Page 23 of In Her Sights
John half carried and half dragged Stuart over and pressed him against the wall next to the door. “You’re clear!” John called, and the door immediately flew open.
“What’s up?” Charlie asked, her eyes wide with interest as she spotted Stuart. “Does this have anything to do with…?” She paused, obviously not wanting to say Mom. “The issue that we were talking about earlier?”
Molly wasn’t sure why she’d needed the nudge, but it was painfully obvious once Charlie had asked the question. “We’re not sure yet, but it’s likely. Blondie here picked the lock after we were delayed in answering the door.”
“Delayed by what?” Felicity asked, following Charlie inside and closing the door behind them.
“Does it matter?” Molly asked, not able to keep the testiness out of her voice. They had someone break into their home, and her sister was worried about why it took them a couple extra minutes to answer the door?
“Not really, but I’m interested in hearing the answer.” As she spoke, Felicity coolly eyed Stuart up and down.
“Me too.” Of course Charlie had to chime in.
“John and I were discussing something and took a few minutes to get to the door.”
“Discussing something?” Charlie sounded like she was about to laugh. “Is that a euphemism?”
Stuart’s gaze was darting from person to person. “If you all want to talk about this in private, I’ll just leave…” He trailed off as John’s fist tightened around his shirt, holding him more firmly in place.
Knowing that John had their intruder under control, Molly focused on her sisters. “No. It’s not a euphemism. We were literally talking, as in using our words to exchange ideas.”
Felicity looked from Molly to John and then back again. “Did you find out something new? Something about Mo—ah…something about the case we’re working on?”
Gesturing toward where Stuart dangled from John’s grip, Molly said, “Let’s take care of this first, and then I’ll fill you in.”
The door swung open again, forcing Felicity to jump out of the way before it smacked into her. This time, it was Cara who stood there. She took in the scene with outward calm, her eyebrows arching just slightly higher than normal as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her gaze jumping to John’s grip on Stuart and then back to Molly.
“Do you know him?” Molly asked, rather than answering her sister’s question.
Her forehead creasing in confusion, Cara frowned. “John? Of course I know him.”
“No, the other one.”
Cara studied Stuart carefully. When he opened his mouth, as if to prompt Cara’s memory, Molly made a zip-it gesture across her lips. Stuart stayed silent.
“Maybe?” Cara finally said, squinting at him with her head tilted to the right. “He looks vaguely familiar, but that could be because he’s pretty generic-looking. He looks like ninety percent of the guys at school.” When Stuart let out a testy grunt, Cara grimaced apologetically. “No offense.”
“You didn’t ask him for a copy of his notes?”
“Definitely not.”
It was enough confirmation for Molly, and she pulled out her phone again, this time calling Sergeant Blake.
Stuart’s eyes got round as she held the phone to her ear. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Calling the police.” When he began to sputter, she held up her hand in an I don’t want to hear it gesture. “If you don’t want the cops called on you, then don’t break into people’s houses.”
Blake’s phone went to voicemail, so Molly hung up. Ignoring the newly hopeful look on Stuart’s face, she called the number for dispatch. After she gave the basic details of what had happened, she ended the call. The minutes ticked by in silence. Her sisters gave her wide-eyed What is going on looks, but Molly could only mouth later and shrug slightly, not wanting to give Stuart any information that he didn’t have before. Everything was pointing toward his break-in being related to Jane, and she wondered if Stuart was the one who had stolen her car and the business’s bank card.
“Have you broken in here before today?” she asked abruptly, watching his expression carefully.
“No,” he blurted out, before pulling his chin back in a flinch. “I mean, I didn’t break in ever, including today.”
Ignoring his attempt to cover his tracks, she considered his immediate denial. Although she could be wrong, and he could be an excellent liar, she was inclined to believe his automatic answer.
“Let’s go outside and wait for the cops,” she said. Having their house searched had made her feel raw and exposed and not at all inclined toward inviting law-enforcement officers inside. From John’s comprehending glance and the way he immediately moved toward the door, dragging Stuart along with him, he understood exactly where she was coming from. Molly was struck again by the oddness of having John around, correctly interpreting her subtext and expressions, when just days ago she’d been doing her best to dodge him.
