The Final Victim(96)

"Midnight?"

"Midnight? That's so late." 'Take another nap. You'll be fine."

"How about this afternoon instead?" she suggests.

'This afternoon? What are we going to do in the middle of the day?"

"You know… talk." Kiss…

Except not like we would if it was night and we were alone together.

It'll be safer.

Safe is good.

She'll just tell her mother she's going to take a nap for a few hours since it's such a crappy day out, and nobody will even realize she's gone.

Kevin hedges. "I don't know… I might have to work."

"I thought you said before you were off today."

"I'm supposed to be, but-"

"Look, do you want to meet me, or what?"

"I do. Just… tonight."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to wait that long," she says softly. "You know… I miss you. A lot."

"Okay, okay. What time?" 'Two?"

"I'll pick you up."

She hangs up, thinking that if her mother seems suspicious when she says she's taking a nap in the middle of the day, she'11 just- Lianna freezes.

A floorboard creaked just now, in the hallway outside the closed door.

Was somebody eavesdropping on her call?

With a whispered curse, Lianna contemplates the wisdom of opening the door to see who it is.

Nydia? Aimee?

It can't be Mom. She would have burst in here making accusations.

Unless she decided to catch me in the act.

Lianna frowns, pondering the situation.

There's no way to check from here whether her mother's car is back. The upstairs study faces the back of the house.

Okay, so she has two choices: She'll either have to disappoint Kevin by staying put this afternoon, or take the risk.

Nothing worthwhile in life comes without risk.

Right.

Who was it who said that to her recently?

Devin…?

Dad…?

Definitely not Mom. No, she's not about to go around telling Lianna to take chances.

Well, whoever it was, Lianna tells herself now, they were absolutely right.

How could you have been so stupid?

Why didn't Mimi ever consider, in her urgency to get to Charlotte, that she might find herself face-to-face again with Royce Maitland?

She saw the recognition in his eyes before she even had a chance to introduce herself.

Now, still taken aback both by his reaction and at finding him in a hospital bed, it feels lame to interrupt her apologetic introduction with a blurted, "I heard you say I'm a reporter, but I'm not. I'm Mimi Johnst-"

"I know who you are." His gaze is harder than the marble mantelpiece on the far end of the room.

She thinks quickly, determined to salvage the conversation. "Yes, I'm the one who went to the police with the tip that led them to Gib's arrest in your attack."

He raises a dark eyebrow at that.

He didn't know, she realizes. Okay, so maybe that'll help me. I put his attacker behind bars.

But his expression quickly reverts to stone as he responds, "No, you're the one who let my only son drown."

"Mr. Maitland-"

"Why are you here? And how did you even get in?"

"The gate was open, so-"

He curses. Then he demands, again, "Why are you here?"

She falters.

She could tell him she wanted to pay him a visit, to make sure he's recovering after the terrible shooting.

But she doesn't even have a bouquet of flowers or a box of muffins to enhance the ruse. The truth is, she never even thought twice about what happened to Charlotte's husband when she decided to come running over here.

She was thinking only of her own husband, consumed by the need to save his life, and desperate to ask Charlotte about what Dr. Von Cave revealed.

Now, she dismisses offering any false pretense for her visit.

"I'm here to see your wife," she says, plain and simple.

"My wife isn't here. She won't be back for a few days. So please leave."

He's lying.

Mimi can tell.

"Mr. Maitland, if you would just listen-"

"As I said, please leave."

"Mr. Maitland-"

"Good-bye!"He folds his arms and turns away as much as his position in the bed will allow.

Still, she wavers, knowing this might be her one chance, and Jed's last chance.

"If you don't leave now, I'll call the police. You're trespassing on private property. I swear, they'll come and take you to jail for days."

That can't happen. Jed needs her. Cam needs her. She doesn't have days to spend away from them, days to sit in jail.

Still, she doesn't move. If she could just- "That's it." Royce Maitland reaches for the phone. There's nothing for Mimi to do but go.

The parking lot, aisles, and checkout lines of Achoco Island's only supermarket are jammed with locals and summer residents alike, snapping up cases of bottled water, plus batteries, canned meals, and all kinds of other staples to make it through the approaching storm.

Next door, the hardware store is equally busy, doing a brisk business on generators, flashlights, and blue-plastic roofing tarp. There's already a generous supply of that in the basement at Oakgate, thanks to leaks in the attic during last year's harsh hurricane season.