Page 21 of Strangers She Knows

“See? I’m a good guy,” Max said.

“A guy without pants,” Kellen answered.

“Pantless Max,” he agreed, and came around to Rae’s other side. He helped Kellen maneuver her out of the bedroom and down the hallway. “Tomorrow, we can take a picnic lunch and find out what we’ve got here. I can’t wait to explore the beach. It’s going to be different here than in Washington.”

“This is all cliffs. We can’t jump off the cliffs.” Rae was displeased and unwilling to have her mood changed.

“It’s not all cliffs. You saw that.” Max may have sounded exasperated. “There are all kinds of beaches, and while it’s quite a climb, about a half mile from here there’s a stairway down and we can sit in the warm sand, wade in the cold Pacific—”

“Until our legs turn blue.” Rae had been to Northern California before.

Luna trotted beside them, all lolling tongue and smiling teeth.

“We’ll throw a stick in the waves and listen to Luna bark until it comes back. She’s going to love it so much!” Even before Kellen finished speaking, it was obvious she had hit the right note.

Rae put her hand on her dog’s head. “Okay. We can do that.”

8

Which meant, of course, an unexpected storm blew in with a midnight clap of thunder and after an hour of pouring rain the weather settled into a constant drizzle that lasted through morning wake-up and into breakfast in the massive dining room.

As the promised bike ride and picnic disappeared, the expression on Rae’s face made last night’s thunder and lightning seem like kittens and flowers.

Max cleared his throat, but before he could say anything about entertaining them, Kellen said, “Rae, let’s investigate the house.”

Rae’s face began to turn tantrum red.

“It’s like a Gothic mansion, big and old and—”

Rae took a deep breath.

Inspired by panic, Kellen added, “—has an attic!”

Rae paused in midbreath. Slowly she let it out.

“Imagine,” Kellen coaxed. “Old trunks with funny clothes and hats.”

“We can dress up.”The Castle in the Atticwas one of Rae’s favorite books.

“Yep!” Kellen passed her the plate of toast, the butter and the shaker. “Cinnamon sugar?”

Rae piranhaed her way through two slices of cinnamon toast, two soft-boiled eggs, two pieces of bacon, a plain piece of toast, watermelon, blueberries and half a peach, and when she finished, she leaped to her feet, cheery and impatient. “Are you ready to go?” she asked her mother.

“Almost. I thought we’d pack a snack.”

“I’ll find a picnic blanket.” Rae ran out of the room.

“Never let her get hungry,” Max murmured.

“What do you suppose she’s going to use for a picnic blanket?” Kellen asked.

Olympia stepped into the doorway. “What’s Rae want with an antique linen tablecloth?”

“Oh,” Max and Kellen said in unison.

While Olympia created a lunch basket for Kellen and Rae to carry with them, Kellen exchanged the linen tablecloth for an old khaki-colored wool Army blanket and Rae took Luna outside to use the facilities. While she was gone, Max said, “I found the gun safe in Gerard Morgade’s study, with the key in the lock. I’ll bring the weapons inside and stow them. Mara might be far away, but I don’t trust her to stay there.”

“Always prepare for the worst,” Kellen said. “I learned that in the Army.”

---