The Wife Stalker(75)

“In the winter? Leo never goes there this time of year.”

“I know. They were supposed to go to St. Barts. In fact, we all were, but at the last minute Piper talked him into going to Maine instead. And she told me I didn’t need to come, that I could take the week off.”

Why would Piper cancel a trip to the beautiful tropics to drive up to freezing Maine? It didn’t make sense. “When did all this happen?”

“Just last night. And that’s not all. They’re going hiking. I overheard her talking to Leo about it. I keep thinking of how high that house is, and about those trails, how easy it would be for someone to fall,” Rebecca went on.

Stelli was afraid of heights, and Leo knew that. Was Piper planning something like what had happened to Ethan Sherwood? “Thanks so much for calling me, Rebecca.”

“Please, you have to keep this between us,” she pleaded.

“Of course,” I said. “Don’t worry—they won’t find out you called me. Just please, stay close to the kids until they go. I’ll drive up there tonight so I can keep an eye on things.”

“Of course I’ll watch them today. But be careful, Joanna.”

I assured her I would be. If I hadn’t already been convinced that it was time to act, the phone call from Rebecca cinched it. Who goes to Maine in the winter? And Piper was planning a hike? Acadia would be practically deserted, so there’d be no witnesses if she did something. I had to cut her off at the pass.

After showering, I pulled out a few things and threw them in a suitcase. I’d have to figure out my plan on the drive; I always think better in the car anyway. There was no way Piper was going to kill another child, especially not the ones I loved so much.

Mom was asleep, so I left her a note on the kitchen table. She wouldn’t be happy to be alone on Christmas, but I had no choice. I made myself a quick coffee, shaking. I had to get to Leo before they went on that hike. Maybe even before that. She could be planning to push him down the mountain behind the house.

I looked at my watch, almost eight. I had one more thing to do before leaving, one thing that was going to serve as insurance and justification for at least one part of my life if all of this went south.

Opening my laptop, I clicked on a desktop folder and opened a file. Going to Facebook, I logged in and posted the document. Methodically, I went through the other thirty-one files in the folder and did the same. When I got back from Maine, there would be—as my mother would say—a shit show waiting.





49

Piper




Christmas morning had been quiet, Leo wanting little pomp and circumstance as the children were still missing their mother. They had showered the kids with gifts, hoping to distract them from the one thing they wanted most. On Christmas Eve, Leo had given Piper her present in private—a beautiful diamond-and-emerald infinity band.

Later that night Piper helped Evie pack. “Let’s not forget these boots, they’re perfect for hiking,” Piper said, taking them from the closet and putting them in the suitcase. “Now, what else?”

“Can I take my Nancy Drews?”

“Of course. What kind of trip would it be without books?” She smiled as Evie added two of the yellow hardcovers to her suitcase. “Okay, I think we’re finished. Why don’t you get your pajamas on, and I’ll go check on Stelli?”

She walked down the hallway to his bedroom and found him sitting on the floor, the empty suitcase open next to him. “Let’s get you packed for the morning, Stelli.”

He leaned his head on his knees and wrapped his arms around them. “I don’t feel good. I don’t want to go,” he mumbled.

“Does something hurt?”

“My stomach. I want to stay home.” He kept his head down as he spoke.

“I’ll fix you something to help your tummy and make it all better.”

He looked up at her, tears running down his cheeks. “Why do we have to go to Maine? It’s cold there.”

She leaned down to wipe a tear from his cheek. “It’s going to be nice this week, and it will be fun, Stelli. I promise. And after we go hiking, we’ll roast marshmallows and have hot chocolate. We’ll build a big fire in the fireplace and play games. You’ll have a good time.”

He put his head down again and didn’t answer.

“I’m going to pack some things for you, and then I want you and Evie to come downstairs. I’m going to show you pictures on the computer of the really neat trails we can go on. That way you can see everything ahead of time. We’ll all decide together which trails we’re going to take. How does that sound?”

He looked up at her again. “Okay, I guess.”

“Good,” she said, ruffling his hair. “Your pajamas are on the bed. Why don’t you put them on while I pack your suitcase? You can run downstairs and tell Daddy to meet us in the kitchen.”

Piper finished packing Stelli’s suitcase, closed the lid, and called to her stepdaughter as she passed her room. “Evie, come to the kitchen. We’re going to take a look at the trails we want to hike. Your dad and Stelli are waiting for us.”

When they got downstairs, Piper made some ginger tea for Stelli. “Here you go, this will help your tummy.”

He took a sip and made a face. “Yuck.”