then went back to the window. She’d already dialed Noah’s number when the shadow vanished.
When his voice mail message answered the call, she hung up, not knowing what to say. Why would someone be standing over there watching her house? It was a vacant lot with no other houses for miles around. Could Noah be right about someone locking her in the cellar the other day? It didn’t make sense. Just in case she needed it in a hurry, she slipped her cordless phone in the pocket of her sweats and put away the broom. Her cell phone didn’t get any reception out here. Too many trees. Once she’d checked the locks on both doors and all the windows, she fixed a bowl of soup and determined she’d put the shadow out of her mind and get at least some of her paper written.
It was actually working, too, until she was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. All the fear she’d felt earlier came flooding back. Noah never knocked anymore. Wishing she had a peephole in the front door, Dani tried to peek out the curtain, but couldn’t see anyone there.
“Who is it?” she asked, keeping her voice low and stern.
“Joe Abraham,” was the muffled response. Relief flooded through her as she answered the door.
“Hey, what brings you out here?” she asked, suddenly aware of her house cleaning clothes. The thought of her shabby appearance was followed immediately by the question of whether David was on to something with his teasing. Dr. Abraham wasn’t interested in her socially, was he? “I’m sorry,” she realized she was staring as he shuffled his feet on the porch. “Come in.” She held the door open wide.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call first,” he said, looking like he felt a bit uncomfortable.
“Oh, no problem, I just wasn’t expecting anyone,” she said. “I’ve been cleaning. Would you like some coffee?”
“That would be nice, thank you,” he smiled politely. She left him wandering aimlessly in the living room, glad she already had a pot made. In the kitchen, she ran fingers through her hair and tried to check for runaway makeup in her reflection on the side of the toaster. Running a finger under each eye to clean any stray smudges of mascara, she grabbed two mugs and called, “How do you take yours?” She still couldn’t bring herself to call him Joe.
“Black is fine,” he called, sounding pleasant but a little tense.
Dani filled two mugs and joined him in the living room. Since he’d seated himself on the overstuffed couch, Dani handed him a mug and took a seat in the tattered armchair nearby.
“So, what brings you out here?” she asked again. He hardly ever came in her lab, so it seemed totally out of character for him to show up at her front door unannounced.
“Well, I was out this way and thought maybe I’d drop by…”
Surely he was kidding. In the neighborhood? Dani coughed to cover a laugh that threatened to escape. “Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say.
He laughed nervously. “That’s not true,” he admitted. Dani was amused to see a blush creeping into his pale cheeks. “I wanted to ask you about something.”
“Okay,” she said, crossing her legs and trying to look pleasant while Bandit sniffed curiously around the legs of their visitor.
He sat nervously on the edge of the couch, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’ve heard you’ve been asking questions about the students that disappeared six years ago.”
This was an unexpected development. It hadn’t even occurred to her to ask him about it. Dani shifted, leaning forward slightly to get a better look at his face. “Do you know about that? Were you here then?”
“I started at the lab the year before it happened,” he said, fidgeting in his seat. “You seem like a nice person…”
Never one to beat around the bush, she couldn’t help herself. “Joe, just say it - tell me what’s on your mind,” she said bluntly, smiling a little to take the edge off.
“I’m probably making way too much of
When his voice mail message answered the call, she hung up, not knowing what to say. Why would someone be standing over there watching her house? It was a vacant lot with no other houses for miles around. Could Noah be right about someone locking her in the cellar the other day? It didn’t make sense. Just in case she needed it in a hurry, she slipped her cordless phone in the pocket of her sweats and put away the broom. Her cell phone didn’t get any reception out here. Too many trees. Once she’d checked the locks on both doors and all the windows, she fixed a bowl of soup and determined she’d put the shadow out of her mind and get at least some of her paper written.
It was actually working, too, until she was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. All the fear she’d felt earlier came flooding back. Noah never knocked anymore. Wishing she had a peephole in the front door, Dani tried to peek out the curtain, but couldn’t see anyone there.
“Who is it?” she asked, keeping her voice low and stern.
“Joe Abraham,” was the muffled response. Relief flooded through her as she answered the door.
“Hey, what brings you out here?” she asked, suddenly aware of her house cleaning clothes. The thought of her shabby appearance was followed immediately by the question of whether David was on to something with his teasing. Dr. Abraham wasn’t interested in her socially, was he? “I’m sorry,” she realized she was staring as he shuffled his feet on the porch. “Come in.” She held the door open wide.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call first,” he said, looking like he felt a bit uncomfortable.
“Oh, no problem, I just wasn’t expecting anyone,” she said. “I’ve been cleaning. Would you like some coffee?”
“That would be nice, thank you,” he smiled politely. She left him wandering aimlessly in the living room, glad she already had a pot made. In the kitchen, she ran fingers through her hair and tried to check for runaway makeup in her reflection on the side of the toaster. Running a finger under each eye to clean any stray smudges of mascara, she grabbed two mugs and called, “How do you take yours?” She still couldn’t bring herself to call him Joe.
“Black is fine,” he called, sounding pleasant but a little tense.
Dani filled two mugs and joined him in the living room. Since he’d seated himself on the overstuffed couch, Dani handed him a mug and took a seat in the tattered armchair nearby.
“So, what brings you out here?” she asked again. He hardly ever came in her lab, so it seemed totally out of character for him to show up at her front door unannounced.
“Well, I was out this way and thought maybe I’d drop by…”
Surely he was kidding. In the neighborhood? Dani coughed to cover a laugh that threatened to escape. “Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say.
He laughed nervously. “That’s not true,” he admitted. Dani was amused to see a blush creeping into his pale cheeks. “I wanted to ask you about something.”
“Okay,” she said, crossing her legs and trying to look pleasant while Bandit sniffed curiously around the legs of their visitor.
He sat nervously on the edge of the couch, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’ve heard you’ve been asking questions about the students that disappeared six years ago.”
This was an unexpected development. It hadn’t even occurred to her to ask him about it. Dani shifted, leaning forward slightly to get a better look at his face. “Do you know about that? Were you here then?”
“I started at the lab the year before it happened,” he said, fidgeting in his seat. “You seem like a nice person…”
Never one to beat around the bush, she couldn’t help herself. “Joe, just say it - tell me what’s on your mind,” she said bluntly, smiling a little to take the edge off.
“I’m probably making way too much of
Similar Books
