“Oh good,” Savannah said, obviously relieved.

  “By the time we were ready to leave the house, here came Rags on a dead run, dragging his leash behind him.”

  Keith chuckled. “Boy, was Lucy glad to see him. But it was obvious that he was upset about something too, so we closed the cats inside the house and headed out, not knowing where to look for you.”

  Michael said, “Yeah, we almost came back to get Rags, but then we saw an odd light flickering at the Verano house.”

  Keith lowered Lucy to the floor and added, “As we got closer, we found the front door open and decided we’d better look around. When we heard something in the garage, we found a garden tool and you know the rest.”

  Savannah picked up Lucy and cuddled with her. “How did you get out?” She looked at Keith. “We’d better check the windows to see if she knocked a screen out or something.”

  Keith lowered his brow, then said, “You know, she might have slipped past me when I went out to turn off the sprinklers in the backyard.” He tightened his lips for a moment. “I’m not used to cats who take advantage of open doors like that.” He reached out and petted Lucy, then suggested, “Well let’s get some sleep, shall we?”

  “Yes. What time is it,” Michael asked. “Midnight?”

  Keith yawned. “Yes; the bewitching hour.”

  “And we have a long day ahead of us,” Michael said.

  “Oh, that’s right,” Savannah said. “We’re leaving tomorrow.”

  Michael squeezed her around the waist. “You mean today. You’re ready, aren’t you? I mean, you’ve been eager to go home.”

  She looked at Holly. “Yeah. I am, only…”

  “Only what?” he asked.

  She glanced at Holly again and said, “Oh, never mind. Yes, I’m ready to go home.”

  Chapter 7

  A little over an hour later, Holly realized that her cell phone was chirping. She typically ignored it overnight. In fact, she didn’t usually sleep with it in the room, but she’d fallen into bed so tired that she neglected to put it on the charger in the other room. Who’s texting me this time of night? she wondered. Finally she got up and looked at her phone. Savannah.

  I think I know where the stuff is. I can’t sleep. Let’s go up there and check it out.

  Holly smiled. What a curious creature she is. But yeah, I guess I’m a sucker for a mystery too. She typed: Meet you in a few.

  Once the women had quietly left the house and were walking up the street toward the Verano home, Holly said giddily, “I can’t believe we’re doing this. Do you know how much trouble we’re going to be in?”

  Savannah giggled. “With the police or our husbands?” She looked across the street at the Morrisons’ house. “Looks like Wayne’s in for the night.”

  “You’re sure it was him, aren’t you?”

  “No,” she admitted. “At least not sure enough to share my suspicions with those cops that came out and talked to us tonight.”

  Holly was quiet for a minute, then said, “You do remember that they didn’t catch the creep?”

  “Yeah, I know. But who’s going back there after what happened tonight?” Savannah reasoned.

  Holly looked at her sister-in-law and said facetiously, “Yeah, who?”

  They both laughed guardedly.

  “Did you bring the keys?” Holly asked. When Savannah nodded, she asked, “So where do you think the stuff is?”

  “Well, while we were in the garage I saw something—some fur, actually.”

  “Fur?” Holly said. “You woke me up and dragged me out here because you saw fur?”

  Savannah laughed. “Yeah, you’ll see what I mean. It looks to me like the cats have been crawling through a space near the dryer.”

  “Boy, are you observant.”

  “You didn’t notice that?” Savannah asked as they approached the front door of the Verano home.

  “Hell no. I was too scared.”

  Savannah grasped Holly’s arm. “There’s something else I noticed earlier.”

  Holly clasped her hands against her chest. “What?”

  “Well, it’s kind of odd, but when that guy forced us into the locked room, the scent was gone.”

  “The scent? Oh, you mean that perfume fragrance.” She looked puzzled. “It was? That is strange. It seemed kind of strong when we were there before. Was it our imagination?”

  Savannah shrugged. Once she opened the front door, Holly hesitated and peered suspiciously into the room. “You know, I’m not sure I want to do this again.”

  “Oh come on. It’ll just take a minute and if I’m right, there will be no more trouble up here because the case will be solved.”

