“I want you and your dirty dog out of my house right this instant.”
“Dean!”
He ignored his wife and began to advance toward Autumn again. She stumbled backward, just as she saw Lainey reach for the desk for support. Her face was as pale as the snow outside.
“You… you’re the burglar,” his wife breathed. Dean turned around, panic on his face.
“Lainey, no. It’s not what you think…”
“No.” She shook her head. “It all makes sense. All of those times you were gone, the extra money you had, how jumpy you’ve been lately every time someone comes to the door… you stole those things, which means that you killed that woman too. I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Lainey, stop it. What are you doing?” He hurried back across the room and grabbed his wife, who was reaching for the phone.
“I’m calling the police,” she said.
“I’m your husband. You’re not going to turn me in.”
“You killed someone, Dean.”
“It was an accident.”
She stared at her husband. Autumn looked at her face and could tell that she hadn’t wanted to believe it, but his last four words had just erased all doubt from her mind.
“Why?” The word was barely more than a whisper.
“I did it for us. I lost my job. I didn’t want to tell you. You were so excited for our trip, and without the extra money from my work… I knew we wouldn’t be able to take it. I left every day, pretending to go to work, and instead followed people around and learned their schedules. I thought it would be a way to get quick cash that wouldn’t hurt anyone. I would just take some things, sell them, and we would be all set for our trip. I wasn’t even planning on hitting the neighbor’s house until I saw her leave. It just seemed to click. It was perfect; the police would never guess that the burglar would steal from someone who lived so close to him. But then this other woman showed up, and she must have seen me through the window because she knew that someone was there, and she wouldn’t stop pounding on the door. She was making a scene, so I answered it. She saw the mess, and I could tell by her face that she was going to go straight to the police, so I pulled her inside, planning to convince her not to go to anyone. I didn’t mean to kill her. I panicked. I don’t even know how the knife got into my hand, I swear.”
“Get off me,” Lainey shouted, batting his hands away. “I never want to see you again. Go. Just go.”
“Lainey, don’t do this. I will make things better.”
“How? You were smart enough to realize that stealing the neighbor’s dog was a bad idea. I don’t think you could solve this if you tried. It’s too late, Dean. I’m a good person. I don’t want to deal with this. Don’t make me choose between my husband and doing the right thing. Just go.”
“The dog followed me outside, and keeping it in the house so it would stop yapping at my door was the best plan I could think of in the heat of the moment. I didn’t want to kill it, just like I didn’t want to kill that woman.”
“It doesn’t matter that you didn’t want to, or you didn’t plan it. You did it. You murdered an innocent person. And then you slept next to me in bed for a week without saying anything.”
Autumn slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, dialing 911. She kept an eye on the couple, but backed out of the room, hoping that Dean wouldn’t notice her make the call. Even though Dean was crying now, instead of raging, she didn’t want to risk leaving Lainey completely alone with him.
“Hello,” she said when the dispatcher answered. “This is Autumn Roth, and I think you’ll want to send someone very quickly.”
EPILOGUE
* * *
“Sorry for disappearing last night,” Autumn said. It was Thursday morning, and she had just arrived at Asheville Meadows. She had only a few minutes before she had to start making breakfast. Even though she was exhausted from the night before, she felt as if a huge weight had lifted from her chest.
“Don’t be sorry. You told me all about what happened. I’m just glad you’re okay. And I’m glad that they finally caught the guy.”
“I just can’t believe it was my neighbor,” she said. “He lived next to me for years. It’s frightening to think that someone completely normal can become a criminal so easily.”
“I feel bad for his wife, if she really had no idea, like you said.”
“She didn’t. She was completely shocked. The worst part is, she seems like a genuinely nice person. She didn’t deserve any of this, any more than Amelia did. I just hope she’ll be all right.”
“Well, knowing you, she will have at least one person looking out for her.”
She smiled at him. “What did I miss last night, anyway? I thought it might be something to do with the new menu, but then I remembered that we hadn’t gotten the surveys out to the residents yet.”
He smiled, and looked like he was about to say something, but at that moment, Emily walked through the assisted-living home’s front doors.
“Emily, what are you doing here?” Autumn asked. “I thought your shift didn’t start until later.”
“Not today,” she said, giving Autumn and Nick an odd smile. “I’m guessing it’s the usual this morning? I better get started. The oatmeal won’t cook itself.”
“You don’t have to. It’s just breakfast. I was just about to go start cooking.”
“Nope.” Emily grinned at her. “Not today.”
Autumn raised her eyebrows. Nick grabbed her hand. “This is what we were going to do last night,” he said. “Unfortunately, I had to microwave the food, so won’t be as good as it would have been fresh. Of course, steak for breakfast might seem a little bit odd, but it would have been a shame to let it all go to waste.”
“What steak?” she asked.
“Follow me.”
He let her toward his office. When he opened the door, she gasped. His desk had been covered with the tablecloth, complete with candles, the assisted-living home’s nicest dishes, and champagne flutes filled with something orange.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said. “I had a nice bottle of wine, but I figured that juice might be better since it’s not even seven in the morning. Emily will make breakfast for the facility this morning. Will you eat with me?
“Nick, this is…”
“I know it’s not as fancy as a nice restaurant, but we go out to eat all the time. I wanted to do something nice for you, something personal.”
“Did you make the food yourself?”
“Yes, I did. We’ve got steak, mashed cauliflower, corn on the cob, sautéed squash, and for dessert, strawberry shortcake. I’ve been paying attention to what you order when we go out, and tried to remember your favorites.”
“This is perfect,” she breathed. She turned and threw her arms around him. She felt bad for doubting him even for an instant. “This is the most magical Valentine’s Day anyone has ever given me.”
The Heart of Murder Page 7