Witches of Three_Seraphina (11 page)

“No, I haven’t,” Sera replied. “I didn’t even know he lived with her.”

“Oh, yes, she’s keeping it very hush-hush. Maybe he’s not even her brother. Maybe she has a boyfriend.” Janet laughed and raised her eyebrows suggestively. “On the other hand, maybe not. I heard her husband couldn’t stand her. He became a drunk then he ran off and left her with that daughter of hers to raise. A chip off the old block for sure. If Bethany isn’t careful, she’s going to be just like her mother. Well…” Janet shrugged. “She is already.”

“I have to get these things planted,” Sera said pointedly.

“Oh, sure, honey. I didn’t mean to take up your time. I just thought you might like to know what you’re living next door to.”

Sera turned back to her gardening, then remembered something Janet had said. “Did you say you’d lived in California? Is that where you’re from?”

“Not me, Francis is, but he moved back east and that’s where I met him.”

“Janet!” Francis Prescott called harshly to his wife.

She glanced over her shoulder. “I’d better go,” she said hastily and dropped the watering hose.

In a few seconds, the water had been turned off and the screen door banged behind her. For all of two minutes, the backyard was blessedly silent, then sounds of shouting, a slap and a woman’s scream came from the Prescott house, then all was silent again.

Troubled, Sera set about putting the geraniums in the ground, but all she’d heard diminished her enjoyment of their color and beauty. Finished, she carried the tools back to the shed and went inside to clean up and make a salad and dessert for supper. She had a lot to think about and relay to Jack.

“I could get used to this,” he said later, pushing back from the patio table.

His usual flat stomach was slightly rounded, and his face bore an expression of supreme repletion mingled with slight regret. She hadn’t a doubt that if she offered him seconds on the strawberry shortcake, he wouldn’t refuse. He looked across the table at her and smiled.

“I can’t believe how beautiful you are,” he said, reaching for her hand. “And you cook too. Incredible. Now all I need to make this evening complete is to take you into that bedroom and make love to you all night.” He grimaced and leaned back again. “Maybe later, after my supper settles.”

“While I wait, I’ll clean up the kitchen,” she said mockingly but didn’t move.

“I’ll help you, then maybe we can go for a walk or something.”

“I’d like that.”

Neither of them moved but sat sipping at their fresh raspberry tea. The evening air was redolent with the smell of freshly cut grass and blooming flowers.

“Your geraniums add a pleasant touch of color,” he said. Once again, he’d linked his fingers through hers.

“I thought so too,” she answered, frowning as she remembered her conversation with Janet.

Sera hadn’t relayed any of her speculations about her neighbors to Jack yet, wanting to have a pleasant supper outdoors. Now she rose from the table and began gathering dishes.

“Come on, you promised,” she reminded Jack and led the way inside to the kitchen. “I have some things to tell you.”

They rinsed the plates and put them into the dishwasher. Jack halted in his trek outside to the garbage can.

“What did you want to tell me?” His gaze was alert and hard, so Sera related the conversation she’d had with Janet.

“What’s her husband like?” Jack asked tautly, the garbage bag forgotten. “What does he look like?”

“I’ve only seen him a couple of time when he backed his car out of the drive. I’ve never seen him out in the yard or anything.”

“So you don’t know his age or anything?”

“I think he’s quite a bit older than Janet. She seems very impressed by him and is always worried about pleasing him, which I don’t think can be very easy. Yesterday, while she was talking to me, he called her in and I heard them fighting. I…I think he slapped her, and she screamed like she was in pain.”

Jack’s lips tightened, and he tied off the garbage can and headed outdoors. She knew he was out there looking things over next door and realized she hadn’t told him her thoughts of Owen. Suddenly, she didn’t want to cause Jack to doubt the elderly man. She felt oddly protective of him.

By the time she’d started the dishwasher, Jack was back inside, his reconnoitering over.

“Ready for that walk now?” he asked.

