Sweet Liar (Candy #2)(16)

They were underestimating me, but that was okay because it seemed to be working in my favor.

I grabbed my phone to enter the address into the GPS, and then shoved the car phone charger and my recipe book into my bag, along with a cold bottle of water from the refrigerator and a bag of chips that would be easy to eat while I was driving. Then I filled Pumpkin’s food dish and headed for the car.





Two hours later, the bag of chips lay empty on the seat beside me with the heated gloves Jonah had given me. They worked too well to leave behind.

My GPS directed me through a dark neighborhood of small single-story houses. Despite living in this town with my aunt’s family for six years, I’d never spent much time on this side of it, far from the center, secluded in the dense woods with not much else around. As I drove through the night, the road narrowed and the area turned more rural. Streetlights were sporadic, and the woods thickened until houses were hard to see, hidden behind what was turning into a forest.

I glanced down at the phone to find I was only half a mile from the address my father had given me. My excitement dissolved into nervous anticipation as I wondered what I might be driving into. Even though this area was secluded, I wasn’t scared. I trusted my father not to send me into a dangerous situation, and hoped he’d sent me here to find something that could help him. What I didn’t want to find was a stash of money or some other proof that he’d done something wrong, and that he’d done it for greedy reasons.

By the time the GPS announced I’d reached my destination, my nerves were stretched taut. I stopped the car in the road and looked down the length of a long, dark driveway. The house at the end was obstructed by thick trees in the front yard.

With my heart in my throat, I turned into the narrow driveway. I’d run into some traffic on the way, and it was just after nine thirty now, a little too late for an unexpected visitor, but not so obscenely late that I’d be rousing someone out of bed. At least, I hoped not.

Before I reached the end, I spotted a dim light shining through the trees. It was a lamppost illuminating a walkway, and now I could see a white sedan parked in front of the garage. I took this as a good sign; it made the home seem more welcoming. I could see now it was a small gray clapboard house, much like the others on the street. Bushes lined the front. The house was old but appeared well kept.

I buttoned my coat and pulled on the gloves. It was a frigid December night with a low gauzy sky that threatened snow. After tossing my phone into my bag, I got out of the car and headed up the walkway, noticing there was a light on inside, muted by heavy curtains.

After climbing the small stairway, I pressed the doorbell and heard the muffled sound of chimes through the door. My pulse was pounding so hard, I could feel its speedy rhythm echo through my body. It seemed as if a long time passed before I heard a lock click, and the door was slowly pulled open only an inch or so.

I positioned myself to the side so I could be seen. After a moment, the door opened wider, and standing there in a pink terrycloth robe was a tall blond woman.

She blinked in the low light, looking surprised to see me. Her hair color was the monotone kind that came from a bottle, and wrinkles around her eyes and mouth were made more noticeable by the makeup caked inside them. She looked around fifty or so.

“Hi.” I smiled hesitantly, not sure how to introduce myself or explain why I was here.

Her head tilted to the side as she studied me. “What’s your name,” she asked.

“Candy.”

“Candy Seaborne,” she said. “I thought so. Come in.” She stepped back to allow me inside.

A mix of surprise and curiosity came with me through the door. Who was this woman, and how did she know me?

When I walked inside the small entryway, I smelled what was probably the remnants of dinner, something that left the scent of garlic behind. A sitting room was off to my right, where she’d obviously been watching television. It was turned down low, and a blanket was tossed across the couch.

The woman closed the door and turned to face me. “Would you like to sit down?”

I nodded and followed as she moved toward the couch, where she gathered the blanket and folded it, and then set it off to the side to make room. Using the remote on the coffee table, she turned off the television, and sat down to watch me as I pulled off my gloves and lowered myself onto the other end of the couch.

She offered me a hesitant smile. “If you’re here alone, I’m afraid it’s not good news.”

I eyed her curiously. “I’m not sure why I’m here. I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”

She smiled shyly, looking almost embarrassed. “I’m Lorraine, a friend of your father’s. Did he send you?”

I nodded, wondering if she was more than just a friend. I didn’t think my father had any friends like her. The fact that he’d choose a woman like Lorraine would be surprising. She was so different from my mother. They were both attractive, but my mother was a natural beauty while everything about this woman was fake, from her thick bleached-blond hair to her long pink fingernails.

“Is he okay?” she asked. The skin around her eyes wrinkled with concern as she waited for my response.

I had no idea what she knew about my father, but he had sent me here. He must have wanted me to talk to her.

“He’s in trouble with the people he works for. Actually, he’s gone. They came and took him somewhere.”