I was less impatient—and less cocksure.“I don’t think that’s necessary, Rachel.It’s almost five anyway.And Zachary’s right.Even if somebody in the house is having an affair with Steven Morton, nobody’s going to come after Zachary with a shotgun.He’s just a kid delivering a pizza.”
Rachel nodded, but was clearly not convinced.“Will you call me and tell me that everything went well?”
“Of course,” I said.“But I don’t expect any trouble.”
“Still.”Rachel headed out the door.Zachary followed, and I brought up the rear so I could lock up behind us.
“Which pizza place would you like to work for?”I asked when Rachel had gotten in her car and was pulling out of the parking lot.“Little Caesar’s?Papa John’s?CiCi’s?Domino’s?”
“Michelangelo’s,” Zachary said, maybe in hopes that he’d end up eating the pizza after this was over.When it came to eating, Michelangelo’s pizza was far superior to anything else.Twice the price, too, of course, but tasty.“I have a buddy who works there.He’ll let me borrow a shirt and hat.”
“I’ll meet you there.”I got into my Lexus.Zachary got into his beat-up Honda and led the way.
At Michelangelo’s, I stayed in the car and let him take the lead.I figured he’d appreciate it, and that I’d probably just be in the way while he sweet-talked the girl behind the counter.He came out five minutes later with a pizza, wearing a black shirt with Michelangelo’s stitched on the chest, and a black baseball cap, ditto.
“No car light,” he told me.“The real drivers need them.”
No problem.“The uniform will be enough.Let’s take your car.”
Mine was five years old and not in perfect shape, but his still looked more like something a pizza delivery guy would drive.
“Sure,” Zachary said.“Um...it’s sort of messy.”
“That’s all right.I’m only going to be in it for a few minutes.”And I really wasn’t old enough that he needed to treat me like his honored grandmother.I was only...well, twice his age.Old enough to be his mother, technically.Although not with David.But still.“And I’ve seen it before.You drove me back to the Apex three weeks ago, remember?”
“Sure,” Zachary said, although he sounded less than sure.“Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I promised I wouldn’t, and got into the passenger seat, while he gently placed the pizza box on top of a pile of what might be laundry in the back seat.It looked like every piece of clothing Zachary owned.
He got behind the wheel.“Where’s this place we’re going to?”
I told him it was in Crieve Hall, and gave him directions for how to get there.Ten minutes later, we took the turn into the driveway on two wheels and came to a shuddering stop.Zachary drove like a twenty-year-old on speed, the perfect camouflage for pretending he was a pizza delivery guy to whom time was money.I was grateful we hadn’t mowed down any pedestrians on the way.And while the pizza box had shimmied on top of the mountain of clothes, it hadn’t slid down the side.
The street was quiet.Darkness had settled, and there was the flicker of blue screens from inside several of the houses we passed.Windows were lit, and here and there we saw families gathered around dining room tables.At Mrs.Grimshaw’s house next door, the living room light was on, and I could see the outline of the small dog at the window, big bat ears quivering.
The house where Steven had spent the afternoon was mostly dark.The outside light above the door was on, but nothing else that I could see.
“Looks empty,” Zachary said.
I nodded.
He glanced at me.“Do I get to eat the pizza if they aren’t here?”
“Sure.”It would adhere directly to my thighs, so I certainly didn’t want it.“Check first, though.”
“No problem.”He adjusted the Michelangelo’s hat on his head and opened the car door.The interior light stayed off, for which I was grateful.Better if nobody noticed that the pizza delivery guy had a passenger.Someone might think it strange.
Zachary opened the back door and grabbed the box off the top of the mountain of clothes.
“Good luck,” I told him.
He didn’t answer—good boy—just slammed the car door behind him and bounced up the walk to the front door.
I watched as he knocked and stepped back.And knocked again.
Just as I thought he would give up and come back to the car, the door opened.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see much.The door opened on the wrong side.Zachary got an eyeful, but I saw very little.She—I assumed it was a woman—stayed out of sight while Zachary explained his errand, and then offered the pizza box.
