Nevertheless, the condensed timeframe didn’t feel right.
He opened the cruiser door and slid behind the wheel.
Maybe he was looking for connections that didn’t exist. Maybe everything that had happened was innocent. Maybe this was the last call he’d make out here during Cara’s tenure.
Yet deep in his gut, he had a feeling there was more to come.
And that the next incident wouldn’t be nearly as innocent.
THINGS COULDN’T BE GOING ANY BETTER.Faster, yes, but the pace would accelerate if problems continued to crop up at Natalie’s.
Glass of ice water in hand, I wandered outside, into the darkness. At least the heat had abated somewhat.
I settled into my favorite chair and took a sip of the cold liquid.
Now that the groundwork had been laid for my plan, it was time to begin dropping strong hints to Natalie. Convince her to give my proposition serious consideration. It would be so much easier to get what I wanted—what I needed—if she was cooperative.
If she wasn’t?
More persuading might be necessary.
I grimaced.
That wasn’t my preference. She was a nice woman who’d never hurt anyone in her life. On the contrary. Everyone knew how she’d taken care of her father in his declining years.
A mosquito landed on my arm, and I slapped at it with my free hand. But not before it pierced my skin.
Muttering an oath, I swigged my water.
Everybody was out for blood these days.
That’s why you had to protect your interests. Especially when the stakes were high.
Best case, Natalie would come around. She was a logical person. Even if she didn’t want to admit she or her house were vulnerable, it was hard to argue with hard evidence.
The bigger issue could be the professor. As long as she was on the premises, Natalie might not see an urgent need to take any action.
So it was possible Cara Tucker would require some direct convincing to vacate the property.
That would be tougher to pull off but not impossible. I’d have to noodle on the best approach to take with her ... but I had a few cards up my sleeve that could do the trick.
Another mosquito buzzed me, and I waved it away as I stood and trekked back to the house. I wasn’t going to winmy battle against the winged marauders on this Sunday night. I was too outnumbered.
I slipped back inside, closed the sliding door behind me, and deposited my glass on the counter.
Froze at the streak of red on my arm.
Blood.
It had to be from the mosquito I’d swatted.
Swallowing past the bile that rose in my throat, I twisted the faucet and scrubbed the stain from my arm.
The red streak disappeared, but the image remained in my mind.
I didn’t like blood. Never had. Even that scant streak had been enough to turn my stomach into a blender.
That’s why I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
