Page 22 of In Her Sights
“Preliminary hearing.” The correction sounded oddly gentle, but she still winced at the reminder.
“Right. She gets a preliminary hearing, since she committed a felony.” She paused as she fought off an overwhelming surge of anger and anxiety. “Several felonies. So…we have thirty days, then?”
“Thirty to forty-five, yeah.” He was watching her closely from his spot just a few steps away. She didn’t like him treating her as if she might break. It made her want to collapse into his arms and bawl, which wouldn’t solve anything. She was the oldest of her sisters, and they were counting on her to lead them through this, just like she’d done during the many, many other messes Jane had thrown them into.
“Okay.” Taking a deep breath, she held it until her brain spun a little, and then released it in a long, silent exhalation. “This is good news. It gives us time.”
A heavy knock on the front door made her jerk back. For an irrational moment, she felt a gut-deep fear that Barney was there to toss them out of their home, but then logic reasserted itself. She’d just learned that they had at least a month to figure a way out of this. Whoever was at the door wasn’t there to evict them…yet.
She belatedly started moving through the living room, but John was there first, putting his significant bulk between her and the door. As she stared at his broad back, she blinked, more baffled than annoyed by his protective action.
“What are you doing?” she asked quietly as the knocking stopped.
“Let me see who it is first.” His voice was just a low rumble, and she wanted to laugh at their whispers. As far as she knew, there was no reason to hide from their latest visitor, but they were both muttering quietly at each other.
“No. It’s my house, dum-dum.” Slipping around him, she hurried to the door, knowing that it had taken her long enough that whoever it was might have already left.
“‘Dum-dum’?” he repeated, although he kept his words quiet. “Are you five?”
“Most people say I’m a solid ten, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.” When she went up onto her tiptoes to peer through the peephole, there was a scratchy, clicking sound. She froze, her gaze dropping to the doorknob, watching in shocked disbelief as the dead bolt thumped open. It felt surreal. Someone had picked the lock—was breaking in—right in front of them.
Her heart pounding, she took a step back and stared as the knob began to turn, twisting slowly as the door eased open. Behind her, John swore creatively under his breath. Then she was plucked off her feet and tucked behind his massive bulk again, so he was blocking her view of the opening door. Before she could protest or move to help protect him, John surged forward. A startled squawk from an unknown male voice jolted Molly out of her shock. She shifted to the side just in time to see a blond stranger get plucked off his feet and yanked into the house. Slamming the door closed again, John pinned the intruder against it.
“Who are you?” John demanded, the menace underlying the question making the stranger flinch back as much as possible, given that he was already mashed against the door, his backpack squashed between his back and the wood. When the man didn’t answer, John used his fistful of dress shirt to give him a solid shake.
“Stu…Stuart,” the stranger stammered. “Stuart Powers.” His last name cut off with a squeak as John jostled him again.
“What are you doing here?” Molly asked, figuring that since John had Stuart so conveniently in his grip, she should use the opportunity to question him. She was used to doing her own tackling, so this was a nice change. “Why did you break in?”
Stuart shot her a panicked glance from the corner of his eye. “I didn’t break in…” he started, cutting off when John gave him another shake. “I didn’t! The door was unlocked!”
Molly and John exchanged a look.
“Sure. It was unlocked after you picked it,” Molly said with heavy sarcasm. “Why did you break in? What were you planning on taking?”
“Nothing!” The yelp was full of indignation, but Stuart’s gaze flickered down for a fraction of a second, just long enough to tell Molly that the trespassing stranger was lying. “I go to school with Cara. I’m just dropping off some lecture notes she asked for.”
“You picked the lock in order to leave lecture notes?” The skepticism in John’s voice was thick, and Molly agreed with him. Stuart’s story was weak and full of holes. “Try again.”
“I did!” Stuart blinked rapidly, as if trying to think up a more plausible lie. “I mean, I didn’t pick the lock. I don’t even know how to do that. I was going to just leave the notes inside…”
Molly couldn’t keep her eyes from rolling. “Let’s skip over the fact that we saw you unlock the door and move on to the question of why you came all the way over here rather than just emailing or texting her your notes.”
“I…uh…” He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed with the effort. “I don’t actually know her number.”
Exchanging another glance with John, Molly sighed. “There’s a student directory. At the least, you could’ve found her email address. Not only that, but she would’ve given you her contact info if she’d actually asked you to bring her your notes.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and Stuart’s eyes bugged out in obvious panic.
“Wait! Who are you calling?”
“Cara, first of all.” She shot off a quick text. “If her answer is what I think it’s going to be, then you’re going to have to think of a new and more convincing story for the cops, Stu.”
His face went even paler until his skin matched his light-blond eyebrows and lashes. A blue vein pulsed in his temple as they all waited in silence for Cara’s return text. Before Molly’s phone could beep, the knob twisted and shook as someone outside tried to open the door.
“Molly?” Charlie called. “Are you trying to be funny, or is the door stuck again?”
“Neither!” Molly raised her voice in order for her sister to be able to hear her. “Carmondy has a wannabe burglar shoved against it.”
There wasn’t even a startled pause before Charlie spoke again. “Could he move him for a sec? Just long enough for me and Fifi to get inside?”
