Lie, Lie Again(65)
Embry felt herself frowning. Why did Sylvia keep turning this back to her? Was she trying to give her a hint about something? “I have no idea what I would do if I were in your shoes. But wait. You know her?”
“We met recently, though he told me she was an ex-girlfriend. He also said she was unstable, which, as it turns out, probably isn’t true.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Anyway, if I do tell her, maybe you can be there too. I wouldn’t want her to kill the messenger. It’d be less likely for her to hurt me with a witness.”
Embry’s hand fluttered to her lips. Why would Sylvia want her there? It was all too strange. “I would just have her meet you at the police department if you’re worried she’ll hurt you. Although that would be weird, wouldn’t it? Oh, I just don’t know. What a mess.”
“It sure is. I’m going to buy some pepper spray. And if you see anyone lurking around, please let me know.”
Embry nodded vigorously. “We’ll definitely keep our eyes open. It’s okay to tell Brandon, right?”
“I suppose, but I really don’t want to worry anyone unnecessarily. Maybe I’m making too much out of this. I’ll be just fine.”
“You have the right to be worried, Sylvia. Anyone would be.” She peered inside and called for Kylie. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to leave. “Thanks for letting her play with the magnets.”
“Anytime.”
Embry headed down the stairs and tried to work out what was bothering her. Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. Then again, she hadn’t been sleeping well because of the pregnancy. There was plenty on her mind. Sylvia was a capable person. That much she knew. She seemed like the type who would always land on her feet. But nonetheless, Embry was going to keep an eye out for her. And an eye on her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Thursday, March 16
Riki grabbed her purse and keys from the kitchen table as she made a mental list of the tasks she needed to complete that day. Tasks. That’s what it boiled down to now. Just one year ago on the sixteenth, she’d been so happy. The memory was bright in her mind. She and the rest of the first-grade team at Clover Street had used glitter and bits of green paper from the three-hole punch to sprinkle across the students’ tables after school. They’d even bought plastic gold coins and sparkly shamrocks. The kids had been giddy when they’d walked in the next day.
She might’ve been feeling a little giddy this morning if Mrs. Trainor hadn’t sent an email at 6:17, requesting a meeting for 7:30. Did she honestly think Riki could drop everything and rush to meet with her before school on a busy Thursday? Of course she does. It was her world, and Riki was just living in it. Ugh.
If it had been anyone else, she would’ve responded and set something up for the afternoon. But she’d decided to ignore the email. She could respond at snack break, or lunch, or after school. As she crossed the driveway, she stopped short. A FOR SALE sign was standing tall in the middle of the Taylors’ yard. She should’ve known. Jonathan had asked them to sign the paper because he’d known all along he was selling. Sylvia had said he was up to something, and she had agreed, but she’d hoped he was just smarmy, not a full-on liar. She jogged toward the sign and snapped a photo of it before opening the little plastic box and taking a flyer. As she skimmed the page, her mouth dropped open. Jonathan was selling the entire complex for $3.5 million. Was he delusional? She shook her head and continued reading. UNIQUE FOUR-UNIT INCOME PROPERTY IN A WORLD-FAMOUS BEACH NEIGHBORHOOD. GARDEN-STYLE BUNGALOWS WITH HARDWOOD FLOORS AND OCEAN BREEZES. A PERFECT PROPERTY FOR OWNER-OCCUPANTS OR THE IDEAL SPOT TO BUILD YOUR OWN DREAM HOME.
Build a dream home? That meant her home would be bulldozed. She shoved the sign, but it didn’t budge. Would it be illegal to take an ax to it? Even though the asking price was astronomical, there were plenty of people in Southern California with gobs of money.
Stuffing the flyer in her purse, she stole a look at the Taylors’ apartment. Had they seen the sign already? She imagined Brandon’s truck packed with furniture and Embry’s yellow car jammed full of suitcases. The thought of not having them as neighbors was enough to make her want to cry. In a quick move, she grabbed the stack of flyers and ran for her car. Jonathan could try to sell the place, but she wasn’t about to make it easy for him.
Sylvia breezed through the door of the Coffee Cart. A piping-hot blueberry muffin and a nice caffe latte were in order after spotting the dreadful FOR SALE sign when she’d opened the shutters early that morning.
Dave had been right. And Jonathan? Well, he’d proven himself to be a liar in addition to a self-important loser. Her mind had roared into gear as the sun came up, and she’d skipped washing her hair so she could leave early. Lucky for her, the trip to the convenience store where she’d purchased a second burner phone had taken less time than planned, leaving a solid twenty minutes for a well-deserved morning treat.
Once her order was in, she chose a table in the corner. The place wasn’t crowded, but the morning crunch would hit soon. She closed her eyes and leaned into the wooden chair, letting the sturdiness of it support her as she reviewed her plans. Did it happen like this for other people? Ha! No way. She was smarter than the masses. She opened her eyes, and a man standing in line caught her attention. He was waving his hand back and forth as though washing a window. Or to knock her out of her daze and get her attention. She squinted, trying to figure out who it was under the black-and-yellow jacket. He looked like a giant bumblebee. She gave him a confused look but returned the wave anyway.