“Nothing that jumped out. He was current on all of his bills as far as I could tell.” Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she stowed the last of the bottles. “Except now that I think about it, there was one statement that seemed odd.”
“Odd how?”
She closed the cabinet door, dusting off her hands and rising slowly to her feet. “Steven’s been renting a five-by-eight storage unit since August.”
“But in August he was living at Theresa’s house. Why would he have needed a storage unit?”
“Exactly.”
“You think he was hiding something from her?”
She arched an eyebrow. “It wouldn’t surprise me. He is a lying dirtbag, but he’s also cheap. So why would he pay for storage when he has those huge sheds for his tractors at his farm. Why not keep his pervy, man-cave crap there? Why rent a storage unit an hour away. InWest Virginia?”
“West Virginia?”
“The best place to hide a dirty secret is across a state line, Finn. Whatever Steven’s hiding in that storage unit must be important.”
Vero was right. This was definitely suspicious. “Do you know where the storage unit is?”
“I have a photo of the invoice. It’s got the unit number on it and everything.”
The police would probably be investigating the fire for days. I doubtedEasyCleanwould be foolish enough to make a move until the dust settled. “Are you up for a road trip on Saturday?”
“Can your mom watch the kids?”
“No need,” I said, remembering my conversation with Aimee, “I’ve already got a sitter.”
CHAPTER 19
My sister pulled off her coat on Saturday morning and stared at me across my foyer as if I’d sprouted a second head.
“Let me get this straight. You want me tobabysityourbabysitter.”
“No. Sort of.” I peered through the sidelights as Aimee’s SUV passed the house. We’d agreed that it might be better if she parked on the next block so Mrs. Haggerty wouldn’t have a record of her being here. I didn’t trust Steven or his attorney not to exploit the all-seeing eye of the neighborhood watch for the express purpose of making my life difficult.
Vero was waiting for me in her Charger at the playground down the street. Aimee and Vero had met before, a month ago, when we’d infiltrated her workplace at Macy’s in a misguided sting operation that involved Vero pretending to be a cop and asking a lot of murder-y questions while I’d hidden behind a rack of clothes. Given Aimee’s innocence, I was pretty sure Aimee wouldn’t react well to seeing Vero in my house. “Aimee is an old friend of Theresa’s,” I explained. “She and the kids spent a lot of time together while Theresa and Steven were engaged, and I promised Delia her Aunt Aimee could visit. Except I have somewhere I really need to be.”
“And you don’t trust her to be alone with the kids.”
Aimee crossed the yard wearing comfy-looking sweatpants and an old pair of sneakers. She had a DVD in one hand and a grocery bag in the other. Nothing about her reminded me of Theresa, and I wondered if maybe I’d been overreacting when I’d asked my sister to come. I pulled the curtain closed and turned to my sister. “It’s not that I think she would do anything wrong. It’s just—”
“She’s Theresa’s friend. I get it.” Georgia set her hands on her hips, assuming a very cop-like pose. “How do you want me to roll? Street-side surveillance or up close and personal?”
The doorbell rang. “Up close is fine. She’s bringing a movie and snacks. You can stay and hang out. Just… don’t mention Theresa or the trial in front of the kids.”
Delia came tearing into the foyer, a blinding pink blur, the second I opened the door. Zach’s eyes flew open wide. “MeeMee!” he screamed and leapt into her arms. The children were all over her, squealing and hanging from her legs, peeking into her grocery bag and reaching for the video. After a quick round of introductions over the ruckus, Georgia relieved Aimee of her grocery bag, and Delia and Zach dragged Aimee off to the playroom.
I bit my lip, listening to her dote on them in the next room. “I feel a little silly, asking you to stay,” I said to my sister. “If you have other things you’d rather be doing—”
Georgia made a dismissive sound. “Are you kidding? Who doesn’t want to make Rice Krispie Treats and watch…” She snuck a peek at the DVD. “…Trolls World Tour?” She grimaced.
“You’re the best, Georgia,” I said, wrapping her in a hug. “I’m sorry for all the names I called you last week.”
She patted my back. “Thanks. I think.”
I grabbed my purse and coat and dashed out to meet Vero, locking the door behind me.
Vero handed me her phone as we drove. I scrolled through the photos she’d taken of Steven’s books.
