“Just random letters?”
“No. Not random at all. The letters spelled out: NORA HARMON IS A KILLER.” But you know that, don’t you? You know everything about me.
Jane put a hand to her mouth as if she were shocked by it all.
Nora watched her closely, hyperaware of every nuance in expression and body: unfaltering gaze, tense mouth, shallow voice, and subtle rise of shoulders. No question, Jane was a liar. But was that really the reason Nora didn’t feel comfortable having her stay?
Nora thought about her talk with David, a man she’d been married to for seventeen years, a man she loved and trusted. He believed there was a chance her feelings about Jane had nothing to do with Jane and everything to do with Nora. More than once, David had suggested she might be paranoid because of stress. She couldn’t blame him for his assessment. Since meeting Jane, Nora had felt so many unfamiliar emotions, including jealousy. No doubt, Jane’s presence brought out the worst in her. But then she thought of Rhonda, a stranger she’d met in Paris, suggesting that Jane was dangerous. And what about Heather Mahoney, a woman who worked side by side with Jane, a woman who had felt the need to warn Nora about Jane.
Nora had quit her job and moved to a remote area miles away. If that wasn’t enough of a hint . . . And yet here she was, dressed to the hilt, claiming Richard, a man who fawned over her and clearly adored her, had broken off their engagement.
It didn’t make sense.
“You seem stressed,” Jane said.
Nora studied Jane for a minute and saw that every bit of sadness she’d put on display minutes ago was gone. “I am stressed. My dad’s dementia is worse than ever. My house in Sacramento was vandalized. And I’m pretty sure I’m being followed by a man in a dark sedan.”
“Oh no. Is Dale still on your trail?”
“What?” Nora asked. “Who’s Dale?”
Jane closed the distance between them. “Dale Zusi is a private detective. I hired him six months ago to find out more about you.”
Nora was horrified. “Why?”
“It’s standard procedure, really. I just wanted him to vet any candidates I was considering . . . you know . . . fact-check résumés . . . that kind of thing.”
“But we had never met before, and I had never shown interest in working for your company. I never gave you a résumé.”
Jane’s face paled.
She’d obviously been caught in a lie. Although Nora was relieved to know that the man in the suit was a private detective, she found herself thinking about Heather’s warning. Clearly Jane had targeted Nora. “I stopped by the office the other day to get some things I left behind, and I talked with Heather.”
“Why didn’t you come to my office to say hello? We could have gone to lunch.”
“You weren’t there. Heather said you hired me because we had ‘unfinished business.’”
“That’s strange. I never said any such thing.”
“Why would she make that up?”
“I never know what she’s talking about most of the time.” Jane pulled a face. “She’s not the brightest crayon in the box.”
Nora kept her gaze on Jane. “Heather was never pregnant.”
“Why would she lie about such a thing?” Jane asked.
“Was she also lying about buying one round-trip ticket to Europe instead of two?”
“Afraid so. Listen, Nora. Heather was with me from day one. She wanted to try her hand at sales, but I told her I wanted the best. She was obviously jealous of you.”
Nora wasn’t buying it. The lies slipped so easily from Jane’s mouth.
“I think your cocoa is burning.”
Nora hadn’t realized she’d stopped stirring. Smoke billowed from the pan on the stove. She slid the pot off the burner, turned the knob to “Off,” and then grabbed a dish towel and began waving it through the air.
Despite her efforts, the fire alarm sounded.
Suddenly the kitchen was filled with people, including Trevor and the dog, everyone opening windows and doors, the cold sweeping in faster than the smoke traveled out. Tank followed Trevor around, his eyes round, his body shivering. He didn’t like all the commotion, and he started to bark.
Jane covered her ears, her face scrunched, her brow furrowed.
The high-pitched alarm hadn’t fazed her, but Tank’s bark set her off, making her look incensed, as if Tank had no business being inside the house. The notion pissed Nora off. She’d gone out of her way to keep Tank away from Jane. But no longer.
Nora’s vision of her evening had been obliterated the moment she saw Mom and Jane standing at the door. There would be no puzzles or charades. No hot cocoa by the roaring fire. Instead, David and Trevor brought in the tree, and they all pitched in with the lights and ornaments. The smell of burned cocoa had been replaced with the scent of pine and cinnamon. The house was eventually warmed by the fire, and Tank rolled himself into a ball by the hearth. Even Jane seemed to be enjoying herself, delighted when Hailey made a big deal about her being able to reach some of the taller branches. “Jingle Bells” played on the speakers David had set up the first day they moved in.
Nora sipped a glass of wine as she made a cheese platter of Brie and crackers, olives and nuts. She was trying to relax and thought the wine might do the trick, until she returned to the family room in time to see David on the ladder, reaching high in order to place the star on the very tip of the tree. She could hear the kids in the kitchen, rustling around in the refrigerator, as she watched Jane step up onto the ladder and grasp hold of David’s lower hip area, her chest and chin pressed against his thigh.
She wasn’t sure if Jane realized she had entered the room. Not until Jane looked her way, her face still pressed against David. Nora held her stare, didn’t blink. And what did Jane do? She smiled back at her, a coy yet brazen smile that said, “There’s nothing you can do to stop me. He’s mine, all mine.”
Trevor stepped into the room at that very moment. He looked from Jane to Nora. “What is she doing?”
Jane pulled away, but not in a manner that would suggest she had done anything wrong. Instead, she pulled away slowly, indicating quite the opposite. She belonged here. The Harmons were, indeed, her family. “I’m helping your dad position the star.”
Trevor’s face reddened. “Mom. Are you okay with her pressing her body against Dad?”
“Trevor!” David said, looking over his shoulder at his son. “Jane has been nothing but helpful tonight. Apologize right now.”
Jane stepped off the ladder and pulled on the hem of her dress, which made no difference, considering her legs were a mile long. For the second time that evening, Nora wondered if Jane had planned this entire spectacle. Of course she had.
“I was only trying to help,” Jane said before leaving the room.
By the time they heard the door to the bathroom down the hall click shut, David had climbed down off the ladder. “What is wrong with you, Trevor? That woman is hurting right now, and you’re worried she’s trying to steal me away?” He groaned in obvious frustration as he looked from Trevor to Nora. “What is wrong with this family?”