Someone Else’s Life(56)

Annie had wanted Brody to take control, but his words made her pause. What had Serena really done to threaten her? Nothing. Well, except admit to stalking her. But she hadn’t harmed her in any way, hadn’t threatened her. And she’d had a good reason for watching Annie and the house. At that thought, Annie slapped herself across the forehead. She was now defending the actions of a woman who may not be in her right mind? Was there something wrong with Annie?

“Hello? Annie, you there?”

“I’m here. I . . .” She hesitated. “I think she wants something from me. From us.”

“I don’t like this,” Brody said again. He cursed under his breath. “I’m boxed in. There’s nowhere for me to go. I’m going to try the cops.”

Annie gulped, wondering what was wrong with her. Why she was feeling sorry for Serena, of all people. She’d been terrified just moments before, but now she couldn’t help but think of the woman she’d bonded with. She was in there somewhere, underneath the erratic behavior.

Taking a breath, she said, “Let me see if I can find out what she wants.”

“Annie, I . . .” His cell cut out just then.

“Brody? Can you hear me?”

“Call . . .”

“I . . .” She opened her mouth to respond, but just then, a loud crash came from the bathroom. “Oh god.” What was that? What had Serena done? Had she killed herself in there? The blood pounded through Annie’s body, and alarm set in. Marley was barking his head off, which didn’t help.

“Annie. What . . . on?”

Another crash came from the bathroom, this one so loud that Annie jumped and dropped her phone, ending the call by accident. She walked to the bathroom, her steps slow, afraid of what she would find.





31


Annie stopped in front of the bathroom door, one hand restraining Marley. “Relax,” she said to him. He settled down but continued to growl.

“Serena?”

Silence.

“Serena, what happened?”

Why wasn’t she answering? Was she dead?

Just when Annie was screwing up her courage to try the door, it flew open, framing Serena in the doorway. “The towel rack fell off the wall. I tried to put it back up, but it slipped and knocked over the cabinet in there.”

“Oh.” They stared at each other for a moment, a million things running through Annie’s mind. “It’s been loose for a while. It’s not your fault.” Why was she trying to reassure a stalker? Maybe because Annie saw more than a little of herself in the other woman and it scared her. Serena obviously needed help. Did Annie?

She looked into the bathroom and saw that the small, narrow cabinet they’d been using to hold toiletries had been knocked to its side, with the towel rack on top of it. It had detached from the wall, the screws still sticking out.

“I’m sorry.”

Annie wasn’t sure if Serena was apologizing for the towel rack, or for everything she’d revealed. It really was too bad that Serena had turned out to be unstable. She hadn’t felt so comfortable with anyone in so long, and just her luck, she’d turned out to be a stalker. What did that say about Annie’s own judgment?

“What do you want?” Annie wanted desperately to believe there was something innocent about Serena’s actions. Something that made sense, because otherwise, was Annie just as delusional? She steeled herself, forced her voice to be firm, as if that would guard her heart against Serena. As much as she craved the closeness of their imagined friendship, the facts were, the woman had lied to her.

“I just need to talk to you. I swear.” Serena’s eyes pleaded with Annie to understand.

Annie eyed her suspiciously. “You came all the way from New York just to talk to me? Why didn’t you talk to me while we still lived at the lake?”

“I never got up the courage before.” Serena’s fingers knotted together, a gesture Annie had come to know she did a lot when she was nervous. “At first I was angry. I admit it. I was angry that you stole my life. I was angry that life was so unfair and I’d lost everything while you . . .” She stopped and gestured to Annie. “You had everything. You’re beautiful, with a wonderful husband, who adores you; a sweet boy; your loyal dachshund . . .” Serena stopped to throw a look in Marley’s direction. “And now you have another dog. I did blame you. But then you guys looked so happy that I just wanted to meet you. To get to know you.”

“Then why didn’t you introduce yourself all those times you were in the neighborhood? You could have told me who you were.” Annie watched as Serena walked away from the bathroom toward the breakfast bar.

“Because that would have been creepy.” Serena stopped next to the stools, as if unsure if she should sit, since Annie had been so intent on throwing her out.

Annie raised her eyebrows. “And this isn’t creepy? You coming all the way to Kauai and finding me in my house, befriending me like this, isn’t creepy?” If she needed proof that something was not right with Serena’s mind, this was it. “Wait. Have you been stalking me here too?” All those times when she’d felt as if someone were watching her. At the beach, at Walmart, in the parking lot of the humane society, and even at Hamura’s one day. Had Serena been following her this whole time? “That’s how you know where I live, isn’t it? You’ve been following me!”