There was also the bandage.
Steven still wore the same one Brad had applied, securely affixed. Yet he claimed it had come loose, that blood had leaked around the edge onto the pillow.
But the edge of the bandage remained pristine. No seepage was apparent.
Why would he fabricate such a story?
More troubling yet, if he wasn’t being truthful about the blood, could his claim about her faulty memory also be disingenuous?
Again ... why would he be deceitful?
She bunched the blanket tighter in her fingers, the softvelour a sharp contrast to the hard, thorny questions shredding her peace of mind.
Could his aberrant behavior have anything to do with his head injury? Was he more hurt than he’d let on, to the extent that the blow had interfered with his thinking?
What other explanation could there be for his apparent confusion?
Because the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that if anyone was mistaken about the order of events on Friday morning, it was her cousin.
But how could she suggest that without upsetting him?
Maybe he should go to the ER and—
She stiffened.
What was that noise?
Staying as still as possible, she listened.
Five seconds ticked by.
Ten.
Nothing.
Had she imagined the slight thud that had sounded as if someone had dropped an object somewhere inside the—
A floorboard creaked.
Her pulse picked up speed.
She hadnotimagined that.
Had someone broken into the house?
Should she call the police?
Perhaps, if her phone wasn’t charging in the kitchen.
But she could alert Steven. If there was an intruder, her strapping cousin was far better equipped to deal with the situation than she was.
Natalie threw back the covers, grasped her cane, and stood. After shoving her arms into the sleeves of the robe draped over the foot of her bed, she took a fortifying breath and crept toward the door as quietly as she could. Cracked it and peeked into the dark hall.
No one was there. Nor were there any more noises.
If someonewasin the house, they were in the living room or study, not the bedroom wing.
Staying close to the wall, she crept down the hall toward Steven’s room.