  “Well, that would be nice. I’m not thrilled about living in a neighborhood that attracts criminals. Let’s go.”

  When the two women entered the garage, Savannah stopped and looked around. She narrowed her eyes. “Holly, do you smell that?”

  “What?” she asked.

  Savannah took a deep breath. “Oh, I guess…um…nothing.”

  “What was it?” Holly wanted to know.

  “That fragrance we smelled up in the locked room.”

  Holly shook her head. “Savannah, I think you’re obsessed with that scent.” She sniffed the air. “All I smell is laundry soap or maybe it’s dryer sheets. What you’re smelling could be a lingering aroma from the cleaning products Sharon used.”

  “Do you think that gal did some cleaning out here in the garage too?” Savannah walked toward the washer and dryer. “Well, these aren’t as dusty.” She leaned over and sniffed the air around the appliances. “Hmmm. Could be something she used to clean with, I guess.” She kneeled down and pointed. “See this here? Doesn’t it look like a gray cat—or two gray cats—have been rubbing against the raw wood? Let’s see what we can find in this area.” She then said excitedly, “Hey look, this piece of flooring can be lifted up. Yeah, that little passageway seems to double back under the floor there and this plywood has kept it a secret—probably even from the current residents. Hold the light and I’ll lift the wood.”

  “Gosh, it sure lifts out of there easily,” Holly observed.

  “Surprisingly so,” Savannah agreed, as she pulled the wood panel free.

  Holly shined the flashlight into the space, remarking, “Well, it’s certainly a good place to hide something. But I don’t see any diamonds or emeralds or money.”

  “Wait,” Savannah said. “Shine the light in that corner. Is that…?”

  “What?” Holly asked, leaning over. “Oh, I see it. It’s an earring.” She sat up, put one hand over her mouth, and whispered, “Oh my gosh, Savannah, there was jewelry in there.” She looked around. “Do you think someone beat us to it? Maybe it was that masked man. He came back and found it. Do you think so?”

  Savannah shook her head. “I don’t know.” She reached in for the earring and suddenly pulled back. “Holly,” she hissed, “there’s a body.”

  “What?” Holly asked.

  “A body—a dead one,” Savannah said, her voice a mere squeak.

  Holly recoiled. “Please tell me it’s a dummy or a mannequin or maybe a mummified cow.”

  Savannah shook her head. Barely breathing now, she managed to say, “I don’t think so.” She swallowed hard and grabbed Holly’s arm. “Hey, let’s take this earring and split out of here. I’ll call the police on our way home.”

  “A human body?” Holly asked, continuing to look down into the space.

  “Yes. I think so,” Savannah said. “It’s wrapped in a blanket. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  Once the women had left the house, Savannah took her phone out of her pocket and, walking more slowly now, called 911. After reporting what they’d found, she hastened her pace and said to Holly, “They’ll want to talk to us. I’d rather be interrogated somewhere other than in a house with dead people.” She glanced back at the Verano home and shivered.

  The women were one house away from the Pettits’ when they felt a jolt, then they heard an enormous blast. Horror-stricken, they clung to each other, turning to see flames leaping from the Verano home. They still stood speechless and shaking when Keith, Michael, and Gladys joined them on their front lawn. By then, other neighbors had begun filtering out of their homes to see what had happened.

  “Oh, my God,” one neighbor shrieked, “that young family was staying there.” She wailed, “Oh no. Oh no.”

  Savannah touched the woman’s hand. “It’s okay. No one was inside. We moved out of there before…” her voice trailed off.

  “A meth lab, huh?” one neighbor griped. “I always thought those people were strange.”

  “Maybe it was a gas leak,” another neighbor suggested. “I heard of a place down south that blew up because of a gas leak.”

  A woman shrieked. “Did someone call the fire department?”

  “I did,” Savannah assured her.

  An older man quickly headed back to his place, muttering, “Well, I’m getting out my garden hose to protect my property. Who knows when they’ll get here?”

