Briana Leigh emerged from the front door as Ariana stepped out of the car, pulling her backpack with her. She shouldered the bag and took a deep breath as she looked around. Keeping up with Briana Leigh was going to be tough, especially with no money to her name. At least her new friend had sent the car, so Ariana hadn't been forced to spend the last of her cash on a cab. She had long since ditched her bar buddy's credit card, figuring he must have reported it stolen fairly quickly, but she had swiped another from some old lady's wallet on her way out of the country club that afternoon. Ariana would have to use this one wisely as well. One use and the woman would probably realize it was missing. A second use and the authorities would track her down.
More important, she had to find the information she needed fast or Briana Leigh was going to realize that Emma Walsh wasn't quite what she seemed.
"Hey, Emma! Get your butt inside!" Briana Leigh shouted. "That pasty skin of yours cannot handle our Texas sun, and I am not going to this party tonight with some red-faced freak."
The girl turned and sashayed back inside, leaving the huge door yawning open behind her. Ariana bit down on her tongue and followed.
This is all for a good cause, she reminded herself as she stepped into the airy entryway to Briana Leigh's exquisite home. All for a very good cause.95
"Briana Leigh! Where have you been all day?"
Ariana paused in the center of the tiled foyer as an elderly woman in an automatic wheelchair zoomed in from the open archway to the south. Her heart fluttered as if she had just bumped into someone famous. It was Kaitlynn's beloved Grandma C. The woman looked tiny in her chair, but somehow not at all frail. She stared up at Briana Leigh through thick glasses, her pointy chin to the sky. Her white hair was pulled into the tightest bun Ariana had ever seen.
"At the club," Briana Leigh replied coolly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why do you care?"
"We were supposed to talk about school this afternoon. I confirmed with you this morning, did I not?" Grandma C. demanded.
Ariana smirked. This woman was all business.
"So I forgot," Briana Leigh said, rolling her eyes. "We can talk about it tomorrow."
"We will talk about it right now, Briana Leigh," the old woman snapped.
"Grandmother" Briana Leigh said through her teeth. "I have z guest."
Briana Leigh turned toward Ariana, and Grandma C. followed her gaze. Her eyebrows shot up as she noticed for the first time that she and her granddaughter were not alone. She touched the pad on her wheelchair's arm and zoomed right up to Ariana.
"And who might you be?" she asked, her tone softened to one of mild interest.
"I'm Emma," Ariana said, extending her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Covington."
96
"Manners! Interesting. My granddaughter usually brings home nothing but heathens."
Ariana gave a polite chuckle--not too big, lest she offend Briana Leigh for laughing at such an obvious dig. Briana Leigh's grandmother never took her eyes off Ariana as she reached up and clasped her hand. Her grip was like iron. Impressive for such a tiny woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well," she said.
"Emma is going to be staying with me for a while," Briana Leigh said authoritatively, daring her grandmother to contradict her.
"If it's all right with you, of course," Ariana added, earning a sour look from Briana Leigh. But she couldn't help it. She had been trained from birth to be deferential to her elders.
Grandma C. clearly appreciated the effort. She gave Ariana an approving glance and nodded. "Good. Maybe you'll be a positive influence on my granddaughter while you're here. Make yourself at home."
"I will. Thank you," Ariana said. She now understood why Kaitlynn loved the woman so much. She was powerful and straightforward.
Grandma C. turned her chair to face Briana Leigh. "You and I will talk tomorrow morning," she told her. "Good afternoon, ladies." With that, she zipped out of the room, leaving Ariana with her hostess.
"Well. She liked you," Briana Leigh said in an acidic tone. As if the idea irritated her.
"Grandparents are pretty easy to work," Ariana replied, hoping Briana Leigh would believe that she was just putting on a front for
97
the old woman. "It's nice to humor them, don't you think? They're so frail."
Briana Leigh smirked. "You've got style, I'll give you that," she said. "Come on. Let's go find you a room."
Ariana followed Briana Leigh out of the foyer and over to a wide staircase, appraising the gorgeous home as she went. She was glad she'd had a chance to meet Mrs. Covington. But she couldn't help wondering why Briana Leigh kept the woman around. Clearly the old lady irritated Briana Leigh. If the girl was such a cold-blooded killer, why not just feed the matriarch a mess of sleeping pills and earn her freedom?