Every Last Secret(60)

“Can I view exterior footage from tonight?”

I gave a regretful frown. “We have the exterior motion sensors turned off the majority of the time. Between the rabbits and the opossums, plus the fox that likes to visit our yard, the alerts were almost constant. I now only have them triggered by a door or window opening—or by the front gate.” I leaned forward and clicked on the folder for tonight. “Here’s when you pulled through the gate.” There were several clips showing his car moving down the drive. Him stepping out and putting on his hat. An adjustment of his pants before he took the steps up to the front door. A moment when he glanced in the front window, then rang the bell.

William spoke. “We were pretty security conscious when we moved in, but over time we’ve grown comfortable. Most of the time we don’t arm the alarms or lock the doors.”

“Well, please make sure that all your cameras are on and doors are locked, at least until we apprehend the suspect.” He stuck out his hand to William, and I hurried to the coffeepot, wanting to at least get him a cup to go. “Here’s my card, with my cell number on it. If either of you think of anything, please call me.”

“Do you know how this guy got in their house?” I pulled a disposable cup from the coffee butler and filled it to the top. “Cream? Sugar?”

“Um, neither. Thank you. And no, we don’t see any evidence of forced entry.”

“They might have left a door unlocked,” William remarked. “And they didn’t have a security system. I remember the neighborhood deputy scolding them for it when Matt had his fall.”

“Yes, it seems Mr. Ryder has had his fair share of bad luck.” The man glanced me, and I wondered how much Chief McIntyre had told him.

“I’m gonna head over there.” I passed him the coffee cup and moved to the coat closet, pulling out a long cashmere cardigan. “I need to see Neena. She’s got to be freaking out.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” William said. “If they haven’t found—”

“Did you see how many cop cars are out there? There’s not a safer place in Atherton right now. Wherever that guy is, he’s not coming back to the scene of the crime.”

“Just—give me a second.” William stepped toward the hall. “Let me put on a pair of jeans. I’ll come, too.”



We approached the Ryder house together, my hands stuffed in the deep pockets of the cardigan. Above us, spotlights moved through the dark, white circles of light illuminating the trees. I moved closer to the officer and glanced behind me, grateful for the well-lit driveway. “Where have they searched so far?”

“The Ryders’ property and the surrounding lots. The back drop-off is pretty steep, and the guy has a fifteen-minute head start on us, at least.”

I glanced at the dark sky. “Could you bring in a helicopter? Search that way?”

He chuckled. “Not for this. If there had been an actual homicide? Maybe. But murder attempts kind of fall into a budgetary gray area.” He caught a glimpse of my face and hurried to reassure me. “Which isn’t to say that they won’t do everything they can to catch him. But things like a helicopter are a bit overkill at this point. Don’t worry. We’ve got a set of dogs on the way. They’ll be able to track his path.” He herded us toward the driveway.

William frowned. “Murder attempt? I thought this was an armed robbery.”

“I’d have to let you get the details from the detective.” He shrugged in apology. “I don’t have the full scope of the investigation so far.”

I walked faster, anxious to be inside the house and closer to some answers.

We stepped into the open garage, and I skirted Matt’s Volvo, heading for the interior door. The officer grabbed my arm just before I touched the knob. “Mrs. Winthorpe?”

I turned and noticed the bright-blue tissues he held out to me. He nodded to my shoes. “They’re booties. We’ll also need both of you to wear gloves.”

“Oh.” I let out an awkward laugh. “Our prints are throughout the house already. We’re over here all the time.”

“Still, we have to preserve the scene as best we can.”

I pulled the booties over my shoes and could see, through the glass panes in the door, more officers inside. Neena had to be flipping out over the intrusion. I worked the gloves on and nodded at the man, holding up my palms to prove my adherence.

When we stepped inside, the first thing I heard was Matt’s voice, muffled, but clearly raised in anger.





CHAPTER 41

NEENA

Over the last sixteen years, I had seen Matt run through every gamut of emotion. Pride. Fear. Pain. Love. And he had been mad, even furious upon rare occasion. But I’d never seen the look of hatred he wore when we stepped into the office and closed the door.

“Did I just hear you tell her that you think I invented this entire thing?” His voice was very calm, but the glint in his eyes was that of a man pushed to the edge.

“That wasn’t what I was saying to her,” I protested. “I was just saying that I was tired and that I didn’t see anything. That for all I knew, there wasn’t anyone in our room.”

“Look at me, Neena.”

I did. I looked into the eyes of the man I had married at nineteen and wanted to divorce by twenty-two. It wasn’t his fault. Over the past twenty years, he’d gained an extra forty pounds and lost half of his hair, but he was the same guy. Loyal. Dependable. Hopelessly in love with me. I was the one who’d changed.