into the kitchen, watching as she strolled over to Marcus and stuck her hand out. He fumbled in the pocket of his robe and handed her a hundred-dollar bill. Rebecca stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad,” she said, waving at her mother before she darted out the back door.
“Why are you giving Rebecca money?” Carolyn asked. “Since I don’t have a mortgage payment anymore, I have more than enough to take care of her needs. Besides, don’t you think a hundred dollars is too much for a girl her age?”
“Gas is expensive,” Marcus explained, leaning back against the counter. “Since I’m the reason she’s living so far from school, I think it’s only fair that I pay for her gas. By the way, how exactly do you scramble eggs? Do you shake the pan or is there some kind of special device? I looked but I couldn’t find one.”
Carolyn laughed, a welcome relief from the tension. The countertop was covered with pots, pans, graders, slicers, and various utensils. Only a person who’d spent his life staring at a computer wouldn’t know how to do something as simple as scrambling an egg. “Cereal sounds great,” she said. “I saw some strawberries in the fridge yesterday. We can put some on our cornflakes.”
“Are you sure?” Marcus said, looking relieved.
“Why don’t you set out the bowls? I’ll get the cereal, milk, and strawberries.” Carolyn was settling into a semistate of normality when she jerked her head around. “See if you can catch Rebecca. We started talking about Jude…I don’t want her out of my sight until you get someone to protect her.”
“Bear is on her already,” Marcus said, referring to the six-five, three-hundred-pound Hispanic bodyguard who’d worked for him since he’d moved to Santa Rosa three years ago. Although Bear’s size intimidated most people,
Rebecca came down the winding staircase with a worried look her face. Her straight dark hair fell to the center of her back. She had inherited her father’s olive skin, hair, and hazel eyes. “I heard what happened,” she said. “When they said a probation officer was murdered, I was afraid it was you. Why didn’t you call us?”
“I’m sorry, honey,” Carolyn said, embracing her. “I just did whatever people asked of me. I didn’t have time to do anything else.”
“You have to quit that hideous job,” her daughter said. “You don’t need the money now that you’re marrying Marcus. He wants you to quit, too. How do I know what happened to Veronica won’t happen to you?”
“Jude is missing, Rebecca,” Carolyn said, changing the subject. “I know the two of you have never been close, but have you heard anything about her recently?”
“She’s a tramp, Mom. I run into her at school now and then, but other than that, I don’t have anything to do with her. Wasn’t she supposed to graduate last year?”
Something wasn’t right. “You saw Jude at Ventura High?”
“Yeah,” the girl said. “I haven’t seen her in a while, though.”
“She’s not attending classes,” Carolyn said. “Her father said she’s just bumming around. Veronica told me the same thing. She must be hanging out at the school because of her friends.”
“I’m pretty sure she’s enrolled, Mom. There are a lot of kids who didn’t graduate with their class. Haley Snodgrass flunked and came back. I know because she’s Anne Marie’s big sister. Her parents insisted that Haley get her diploma instead of a GED. Rebecca glanced at her watch. “I have to go. I need to stop for gas. I love living here, but it takes me forever to drive to school. Where’s Marcus?”
“Making breakfast,” Carolyn told her.
Rebecca laughed. “He can’t cook. What’s he making, toast? Where’s Josephine? She’ll have a fit if Marcus makes a mess in her kitchen.”
“Today is her day off.”
Carolyn followed Rebecca into the kitchen, watching as she strolled over to Marcus and stuck her hand out. He fumbled in the pocket of his robe and handed her a hundred-dollar bill. Rebecca stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad,” she said, waving at her mother before she darted out the back door.
“Why are you giving Rebecca money?” Carolyn asked. “Since I don’t have a mortgage payment anymore, I have more than enough to take care of her needs. Besides, don’t you think a hundred dollars is too much for a girl her age?”
“Gas is expensive,” Marcus explained, leaning back against the counter. “Since I’m the reason she’s living so far from school, I think it’s only fair that I pay for her gas. By the way, how exactly do you scramble eggs? Do you shake the pan or is there some kind of special device? I looked but I couldn’t find one.”
Carolyn laughed, a welcome relief from the tension. The countertop was covered with pots, pans, graders, slicers, and various utensils. Only a person who’d spent his life staring at a computer wouldn’t know how to do something as simple as scrambling an egg. “Cereal sounds great,” she said. “I saw some strawberries in the fridge yesterday. We can put some on our cornflakes.”
“Are you sure?” Marcus said, looking relieved.
“Why don’t you set out the bowls? I’ll get the cereal, milk, and strawberries.” Carolyn was settling into a semistate of normality when she jerked her head around. “See if you can catch Rebecca. We started talking about Jude…I don’t want her out of my sight until you get someone to protect her.”
“Bear is on her already,” Marcus said, referring to the six-five, three-hundred-pound Hispanic bodyguard who’d worked for him since he’d moved to Santa Rosa three years ago. Although Bear’s size intimidated most people,
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