I laughed. “Yeah, I remember. You all went to bed and left me to deal with her. At one point, she wanted to go out for a run, then swimming, then to Disneyland. In the end I managed to get her to watch movies instead—chick flicks! I think it was about four in the morning before she finally stopped talking at me and went to sleep.”
“We’ll take her when she gets home, to Disneyland,” she said, nodding her head. Would Summer still want to go when she got back? We had no idea what she was going through. It could be bad. I clenched my jaw and forced out images that I really didn’t want to see. The thought of her being hurt was too much. She’ll be fine. No matter what she was going through, whatever it was, I would fix it.
***
I drove past Colin’s house slowly and stared in at his front yard. There was no car in the driveway, but there was a garage. Could he be in? It was quarter past four in the afternoon, so odds were he was at work.
Summer could be in there. But surely she could leave if he was at work? It didn’t really make sense. Maybe he had her somewhere else. But maybe there was a clue inside. I got out of my car and looked back over my shoulder, double-checking that you definitely couldn’t see it from the road.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I stepped around the shoulder-height hedge that surrounded the house. Why did he need a hedge so tall? His house was the only one around and certainly couldn’t be seen by the nearest house down the road. Who was he trying to keep out? Or in?
It struck me how normal his house looked. He had no family, but this was a big family home. Why would he need something this size if it were just him? He didn’t seem that wealthy and didn’t splash his cash around. Why buy a huge house for one, non-rich, single person? Unless he didn’t buy it and it was inherited. I mentally kicked myself. Maybe the freak just liked it! Most people would buy the best they could afford. I was reading too much into it, as Theo always said.
I ran around the side of the building. My heart thumped against my chest, and I felt slightly sick. I didn’t really know what I was looking for—just anything. There was a huge possibility he was innocent and his weirdness was just weirdness. Other than a gut feeling, I had nothing on him at all.
The first window was a large one; I peered through it, holding my breath. I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears. The room was a large living room decorated in a traditional way but seemed in keeping with the time. Two large leather sofas faced each other with a dark wooden coffee table between them. A wide fireplace dominated one wall with a large mirror hanging above it. Nothing out of the ordinary at all.
“Come on, you bastard,” I whispered. There had to be something. I passed the second window on the sidewall, a bathroom wall, and arrived at the back of the house. The back had three long windows across it, two separated by the back door. It was all the kitchen and dining area. I studied the room, taking in every detail. Nothing. Was it all normal because there was nothing or because he was hiding something? I had too many questions, and it was driving me fucking crazy.
I moved to the other side of the house and found nothing. One room was a utility room and the only thing that seemed out of place was a pile of folded clothes. From the neatness of the rest of the house, I would have expected them to be put away, but that hardly meant he was a kidnapper. In the other room was a table, a dark red, high-backed chair, and a half-height bookshelf.
There was one strip of glass beside the door. I peered inside and saw the hallway and stairs. I frowned and moved closer. By the stairs were four boxes of shoes from New Look. What the hell would he be doing with women’s shoes? Summer had dragged me into that shop a million times before. What would a thirty-odd-year-old man be doing shopping there, and for who?
I spun around as I heard a car. “Shit,” I muttered and sprinted toward the hedge to the left of the house—closer to my car. My heart felt as if it was going to rip through my chest and my stomach did somersaults. The hedge scratched at my face as I shoved into it just in time to see his car pull into the drive. Could I get all the way through? The bottom of the hedge was bare, but it had started getting dark out. I hoped I could get out without him seeing me.
His engine cut out, and I heard him get out. I froze, half-buried in the damn hedge. I watched him walk to his front door with his briefcase. As soon as he was inside, I covered my face and pushed all of my weight against the branches, forcing my way through.
I ran to my car and started the engine before I’d even closed the door properly. Could he hear the engine? I sped off toward Summer’s house, hoping Colin didn’t hear me. Damn, that was too close. It was worth it, though. I now knew he was hiding something.
***
“Hello,” I called out and shut the front door to Summer’s house.
“Kitchen,” Dawn replied. She sat at the table, poking spaghetti with her fork. “Nothing then?”
Yes. Possibly. I shook my head, not wanting to give her false hope.
She nodded. “Your dinner’s in the microwave. Your parents will be back soon.”
“Where are they?” I asked and turned the microwave on to heat my dinner.