Silver Falls - Anne Stuart [75]
She didn’t double lock the door when she left. Every light in the house was on. He stripped off his muddy clothes and shoes, double locked the door and moved through the house, methodically turning off lights. He could see very well in the dark—he’d trained himself, since so much of his most important work took place in the dark. The bright electric lights hurt his eyes. He went to the kitchen last, and as he flicked off the lights the bright red glare of the blinking light on the answering machine assaulted him.
She’d never checked the messages. He pushed the button and deleted each one, pausing long enough to admire the smoothness of his tone. He frowned at the lawyer’s voice. Blanchard was being far too conscientious—he didn’t need to talk to her. He’d made her wishes clear himself—enough that it should hold up in court.
The final message from Maggie Bannister was the best. The car had been towed to the local impound, and it was clear the brakes had been tampered with. But he hadn’t touched them.
It was typical of Caleb, always trying to outdo his younger brother. He must have thought that David loved her, as he’d loved those girls Caleb had brought home. It served his purpose beautifully, whatever his brother’s reasons were.
But really, it was all falling into place so beautifully that he knew it was meant to be. There was no proof, not even enough to suspect David of the things he’d done. He’d been far too careful. He was invulnerable.
But Caleb wasn’t nearly as smart. He would have left some trace behind, and that would be enough to convict him. Particularly once Rachel was dead.
He went outside to mourn his apple tree.
Caleb kept a close eye on her as he drove. As long as he kept his speed up she wouldn’t try anything—she wouldn’t want to hurt the baby. She seemed to have given up fighting for the time being—maybe she was finally beginning to realize just how big a mess she was in.
He couldn’t count on it. Sophie was safely out of the way, staying at the sheriff’s house. That couldn’t have worked out better if he’d planned it, and it must infuriate David. Maggie Bannister was a levelheaded woman—she might not trust him further than she could throw him, but she didn’t trust David, either. She was smart enough to look beneath the surface of everything, including Stephen Henry Middleton, Professor Emeritus.
He’d taken a chance last night when Maggie had questioned him. He’d half expected her to push him into a chair at the police station and shine a bright light in his face.
“Have a seat, Caleb. Can I get you some coffee?” She’d been businesslike, pleasant, but he didn’t make the mistake of relaxing.
“I’m fine,” he said, taking the seat at the table. There were U-shaped iron hooks there, presumably to lock onto handcuffs. Normally he’d think that was overkill in a sleepy little town like Silver Falls. But not now.
Maggie took the seat opposite him, her gray eyes seeing everything he didn’t want her to see. “So why don’t you tell me why you came back home this week? You’ve only stayed here one or two nights at the most in the last twenty years, according to David,. Suddenly you’ve moved back in, ready to take your place in Silver Falls society at the same time a serial killer shows up, and I’m wondering if that’s a coincidence. Because I have to tell you, Caleb, I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“Maybe after twenty years I was getting homesick. Time to revisit my roots.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe you had another reason. When did you hear David got married?”
Why the hell was she asking that question? He couldn’t very well lie—it would be too easy for her to find out. In fact, his best bet would be to tell the truth as much as possible. Easier that way. “Last week. Stephen Henry sent me the announcement from the paper. I’ve been trying to forget about this town, so I’d purposely steered clear of any word of it online or off.”
“So you decided to come