  It was then that Savannah saw Wayne and his parents standing on their lawn across the street. Each of them was wearing a robe, but she noticed that Wayne also wore jeans and sport shoes with socks. That’s odd, Savannah thought.

  After they’d watched for a while as the firefighters doused the flames in a valiant attempt to save the surrounding homes, Michael frowned. “Hon, you’re dressed.” He glanced at Holly. “Both of you.” He looked her in the eye. “Why?” He shook his head. “Oh no, don’t tell me…” He ran his hand through his hair. “You didn’t go up there snooping again, did you?”

  Keith and Michael waited for Savannah’s response.

  Savannah looked at Holly before explaining, “Michael, I figured out where that stuff was hidden. She held up the earring. “Look, we found this in there. Someone beat us to the jewels and they left this behind.”

  “Along with a body,” Holly said quietly.

  “A body?” Keith questioned.

  Holly shuddered. “Yes. Savannah saw a body down in the hole where we found the earring. We were coming home to tell you about it when…”

  “Kaboom!” Savannah said dramatically. She gazed sheepishly at Michael. “I guess someone was trying to cover his tracks.” She looked across the street toward Wayne’s house again. He was no longer standing outside, but she could see a figure at the window. I’m just certain he had something to do with this, she thought. I think I’ll tell that detective about my suspicions. I have his number. Just then, she noticed an unmarked official car drive slowly up the street and park almost in front of the Pettits’ house. “Oh,” she said, “there’s the detective. I want to tell him something.” When she saw him get out of his car, she walked toward him, waving.

  “Hello ma’am,” he greeted.

  “Hi. Sorry to bother you, but I want to tell you something.” She hesitated. I don’t know why I’m tongue-tied all of a sudden. I guess I just don’t know how much I should say. I sure don’t want to open myself up for a lawsuit or anything.

  When the detective saw her gaze across the street a couple of times, he pulled his jacket collar up around his neck and turned to look in that direction. He faced her and shivered. “Kind of chilly out here tonight, isn’t it?”

  That’s odd, she thought. I think it’s rather balmy. He must be coming down with a cold or something.

  “Why do you keep looking over there?” the detective asked.

  “Oh, I…um…I didn’t realize I was. I don’t really know.” She was aware that he continued to stare at her as she fidgeted with something in her pocket. Oh yes, the earring, she thought. She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Um…what I wanted to tell you is that we found this in the house. I suppose you know there’s also a body in there. Did you get that memo? I told the dispatcher when I called earlier.”

  He nodded. “That’s why I’m here.” He stared into her face. “You seem awfully nervous. Is there something else going on that I should know about?”

  Savannah shook her head. “No. It’s just that…well, we’ve been through a lot tonight.”

  He studied her for another moment, then glanced behind her and said, “You folks had better get inside. The excitement’s all over.” Before walking away, he asked Savannah, “By the way, when are you going home? You’re the one who’s visiting, right?”

  She nodded. “Tomorrow.” She looked at her watch. “Um…I guess that would be today.”

  “Why don’t you give me your contact information in case we have any further questions—you know, phone, address…”

  Once Savannah had accommodated the detective, she rejoined the others on the Pettits’ lawn and told them, “He suggests we go back inside.”

  Gladys coughed. “Yeah, it’s getting hard to breathe out here. We’d better make sure the house is closed up so that smoke doesn’t filter in.”

  ****

  It was a sunny Tuesday morning when the Iveys prepared to leave for their home in Northern California. “It smells smoky out here this morning,” Savannah said. “Not a nice aroma, is it?” She looked at Holly and Keith. “Has anyone called the Veranos?”

  “I guess the police will handle that,” Holly said. She hugged Savannah. “I’m sure going to miss you.”

  “Me too,” Savannah said, squeezing her tightly.

  “Don’t be surprised if we show up on your doorstep sooner rather than later,” Holly said, choking up.

  Savannah hugged her again. “I hope so.” She then hugged Keith and each of their children. “You girls come visit Lily and Teddy soon, now, okay?”

  The children both nodded.

  “And Adam,” Cassie said.

  “Yes, and Adam.”

