Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls 1)

Clack psst. The second shot sounded like a pneumatic nail gun firing. Only Lee’s eyelids could flinch. In his peripheral vision he saw his wife collapse across his legs like a marionette with snipped strings. Grief crushed his heart.

Kate. I love you.

What had he done?

Ellie smoothed joint compound over the patch in the drywall. Her living room was shaping up. The upstairs renovations were finished. Soon it would be time to tackle the ugliest kitchen ever designed. She could hardly wait. Except then she’d sell the house and move again. That was the whole point, but this was the first neighborhood she’d be sad to leave.

“Do you want some tea?” her grandmother called.

“No, thanks.” Ellie stretched a kink in her neck. “What time is it?”

“Almost eleven.”

Alarm slipped through Ellie. “Julia isn’t back.” Her fifteen-year-old daughter was babysitting for the next-door neighbors, the Barretts. Lee Barrett was also an attorney in the firm where Ellie worked as an administrative assistant.

Nan appeared in the doorway. “What time did they say they’d be home?”

“By ten.”

“They’re only an hour late. Maybe the restaurant was slow or they got a flat,” Nan reasoned, but her voice was tinged with concern. “They could be enjoying themselves. It is their anniversary.”

Ellie tossed her trowel on the drop cloth and picked up her cell phone from the top rung of the stepladder. “If they were running late, they would have called.” She texted her daughter and waited three minutes. No answer. “I’m going over there.”

She washed her hands and snagged her neighbor’s key from the drawer. Grabbing her jacket, she went out the front door. Cold, wet wind slapped her face as she hurried across the front lawns. Hoping the dog wouldn’t bark, she used the key to let herself in. The Barretts’ golden retriever, AnnaBelle, raced down the hall to greet her. Footsteps approached.

In yoga pants and a sweatshirt, Julia carried the four-month-old infant into the foyer on her shoulder. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, well away from grabby baby fists. “I thought you were Mr. and Mrs. Barrett.”

“They said they’d be home around ten, right?” Patting the dog, Ellie hung her jacket on the newel post.

“Right.” Her daughter bounced lightly on her toes and patted the baby’s back. “I was just going to call you, but Faith is getting loud. I was afraid she’d wake Carson.”

“I should have come over sooner. I didn’t realize how late it was.” Ellie lowered her voice, not wanting to disturb the six-year-old boy sleeping upstairs. “Has Mrs. Barrett called?”

“No. I texted her twice. Mr. Barrett, too.” The baby fussed and Julia walked back to the kitchen. “I’m getting worried.”

Ellie called Kate and then Lee. Both lines went to voice mail. “Here, let me take her for a while.”

“Thanks. There’s no making her happy once night comes.” Julia passed the baby over.

“I’m sure they’ll be home soon.” Taking Faith, Ellie took a turn around the downstairs. She continued to walk, her anxiety growing. Lee and Kate were never late. This was the first time they’d left the baby for a night out. Ellie had expected them to come home early.

At midnight, Julia fell asleep on the sofa, and Ellie reached for the phone. Two hours was long enough. It was time to call the police. Lee and Kate could have been in an accident.

AnnaBelle’s ears pricked forward and the dog headed for the front of the house. Ellie followed, catching the retriever by the collar to stem any barking. She looked out the front window. A police car was parked in the driveway. An officer approached the door.

Ellie’s stomach cringed as she held the dog back with her foot and opened the door. Please let them be all right.

“Is this the Barrett residence?”

Ellie swallowed, her throat dry. “Yes.”

“May I come inside?”

She stepped back to give him room. The dog broke free and shoved her nose into his hand. He scratched her head absently. “Who are you, ma’am?”

“I’m Ellie Ross. I live next door.” Ellie glanced up the stairs. Putting a finger to her lips, she waved the officer toward the kitchen. Behind her, his footsteps were heavy on the hardwood. Facing him in the bright light, she eyed his grim face. The worst of news was coming. Sympathy radiated from the young cop. She braced herself. “Just tell me.”

He breathed it out in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry. Lee and Kate Barrett were killed a few hours ago.”

