Page 72 of The Lake Escape
She could see the Porsche from across the lawn.
She wondered… the police wanted to search the car and the rest of his house, but David refused. Julia, however, wasn’t the police. She was his friend—potentially with benefits—and not subject to the same rules and restrictions.
She slowed down. Adrenaline swam through her veins, momentarily numbing the pain in her toe. David was busy in his office. Erika and Taylor were still out. Nobody would see her.
The car was unlocked. Not a surprise at the lake where crime was nonexistent, unless you counted possible abductions and maybe murder. The interior light came on, causing a brief panic. Julia quickly found the button to shut it off and used her phone’s subtler flashlight.
The interior looked pristine—not so much as a crumb. The seats were made of buttery soft leather. The dash was sleek and probably ultramodern when powered on. Christian would certainly envy this ride.
She started her search by checking the glove compartment, finding nothing other than the manual and registration—which was in David’s name, as expected. She was careful that her feet and hands left no telltale marks behind as she checked under the seats and behind the visors.
Nothing.
Forget signs of blood; this vehicle showed no signs oflife.Fiona had been very protective of her car around the kids, and perhaps it was her nature to keep it fastidiously clean. David might have already detailed the vehicle to remove anything suspicious, but Julia didn’t remember the car ever leaving the driveway.
After scoping out the little compartments in the door and front console, Julia was convinced there was nothing more to see. But bodies usually end up in the trunk, so she closed the car door as quietly as possible—but only after she triggered the latch that opened the back of the Cayenne GTS. The inside of the trunk was as clean as the rest of the vehicle. The only smell that hit her was the scent of a new car and rubber from the extra floor mats.
Julia was about to end her search, but decided to check under the mats to be thorough. She lifted them off the carpet and, to her astonishment, finally found one trace of human activity. It wasn’t much, a small slip of paper, but it was something. Using her flashlight, Julia realized she was looking at a dry-cleaning ticket. She wasn’t familiar with the place, but the business address was in a town in Vermont, south of here—maybe a couple hours away.
What was Fiona doing with a dry-cleaning tag from a place that wasn’t anywhere near her apartment in New York City? She hadn’t mentioned having ties to the area.
Julia didn’t have time to ponder the implications. Car lightsflashed down the road, signaling Erika and Taylor’s return from their girls’ night in town.
Julia stuffed the ticket into the pocket of her jeans, closed the trunk quietly, and hobbled back to her house as quickly as she could on her still-sore foot.
Chapter 32
Izzy
“I asked you a question, dammit! What are you doing in here?”
I cower as though David’s words have been thrown at me. Holding my breath, I wait for the worst.
He grips the doorframe like he’s holding himself back. Maybe he’s afraid of what he’ll do if he lets go. But now he takes that step.
My first thought is to seek shelter—flight, not fight—if only I had somewhere to go. I move out from behind the desk, now standing at its side, thinking I’ll leave, but David is blocking the only exit.
I consider screaming, but who would come? Becca and Brody? By the time anyone arrived who could actually help, I’d have the life squeezed out of me and David’s fingerprints all over my throat.
“Izzy, answer my question,” he says, advancing slowly.
Instinctively, I step back, only to bump into his desk. I hit the glass top hard enough to make the computer monitor teeter on its stand. I search for something I can use as a weapon. There’s a pen, but I’m too frightened to make a move.
He comes to me without hesitation, stopping only a foot away. I don’t like how hard he studies me, as if he can view my secrets, extract them from my mind one by one.
“This is my private office. And these are my private things. You have no business being up here.”
My breath quivers. David’s shoulders are clenched like he’sready to pounce. He feels as dangerous as a live wire. “Well? I’m waiting.”
I’ve never been great at coming up with excuses on the spot. I open my mouth to speak. I won’t be able to walk out of here without some sort of explanation. But all I manage is sputtering gibberish. “I… I… was… just—”
That’s when Mary’s words of wisdom to Bert come back to me.Why make simple things complicated?Why indeed.
“I misplaced my phone charger. I was hoping to find one up here I could borrow.” Luckily, the lie rolls easily off my tongue. It’s a logical reason to come into the office, after all.
I notice David soften slightly. His face goes slack and his shoulders release. He’s processing my excuse like he wants to believe me, but that could be wishful thinking.
“A closed door should tell you tostay out.”
