Dead Certain - Mariah Stewart [115]
He wondered where she’d been staying. He’d not seen hide nor hair of her, and God knew he’d been watching. Every day he set out ostensibly to go to work with his nonexistent construction crew on his made-up jobs and instead headed straight for Broeder. He’d seen the CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE sign on her shop the time or two he’d stopped out there. He’d parked on the road that ran parallel to Amanda’s street and strolled around the lake to the woods that backed up to her property. He knew the path that led directly to her back fence and which limb of which tree gave him the best view into her bedroom, but he hadn’t caught a glimpse of her. He felt she would have stayed in the area, and he’d even walked around downtown Broeder a time or two, hoping to catch sight of her. But he hadn’t seen her anywhere. He was starting to wonder if she’d left town.
Maybe now that the FBI had announced that he was on his way toward Canada, wouldn’t she be coming back home, get her shop open again? Sure she would. She’d impressed him as the take-charge type. She wouldn’t stay in hiding any longer than necessary.
He switched off the television and went into the kitchen, where he opened a can of soup and heated it on the stove. He ate it standing up, looking out the big picture window that opened onto a garden that was tidy and colorful, even this late in the season. He left the bowl on the table, then hesitated, thinking that if Clark were to return while he was gone, maybe he’d figure out that someone had been there and would most certainly call the police. Why take that chance?
Vince rinsed and dried everything he’d used, then put it all back where he’d found it. He stood in the doorway and looked around. No one would even know he’d been there. Which was just as well, since he might be back again later tonight.
He closed the door behind him and hopped down the back steps. Lucky for him that the property sat at the farthest point of the dead-end street, where no one would see the car he’d stolen on his way out of Carleton. He knew he’d have to dump it, and the sooner the better. If he needed to return here later, he’d pick up something else and hot-wire it, drive it to within a couple of blocks, ditch it, and walk back. He knew this neighborhood well enough, knew the house well, too. After all, it had served him well for a time while Derek and his friend were on vacation.
It was almost starting to feel like home.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
“How are you holding up?” Sean peered into the living room where Amanda sat curled up on the sofa with a book in her lap.
“That’s the third time you asked.” She looked up and smiled. “I’m still fine.”
“I’m amazed that you’re so calm.”
“Well, so far nothing’s happened. It’s easy to be calm when there’s nothing going on. Besides, it’s the end of the second day, and things have been really quiet. Makes me think that maybe old Vince really is headed toward Canada.”
“Annie thinks we’ll know before another forty-eight hours has passed.” He walked into the room and stood near the end of the sofa but did not sit. Instead, he walked to the window and looked out as the sun faded on day two.
“You think he’s out there,” Amanda said. It was not a question.
“Yeah. Maybe not at this particular minute, but he’s been out there, and he’ll be back. I can almost feel the tension.”
“I don’t feel anything but chilled right about now.”
“How about if I make a fire?” he turned and asked. “I noticed some wood out near the garage. Want me to bring some in and get a little fire going?”
“That would be really nice, though I can do that myself, you know.”
“No doubt.” He grinned. “But you just sit. This one’s on me.”
It took Sean less than five minutes to gather some kindling from the yard and bring in a few logs. He stacked them on the hearth while he opened the flue and arranged the kindling.
“Did Miranda say what time she’d be back?