Rad hung up, stood, grabbed his keys, and stepped back out into the bullpen. May looked up from the desk immediately, and the smug little thumbs-up she gave him made it obvious she had known exactly who the caller was all along.
“I’m heading out to see the caller,” Rad told her.
“Yeah, good luck with that,” May told him, adding softly, “Beware of her cat. That thing is a ball of fury and terror with extra sharp fangs and claws.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Rad shook his head as he watched the amusement flash in May’s eyes.
The Morrison mansion sat where it always had, looking out over the bay like money had decided to build itself in stone and glass. Rad had seen it from across the water plenty of times. Everyone in town had. But driving up the long curving approach made the scale of it hit differently.
“Good grief,” Rad muttered under his breath.
The house did not so much sit on the land as command it.
He had barely put the car in park when the front door opened, and Sienna hurried out. She didn’t wave. She didn’t smile. She just came fast down the steps in white shorts and a pale blue blouse, looking expensive, tense, and very much unlike someone about to host a polite visit.
“Come on, please hurry,” Sienna said, indicating with her hand for him to follow her as she glanced around nervously.
Rad got out and shut the door. He followed her around the side of the house.
“Sienna.” He said, his long strides easily keeping up with her hurried ones. “What is going on?”
She looked back over her shoulder, impatient. “You’ll see. Come on.”
He followed her around the rear terrace and past the pool, and only then did he realize she was leading him toward the pool house.
It was less a pool house and more a second residence.
“You live back here?” He stopped on the walkway and gave a low whistle.
“Yes. But I’ve been sleeping in my old bedroom for the past two nights while I waited for you to get here.” Sienna shot him a look.
“Wait.” He frowned. “You live here?”
She stared at him as if he had asked whether the pool contained water.
“Isn’t that what I just said?” Sienna’s face scrunched up impatiently.
Rad let it go.
She stepped through the open door and marched him inside.
The place was immaculate. Spacious living room, tasteful furniture, expensive art, a kitchen bigger than the one in his own house, and the kind of cool polished stillness that said no one had children, dogs, or ordinary clutter anywhere near it.
“Why am I here?” He looked around once.
“Can’t you tell?” she said sharply.
“Really, no.” Rad shook his head, looking back at her with raised eyebrows. “Did a cleaner miss a speck of dust?”
“What?” Sienna looked at him as if he were crazy. “No. Can’t you tell?” Again, Rad shook his head. “There was a break-in,” she hissed.
Rad looked around again.
Nothing looked broken. Nothing looked ransacked. Nothing looked remotely out of place except for Sienna’s mood.
“I’m sorry,” Rad said carefully, “but I can’t tell there’s been a break-in. There are absolutely no signs.”
“Well, my front door was wide open.” She pointed at it. “That’s how I found it the day I found out I had a break-in.”