She knew the proposed activity had nothing to do with a simple walk. He was casing out the neighborhood even if he’d done it a thousand times before. Sure enough, as they strolled down the street, Jack took hold of her hand as if they were two lovers out for an evening walk. And they were, she told herself. It was just that Jack was an FBI agent in search of a wanted suspect. Took all the romance out of the evening. The Prescott house was on the corner, and they turned and walked along the side of it, with Jack studying every aspect of the building and yard. At the back edge of their property, Jack let go of her hand.

“Just keep walking,” he said. “I’m going to look things over. I’ll meet you at the other end of the alley. Before she could protest, he ducked down the alley, keeping to the shadowed areas where he was less noticeable. Darkness was about to fall in a half hour or so, she realized, and continued walking.

True to his word, Jack rejoined her as she came up on the other side of the block. Without a word, he was simply there, taking hold of her hand and matching his step to hers as if they’d never parted.

“Did you find out anything?” she asked.

“Some,” he answered cryptically.

“Tell me,” she demanded when he didn’t go on.

He shrugged. “They were quiet inside the house, but I managed to get his license number and go through his glove box.”

“What did you find?” she shook his arm impatiently.

“It’s better if I don’t get you involved.”

“I already am. I’m spying on my neighbors, and I’m your shill.”

“Shill?” He cast her a bemused glance.

“You know, your decoy. People think we were out walking the whole way around the block. I deserve to know what you found in the glove box.”

“Okay, nosy.” He seemed to have regained some of his good humor. “The car was a rental car.”

“A rental car!” Sera looked at him expectantly. “What does it mean?”

“That he’s driving a rental car,” Jack said laconically.

“You know what I’m saying,” she half whispered as they passed a neighbor in his front yard. “Why would he be driving a rental car instead of one of his own?”

“Maybe he doesn’t have one,” he suggested.

“Using a rental car for everyday travel is really expensive. Of course, if he has all that money he stole, he can afford it.” She bit her thumbnail as she considered the meaning of her neighbor’s behavior. She’d learned a lot about him today and all of it surprising and slightly disturbing. He was so obviously the man Jack was looking for.

“Sera, keep your nose out of this,” he said roughly, bringing her back to the here and now.

“Why?” She was hurt by his tone. “I’m helping you by finding out things about my neighbors.”

“You’re scaring me, is what you’re doing,” he said sharply. “I don’t want you to get hurt. A man who would steal millions of dollars would have no scruples about killing someone to protect his identity.”

Sera drew a sharp breath. “You mean—”

“Yes. If it is your neighbor Frank Prescott, we already know he slaps his wife around. Why would he have any scruples about attacking you? Stay away from them.”

They’d circled the block and arrived back on her street. Gwen Shepherd’s house was first on the block, then her own and finally Janet’s.

“What about this neighbor?” she asked softly as they passed Gwen’s sprawling rancher.

“What about them?”

Sera related the gossip Janet Prescott had passed on. “Am I to be wary of them as well?”

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea,” he answered. “At least, until I’ve had a chance to check them out more thoroughly. Just to be safe, don’t do anything other than what you normally do in regard to both neighbors.”

Sera nodded in acquiescence, but suddenly, she was glad she hadn’t told him her suspicions about Owen.

They were at her driveway again, and Jack tugged at her hand.

“Let’s go inside.” His voice was husky, his smile highly suggestive.

She felt a thrill of answering interest run through her body. She grinned and followed him.

Making love with Jack was always satisfying and filled with surprises. She’d long since stopped worrying about the Kama Sutra positions. He seemed to know them all and more, plus he made each one special, leaving her gasping with need and fulfillment. Tonight was no different.

They were eager to get undressed, tossing their cast-off clothing on the floor before falling on the bed together. Jack’s kisses were hot and demanding, and she was only too willing to answer those demands. He trailed kisses from her throat down to her breasts, which he licked and nibbled until she was squirming with need, then he rolled her on her back and assumed the missionary position, performing the tried and true with absolute genius until they came together.

