Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(55)

“I would have thought so, too, but the way he described him sounded like the same guy I saw in our hotel lobby in Maui. And then again at the airport.”

“Do you know how many people fly from Sacramento to Hawaii? Lots. The chance of seeing someone—”

“And then I saw him sitting in his car a few blocks from our Sacramento house.”

David grew quiet. “If you have a license plate number, I can call my good friend on the police force.”

She shook her head. “The plate had a six and a B. That’s all I got.”

“You didn’t recognize him from Trevor’s school?”

“No.”

“There’s not a whole lot we can do without more information. But I’ll talk to Trevor, okay?”

Nora thanked him before heading out, and yet she worried they weren’t doing enough. They needed to think about installing cameras . . . and maybe buying a gun. How many times did horrible things happen to people after they failed to listen to their gut instincts?

She didn’t want to know the answer. Even one was too many.





CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Traffic was light, and Nora made good time from Whispering Pines to Sacramento. She was frustrated that it had slipped her mind to leave a key with Karen. Her phone started buzzing the minute she pulled into the driveway and parked behind Karen Jorgenson’s Tesla. Caller ID said it was Karen Jorgenson. Ignoring the call, she walked up the path to the front entry and found herself reminiscing about all the wonderful memories she and her family had shared at the house. She pushed any pangs of melancholy aside. It was time for a change. It was time to say goodbye to this old house that had served them well and time to enjoy whatever came next.

Karen opened the door before Nora had a chance to reach inside her purse for her keys.

“How did you get inside?”

“I found a key in the planter box. I tried calling you to let you know in case you hadn’t left yet.”

Nora tried to squeeze past Karen, but she blocked her entry. “Your house has been vandalized.”

“What?”

“I just wanted you to know before you go inside. I am glad you’re here, though, so you can decide whether or not to call the police.”

Nora’s eyes widened. The police? For the life of her, she couldn’t fathom what could possibly have happened. Overwhelmed by everything going on, she slid her way in between Karen and the doorframe. “As long as nobody was—” Nora stopped midsentence. She and David had left a few pieces of furniture, but most of the walls were now bare, including the one straight ahead. NORA HARMON IS A KILLER was scrawled in large red letters. Stepping closer, she prayed the message hadn’t been written in blood. Who would do such a thing? Nora had no words. The first question that popped into her head was: Could this be connected to the accident? No way. The crash she was involved in had happened twenty-four years ago. Her next thought had to do with the man she and Trevor had seen watching them. Could he be responsible? Who was he? And what the hell did he want?

“I canceled all showings for the next few days.”

“I appreciate that,” Nora said. She reached into her purse for her phone, took a picture, and then scrolled through her contacts before making a call. “Hi, Henry. It’s me, Nora Harmon. I realize this must be a horrible time, being that it’s the holidays and all, but I have an emergency here at the house in Sacramento. It appears to be a case of vandalism. Someone got inside the house and painted an obscene message on the wall.”

“It looks to me as if the vandal used lipstick,” Karen said.

Nora nodded, doing her best to remain calm as she talked to the painter. “It’s just one wall, but it appears to be lipstick. You might need a primer, but if you could get this done sooner rather than later, I’ll pay you double. Really? Today? You still have my address. Great. Thank you so much.”

Nora hung up. Her shoulders fell.

“I’m sorry you had to see this,” Karen said.

“You have gone above and beyond,” Nora said. “I appreciate your discretion. Thank you for all you’ve done.”

“No problem at all. We’ve had things like this happen before, so believe me when I tell you this isn’t unusual.”

“Really?”

Karen nodded. “Kids get bored or do these types of things on a dare. Oftentimes they are bowing down to peer pressure. It’s sad, but it happens.” She looked toward the kitchen. “I have my computer set up, and I don’t mind waiting around for the painter and sticking around until he’s done. I can text you when everything is good to go.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind handling all of this?” Nora asked.

“Not at all. I’m sorry you had to drive all this way and then deal with this. You go now. Get back to your family or maybe get some Christmas shopping done.”

They said their goodbyes. Once Nora was sitting in her car, buckled up and ready to go, she pulled out her phone and studied the picture she’d taken of the wall. Chills crawled across the back of her neck as she wondered once again if there could possibly be a connection to her past, a connection to the accident. It was time for her to talk to David and tell him everything.

But first . . .

Nora pulled the piece of paper with the Lewitt address on it from her purse. Since she was only a thirty-minute drive from Auburn, why not pay Mr. and Mrs. Lewitt a visit and see if she could learn anything at all about Jane Bell?