“How? Car accident?”

“No, ma’am. They were shot in what appears to be a robbery.”

Stunned, Ellie reached for a chair, the news weakening her knees. As soon as she sat, Faith began to cry.

Julia sat up. Her sleepy eyes misted as she met Ellie’s gaze. “Mom?”

Ellie got up, wrapped her free arm around her daughter and told her what had happened.

A tearful Julia took the baby. “Should I call Nan?”

Ellie nodded. Shock blanketed her. They couldn’t be dead. Not mild-mannered, dependable Lee, whose idea of risky behavior was eating runny egg yolks. And Kate. She could make Ellie laugh without saying a word. Just the other night, Kate had showed up at Ellie’s front door with a bottle of wine and the need for adult conversation. She’d helped Ellie patch wallboard—patches Ellie had needed to redo the next night because they’d finished that bottle, but it had been worth it. She called very few people friend. Kate was special.

Ellie closed her eyes and rested her cheek on the baby’s head. Her mind swam with all the events Kate and Lee would never experience with their children: first dates, first dances, graduations, weddings, grandchildren. The images overwhelmed her. She opened her eyes, just as Nan let herself into the house. Ellie couldn’t fall apart. The children needed her to function.

She passed the baby to her grandmother, then did her best to answer the officer’s questions about the family. “Kate has no family close by. Lee has a brother who lives locally, plus a sister who is usually traveling and a brother deployed to Afghanistan.” Ellie gave the policeman their names. “I’m sorry. I don’t know their numbers. I could look in Lee’s office. I haven’t seen any of them in a while.”

“We’ll take care of it, ma’am,” he said. “Child services will try to locate the local relative.”

More cops showed up at the house. The noise woke Carson, who came downstairs crying. Ellie rocked him on her lap. She didn’t want to tell him what happened. That kind of news was best left to family.

An hour later, a middle-aged woman bustled through the door. She took the kitchen chair opposite Ellie. “Miss Ross? I’m Dee Willis from child services. I haven’t been able to reach anyone on the list you gave us. We need to talk about the children.”

Ellie wrapped her arms around Carson tighter. “They can stay with me.”

“I’m sorry, that’s against policy,” the social worker said. “You can complete a form to become an emergency foster. It’ll only take a few days.”

But to Carson, a few days would be forever. The little boy’s silent tears soaked Ellie’s shirt. Helplessness flooded her.

“Julia, please take Carson.” Ellie shifted the little boy to her daughter’s lap and went into the living room for privacy. Whipping out her phone, she dialed her boss. Working for an attorney had a few benefits. But Roger didn’t answer his phone. Damn it. She left a message and returned to the kitchen. She gave Julia a pointed look and nodded toward the doorway. Julia carried Carson out of the room.

Ellie waited until she heard the stair treads creak before addressing the social worker. “The children know us. Can’t you make an exception?”

“No, I’m sorry.” Mrs. Willis’s calm and businesslike voice grated on Ellie’s raw nerves. “As soon as the background checks go through, you can ask the judge, but tonight, I have to take them with me.”

Ellie knew the woman must see situations like this all the time, but how could she be so matter-of-fact about taking two small children from their home? Anger rolled over Ellie’s grief. Pain and helplessness compounded in her chest until her ribs ached.

My God, it was Friday. She doubted anything would be done over the weekend.

The social worker started collecting the baby’s gear. “It might make things easier on Carson if you help him pack a bag.”

Ellie didn’t want to make things easier. She wanted to snatch the children and hide them at her house. She glanced around and counted three uniformed policemen and another in a suit who seemed to be in charge. He’d introduced himself, but she’d already forgotten his name. Detective McSomething.

There was nothing she could do.

She went upstairs to Carson’s room. He sat on the bed with Julia and cried while Ellie packed enough clothes for a week into his backpack. She knelt on the floor in front of him and took his little hands in hers. “Just hang on, OK? I’m going to do everything I can to bring you to my house.”

He sniffed, wiping the back of his hand under his nose. “The lady said Mommy and Daddy died.”