Afterwards they lay, limbs tangled, until their sweat dried and Sera began to feel a chill from the night breeze blowing through the open window. Jack seemed not to notice. He was already asleep and lightly snoring. She kissed him on his shoulder and got up to close the window.

A shadow moved in the window of Gwen Shepherd’s house, which lined up exactly with hers. Staring into the darkness, Sera could see nothing, so she closed the window and on a sudden premonition, locked it as well, then ducked to one side and peered out between a fold in the drapery.

She hadn’t long to wait before the shadow was back and training a pair of night binoculars toward her window. Drawing in a sharp gasp, she stood frozen, then made herself invisible and watched boldly as their watcher adjusted his binoculars. She adjusted her gaze, and thanks to the special powers she’d inherited from one of her more gifted relatives, was able to make out the face of a man, dark haired with sharp, hard features. He trained his binoculars on her window once more.

Outraged that someone was spying on her, she nodded her head at the high tech binoculars. The man lowered them and cursed. His mouth moved angrily, and she read the word on his lips. He fiddled with his binoculars some more and tried again with equally unsatisfying results apparently for he turned away and threw the binoculars across the room. Not a good way to treat an expensive, sensitive piece of equipment, but they would never work again anyway. She’d seen to that with just a nod of her head. She’d stopped his spying, but she still didn’t know why or even who.

Was their watcher Gwen’s brother? She thought of the times she and Jack had made love here with the window open and the curtains drawn. They’d not turned on the light, believing the darkness shielded them from any casual glance, but what would someone with night binoculars be able to see? Her instinct was to draw the curtains now, but she didn’t want whoever was there to be warned away, at least, not until she told Jack so he would have a chance to catch the Peeping Tom in action.

Making sure she didn’t move into the watcher’s line of sight, she crept back to bed and pulled the sheet over Jack before she slid in beside him. She usually felt safe and secure at his side like this, but now that feeling was gone and she shuddered. Her tension seemed to communicate itself to Jack. He rolled over in his sleep and pulled her close to him. His warm presence eased her concern, but it was still well into the morning hours before she fell into a restless asleep.

Chapter Eleven

She woke groggy and headachy to find herself alone. Jack had left a note that he’d be back later in the afternoon, but not a word about where he’d gone or why. She’d intended to tell him at once about Gwen’s brother or whoever the man was who’d been looking into their windows, but she’d be at the library by the time he returned. She sat on the side of her bed, muddling through all the thoughts that had come to her during her sleepless night. Janet had said Gwen’s brother had been in prison but was living with Gwen now. The thought he might be a sexual predator had taken root, and she couldn’t shake it. She would confront Gwen and her brother this very minute, she decided. Whatever the man had done, he’d obviously paid his debt to society, but he could still be dangerous. She couldn’t ignore what had happened. She never once thought what she was about to do could be dangerous. She was a witch.

Hastily, she dressed and walked next door. Gwen seemed taken aback when she saw Sera. Her expression was one of dislike, but she quickly hid it.

“Sera, what a surprise to see you at my door so early in the morning,” she said.

“Good morning, Gwen. May I come in?”

“Well, I…I’m rather busy.” She cast a quick glance over her shoulder.

“It’s important,” Sera persisted. “I thought I should talk to you first, before I go to the police.”

Gwen’s expression froze. Reluctantly, she opened the door wider.

“Come in,” she said grimly.

When Sera had entered and the door closed, Gwen turned to her.

“What is this all about?”

“I think you may have an idea already,” Sera said.

Suddenly, she felt sorry for the woman standing before her. Though Gwen was ruthless in her vindictive gossip about her neighbors, she must be a lonely woman with few friends and a brother with secrets. They all had secrets of one sort or another, some worse than others, especially for a woman like Gwen, who prided herself on being above others.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She tried to bluff her way out of it.

“I think you do,” Sera answered evenly. “It’s about your brother.”

“My brother?” Gwen’s eyes flicked back and forth, and an ugly flush stained her features. “I don’t have a brother.”

“Everyone in the neighborhood knows you do and that he lives here with you, although he never goes out.”

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the woman said faintly.