Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [199]
“Hello, Ms. Lyndell.”
“Oh, please call me Susan.”
“I’m Maggie O’Dell.”
Maggie opened the door a few inches more and offered her hand, but stayed solidly in the doorway. Surely the woman didn’t expect an invitation inside. Then she caught her new neighbor glance toward her own house and back at the street. It was a nervous, anxious look, as though she was afraid of being seen.
“I saw you on Friday.” She sounded uncomfortable, and it was obvious she wasn’t here to welcome Maggie to the neighborhood. There was something else on her mind.
“Yes, I moved in on Friday.”
“Actually I didn’t see you move in,” she said, quick to make the distinction. “I mean at Rachel’s. I saw you at Rachel Endicott’s house.” The woman stepped closer and kept her voice soft and calm even though her hands were now gripping the hem of her cardigan.
“Oh.”
“I’m a friend of Rachel’s. I know that the police…” She stopped and glanced this time in both directions. “I know they’re saying Rachel may have just left on her own, but I don’t think she would do that.”
“Did you tell Detective Manx that?”
“Detective Manx?”
“He’s in charge of the investigation, Ms. Lyndell. I was simply there trying to lend a hand as a concerned neighbor.”
“But you’re with the FBI, right? I thought I heard someone say that.”
“Yes, but I wasn’t there in an official capacity. If you have any information, I suggest you talk to Detective Manx.”
All Maggie needed was to step on Manx’s toes again. Cunningham had already questioned her competency, her judgment. She wouldn’t let some prick like Manx make matters worse. However, Susan Lyndell didn’t seem pleased with Maggie’s advice. Instead, she stalled, fidgeting, her eyes darting around while she seemed to become more and more agitated.
“I know this is an awkward introduction, and I certainly apologize, but if I could just talk to you for a few minutes. May I come in?”
Her gut told her to send Susan Lyndell home, to insist she call the police and talk to Manx. Yet, for some reason she found herself letting the woman into her foyer, but no farther.
“I have a flight to catch later this afternoon,” Maggie allowed impatience to show in her voice. “As you can see I haven’t had time to unpack, let alone pack for a business trip.”
“Yes, I understand. It’s quite possible I’m simply being paranoid.”
“You don’t believe Ms. Endicott just left town for a couple of days? Maybe to get away?
Susan Lyndell’s eyes met Maggie’s and held her.
“I know there was something…something in the house that suggests Rachel didn’t do that.”
“Ms. Lyndell, I don’t know what you’ve heard—”
“It’s okay.” She stopped Maggie with a wave of a small hand, long slender fingers that reminded Maggie of a bird’s wing. “I know you can’t divulge anything you may have seen.” She fidgeted again, shifting her weight from one foot to another as though her high-heeled pumps were the cause of her discomfort. “Look, I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that it’s not routine for three police cruisers and the county medical examiner to come rescue an injured dog. Even if it belongs to the wife of Sidney Endicott.”
Maggie didn’t recognize the man’s name nor did she care. The less she knew about the Endicotts, the easier it would be to keep out of this case. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited. Susan Lyndell seemed to interpret it as having Maggie’s full attention.
“I think Rachel was meeting someone. I think this someone may have taken her against her will.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Rachel met a man last week.”
“What do you mean she met a man?”
“I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. It’s not something she’s in the habit of doing.” She said this quickly, as if needing to justify her friend’s actions. “It just sort of happened. You know how that is.” She waited for some sign of agreement from Maggie. When there was none, she hurried on. “Rachel said there was this…well, she described the guy as wild and exciting.