The policeman looked from one to the other. ‘It would probably help if you could both identify who you are.’
The paramedic stepped forward. ‘I’m not finished yet.’ She held up a penlight and shone it into Reuben’s eyes. He flinched but didn’t object. He knew better. After a second she gave a nod. ‘Both pupils equal and reactive.’ She stepped back to write some notes.
Reuben pulled his wallet out from his back pocket and handed it to one of the policemen. ‘Reuben Tyler. I just landed from LA a few hours ago.’ He folded his arms across his chest. ‘My own apartment is under repair. It took damage during the recent storm and when they went to do repairs they discovered asbestos in the roof.’ He turned to glare at the teddy bear again. She really was quite cute. If he hadn’t been having such a bad day he might have been quite taken by her strange get-up, perfect skin and mussed-up hair. ‘My friend Caleb Connor, who owns this place, said I could stay here while he and his family were on holiday.’
The policeman turned towards the teddy bear, who was shifting uncomfortably on her feet at the mention of Caleb’s name. ‘And you are?’
‘I’m Lara Callaway. I work for the Connors. I’m their nanny.’
Ah, their nanny. Things were starting to fall into place in his brain. Caleb had said the last nanny had left and they’d hired someone new.
‘And I can verify this with the Connors?’
He watched as she gulped and glanced at the clock. This was a girl who obviously wasn’t used to being around the police.
‘Well...not right now. They’ll be midway across the Atlantic—and they’re going to a place with no phone or internet.’ She turned around to look at Reuben. ‘You’re not going to take him at his word, are you? I’ve never seen him before—and I’ve never heard Mr Connor mention his name. He could be anyone.’
Reuben rolled his eyes and sighed. The teddy bear was starting to get annoying. He glanced about the living room, his eyes fixing on a distant photo frame. He stalked across the room and picked it up, thrusting it towards the policeman while glaring at Lara. ‘Here, photographic evidence. That’s me and Caleb at an awards ceremony around five years ago. And...’ he pulled his phone from his pocket ‘...here’s a text from Caleb, telling me how to switch off his alarm.’
He ran his eyes up and down Lara’s fuzzy-covered frame. She might be wearing the most unsexy nightwear in the world but it still gave a hint of her curves. She wiggled her pink painted toes as if she could sense his gaze on her. ‘And as for the nanny...’ he gestured with his head towards her ‘...I’ve never heard of her. According to Caleb, I would be the only one staying here.’ He gave a little laugh. ‘As for no phone and no internet? I’ll bet Caleb didn’t know that before he left. He might be on the other side of the Atlantic but I’m pretty sure we’ll hear him blow up from here.’
All he really wanted to do was get his head down—and maybe find something to eat. His head ached and he couldn’t believe the commotion. So much for some quiet downtime.
Lara looked flustered by his words. ‘I’ve worked for the family for the last six months. The nanny before me left. Addison—Mrs Connor—said I could stay here for the next couple of weeks. I’ve had a bit of a...misunderstanding and she agreed at short notice.’
Reuben’s ears pricked up at her words and he couldn’t stop a smile appearing on his face. She was obviously easily flustered, not used to being around the police and feeling distinctly uneasy. Then again, she was in her nightwear—even if it did cover every part of her body—and it was obvious she’d decided to have feast in front of the TV. Probably not the scene you wanted all these people to see.
‘What was the misunderstanding?’ he pressed. He was amused now. ‘The one that made you hit me over the head with something.’
He looked around the floor to see what she’d hit him with and saw the remains of something on the floor. He bent down and picked up the broken marble and gold trophy. His mouth fell open. ‘You hit me with the Businessman of the Year award? Oh, wow, Caleb will be mad.’ He pointed over to the photo of Caleb and himself, showing Caleb clearly holding up the award with pride.
If she’d been flustered before she looked positively pained now. ‘But I didn’t know who you were. And I thought you were a burglar. I thought you were going to attack me.’ Her voice started to wobble and her eyes started to fill. ‘I didn’t know what to do.’