Page 44 of The Secrets She Keeps

She couldn’t exactly do that today or anything.

She mostly just did that when she was bored anyway.

Bored. She got bored around her house all the time. Maybe… “Are you bored or something?”

It took a moment, but Leena nodded. “Yes. You don’t have any toys here. Or TV. And the nanny is gone so I can’t play games with anybody. You won’t play with me.”

Talk about accusatory. The kid was glaring like Brianna was a criminal or something.

“Of course, I don’t. Televisions are for common people. I don’t watch television.” Only in her bedroom at night. She hated the look of televisions. She didn’t want one uglifying her home. “Grab your jacket.”

It was kind of cold out, and the kid had been sick, right? She’d need her coat, so she didn’t get sick again and Brianna have to take her to a pediatrician or anything. How would she even explain that? Did she evenknowan actual pediatrician besides that Coleson-Greene woman, anyway?

“Why? Where are we going? Are we going somewhere? Like for real?”

Brianna looked at her closely. The snot was finally gone. The kid didn’t look high from the cold medicine or anything now like she had the time Brianna had given her too much of it or anything. Brianna had ordered clothing for her that was appropriate for her standing in the community. She’d made the kid take a shower too. Leena was clean enough to take out in public.

The kid had come with one pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, and two school uniforms. For three weeks. Well, that hadn’t been good enough.

Not for Brianna’s little sister anyway. Leena couldn’t go aroundHughes Heightslooking like an orphan. With the dark hair and eyes and everything, someone might think she was aColesonor something.

The mere idea disgusted Brianna to even think about.

There was a park nearby. Brianna had played there as a child. Brianna and Powell. Powell would usually be there every night when they were little kids, since Powell had lived right next to the park and everything. Brianna would go there looking for Powell almost every night too.

Sometimes Powell was the only one who Brianna would have to play with when they were kids. She hadn’t ever forgotten that.

Brianna had been a little lonely, but her stepfather had insisted that she only play with therightkids, from the right families. That had been very important for her development. She had always had just therightfriends.

Brandt and Powell were the nicest ones.

Brianna had almost forgotten that. What it was like to be lonely as a kid. Banks and Bethany had had far more friends than she had ever had. They had been allowed to, she hadn’t. Her stepfather had said she had knocks against her in that regard, since she wasn’t his and everything.

It was just after four. There were other children around this neighborhood somewhere. Schools got out around three-thirty, right? Brianna saw them all the time, cluttering up the streets. Yelling and running around, chasing balls of some sort. Or riding bikes. That kind of thing.

That Hughes Heights was a family neighborhood was one of the things they pointed out to prospective homeowners, after all. A safe,familyneighborhood.

Filled with the right kind of people.

Well, except for the Colesons anyway.Theywere the Hughes Heights’ exceptions to quality, after all.

And…the park was right next to the Barratts’ home. She could see if Mac or Alex or Brandt were there. Or Powell. She’d really prefer Powell. Sometimes, Brianna just needed to bewith another woman. One who didn’t really feel threatened by Brianna or anything.

Powell’s mother might be there. She would know what to do with a kid to keep her entertained. Brianna was angry with Timothy for just dropping this kid off on her, no denying that. She was also kind of angry withJacktoo.

He’d been a total butthead to her since she’d gotten stuck with her little sister. Maybe Powell would have some ideas on how to deal with Jack. Powell knew a bunch of the Major Crimes guys really well.

She just wished she could vent to someone about Timothy too. But that wasn’t going to happen.

She wasn’t certain she bought the idea that he wasbusy.Yes, he was an anesthesiologist who worked for Claireson Pharm in research and development now that he didn’t work for County any longer. He’d worked part time for Claireson for decades, as a consultant. But since Banks’s death, Timothy had quit his position at the hospital and just worked for Claireson. Timothy was very busy.

But Timothy surely had time for his daughter?

Then again, he hadn’t had any time for Brianna until after her stepfather had died. It was almost like Timothy hadn’t wanted to fight against him. Not even for Brianna.

Or maybe Timothy just didn’t want his offspring when they were children? Children were a lot of work, after all. Leenadefinitelywas.

That was probably it.

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