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He did not look cowed, or fearful.

He looked triumphant.

It Had Some Quirks

Ryan was at home when she got back from work. He was at the kitchen table in front of his computer, a large mug of tea steaming next to him.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘How was the day?’

‘Quiet,’ Mary said. ‘By recent standards.’

‘Tell me about Ben Cox.’

She had sent Ryan a message summarizing her conversation with Ben, with the promise of the full story when she got home.

‘It’s what I thought,’ she said. ‘He wants Mack’s account – and probably more – and he thinks he can get it, because of my recent “behaviour”, as he put it.’ She shook her head. ‘I knew it all along. He wants me to look unstable.’

Ryan tilted his head to one side and nodded. ‘It sure seems that way.’

‘It’s kind of a relief,’ Mary said. ‘I’m not exactly sure what to do next, but I’m glad we finally know what’s going on.’

There was the sound of an engine outside the house. It was noisy, the exhaust burbling; Mary wondered who had a car like that, and then she realized.

Dylan.

His car was old, the muffler patched up and ineffective. She got to her feet and went to the front door. She was not in the mood for him now, not at all. Perhaps she would claw his eyes out this time, and to hell with the consequences.

‘I’ll get it,’ she said. She walked to the front door, and marched onto the porch.

It was not Dylan. Joanie – her realtor friend - had parked her restored MGB in front of the house, two wheels on the grass. She cut the engine, and the exhaust noise stopped.

‘Everything OK?’ she said. ‘You look pissed.’

‘It’s a long story.’

‘You have a minute?’

She looked serious, and Mary’s heart sank. ‘What is it?’

Joanie got out of the car and walked up the steps to the porch. She pointed at the neighbours’ house.

‘I found out what’s going on with those guys,’ she said.

They sat inside so that, should he happen to be passing, Trent would not overhear them talking about his family.

‘I talked to their realtor,’ Joanie said. ‘She wouldn’t say much, but I got the impression there was something to say, if you know what I mean. So I dug around a little.’

‘And?’ Mary said.

‘At first it was a bit weird,’ Joanie said.

‘How?’

‘I found their old address in some of the documents – it’s in a suburb of Boston – so I called a realtor down there and said I had a client who was interested, and was it still for sale. He said it was, and then he said it had some quirks I needed to know about.’

Mary sat forward. ‘What kind of quirks?’

‘Easier to show you.’ Joanie swiped on her phone screen and held it up for Mary to see. ‘He sent me these photos.’