  The Iveys and Gladys had been on the road for over an hour when they heard a loud bang. Savannah gasped. “What was that? What’s wrong with the car? Michael, why are we slowing down? Why is the car bumping along like that? Is it a flat tire?” When she heard the children crying, she turned in her seat and took a deep breath. “It’s okay,” she soothed. “We’re okay, Lily, honey.”

  “They’re just frightened,” Gladys said quietly. She rubbed Lily’s leg with one hand and gently patted the baby’s chest with the other. “What happened?” she asked hesitantly.

  Once the car had slowed considerably, Michael steered to a wide spot along the shoulder and parked. He slumped in his seat, then turned and asked, “Is everyone all right?” He reached back and patted Lily, who was still fussing. “It’s okay, punkin. You’re okay.”

  “So what happened?” Gladys repeated.

  Savannah chuckled nervously. “Yeah, did someone toss out a case or something?” When Michael looked confused, she explained, “…like occurred on our way to Colorado.”

  “Not that I know of,” Michael said. “And believe me, if they had, I wouldn’t be picking it ssup. No,” he said, “I’m not sure what happened, but I think we had a blowout.” He shook his head. “Keith and I checked all the tires on the car and the trailer yesterday. They were just fine.” He climbed out of the SUV and walked around to the other side.

  Savannah lowered her window. “Is it a blowout, Michael?

  He walked up to her. “Yes, darn it.” He ran his hand through his hair, saying, “Savannah, call and have someone come out to help us with this, will you?”

  More than an hour later, the serviceman announced, “You’re all set. That tire place I told you about is fifteen miles up the road in the first town you come to. There’s a nice place to eat nearby. My sister works there. Tell her Tad sent you; she’ll treat you right.”

  Michael nodded. “Thanks.”

  ****

  Once they’d had the spare replaced with a new tire and they were safely on the road again, Lily began to fuss. “I scared, Mommy.”

  “What are you scared of, honey?”

  “Bang!” she said. She then shook her little body.

  Savannah and Gladys smiled and Gladys ran her hand over the child’s hair to calm her.

  “It’s okay, honey,” Savannah said. “That was an accident. It won’t happen again. We’re safe. No more of this,” she said, shaking her body.

  Lily laughed at her mother. When she began to whine again, Savannah suggested, “How about we sing a song? Want to sing a song?”

  They sang several songs, then Lily became quiet and seemed drowsy. Gladys rubbed the child’s arm gently to help her relax and she soon fell asleep.

  “Sound asleep,” Savannah said, turning back to face front in her seat. When Michael didn’t respond, she stared at him for a moment. “What’s wrong, hon?”

  He still didn’t answer.

  She touched his arm. “Michael,” she said more loudly. When he jumped a little and quickly glanced at her, she asked, “Is something wrong, honey?”

  “No,” he was quick to say.” He looked briefly in the rearview mirror. “All finished singing?”

  “Yes,” she smiled. “Our little princess has fallen asleep.” More seriously, she asked, “Michael, is there something you’re not telling me?”

  He took a breath and adjusted his position in the driver’s seat. “No, not really.”

  “What?” she asked. “Tell me.”

  He spoke more quietly, “Savannah, that blowout was no accident.”

  “Seriously?” she said more loudly. She lowered her voice. “What do you mean?”

  “I had the tow truck driver leave the blown-out tire with me and I asked the guy at the tire shop to look at it.” More quietly he said, “He believes someone sliced into the tire with a knife or something. He thinks it was done deliberately to cause us to crash.”

  “Oh, Michael, you probably ran over something.”

  He shook his head. “No, the slice was not on the bottom of the tire. It was on the sidewall.”

  “Could you have parked to close to a curb?’

  Michael glanced into the backseat and noticed that Gladys was reading from her Kindle. He spoke in a near whisper. “Savannah, the tire was sliced on the inside sidewall. It looked like someone deliberately set us up to possibly careen out of control.” He grinned. “It’s just lucky that I paid attention to that video I saw on the Internet a year or so ago about how to handle your car during a blowout or when you hit a slick spot on a rainy or snowy day.”