“You could buy some for him.”
“That would be like putting a cover over the statue of David. Repainting the Sistine Chapel. Covering—”
Laughing, Olivia said, “I get it.”
They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying their camaraderie.
“You came to see if your stepson and his wife are still here, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” Their air of merriment was gone.
“They are,” Elise said. “I couldn’t sleep so I came out before daylight and I peeked. They’re inside the house. I should call the sheriff.” But they both knew she wouldn’t. Olivia would be exposed and probably, so would Elise. It was too much to risk.
There was something in her tone that made Olivia take her hand and squeeze it. “What woke you?” she asked softly.
“I thought I heard a car door slam. I tried to go back to sleep but I envisioned men in white coats surrounding the place. The longer I lay there, the more vivid my images became.” She shrugged. “I gave up.”
“Last night my husband said he’d have someone look into what’s going on. And he’ll find out if Jeanne is in trouble.”
“Is she in hiding?”
“I don’t know. I wish...”
“That all this hadn’t happened?” Elise said. “Me too. I lie awake and wonder why I didn’t see it coming. I was always so in love with Kent. He’s so tall and handsome and I was the scrawny kid who lived next door. When I was about twelve, he was playing football with his friends, and as always, I was hiding in the bushes and watching. The ball hit me in the chest so hard I nearly passed out, but when Kent asked me if I was okay, I said I was fine. My whole chest turned black and blue, but that was okay because Kent had actually looked at me.”
“And you thought things would change after you married him.”
“I did. I believed that I’d become the center of his attention. We got married, just as our parents wanted us to, but I was still the kid hiding in the bushes.” She sighed. “Your kitchen is nice.”
Olivia looked at her.
“I saw it when I looked in the window. My mother chose my kitchen. It has black cabinets.”
“I prefer white,” Olivia said.
“Me too.”
“Did you see anything else in the house? Hear anything? But I think it’s too early for Hildy to be up.”
“Actually, I spied because I heard loud voices from inside. They were having a heated discussion about the papers on the table. It was checkbooks and bills, that sort of thing.”
Olivia groaned. “Oh no. They are having money problems. I was afraid of that. I told Hildy I’d take over balancing the checkbook, but she said no. That made me suspicious. She never stepped away from someone else doing her work.”
“I think they plan to stay in your house until you get back.”
“I’m sure they do. Hildy called me as soon as Kit and I got back to the US, and I stupidly told her he had to go to DC so I’d be returning alone. I even told them when I’d be arriving. But then Jeanne called Kit and I returned a day earlier.”
“So they know you’ll be here alone without your husband?”
Olivia nodded. “They’re probably practicing the tears they’re going shed. Kevin used them on me as a kid. I’ve told them a dozen times that I have no more money.”
“But your husband does.”
“Yes,” Olivia said. “But I don’t want to start off our married life with an ugly scene with my relatives. If the two of them would just stop spending so much there wouldn’t be any problems. An interior designer doesn’t need to be hired to put up the blasted Christmas tree! And a fourth fur coat isn’t really necessary. If—” She broke off at the unmistakable sound of a car door closing.
A look of such fear came onto Elise’s pretty face that Olivia’s heart seemed to lurch. “It could be someone else.”
“This early in the morning?”