My house was strangely normal when Vince and I entered along with a member of the LAPD. Technically, my house was the scene of a crime, and they didn’t want anything disturbed.
“The detective says that I can let you take clothes out of your bedroom area, but that’s it,” he said, trying not to stare at me. Considering he’d probably seen the unedited video on any of the dozen or so websites it was posted on, I thought he did a decent job of acting professionally. “I’m also supposed to stay with you in the room the whole time. Mister . . . sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
“Bowman,” Vince said. “Vince Bowman.”
“Mister Bowman, I’m supposed to not let you in the house at all. You’re not Miss Nova’s attorney, correct?”
“I work for Kade Prescott, who is an attorney,” Vince said. “I haven’t passed the bar yet, though.”
The cop sighed and reached for his radio. “I hate these types of calls.”
Vince held up his hands in a peacemaking gesture. “I’m not here to be a pain in your ass, officer. Can we make a deal? I’ll stay outside, but by the window of the bedroom. I can look in and talk with Alix. You can keep your bosses happy and follow orders.”
The cop nodded in relief and dropped his hand. “I can do that. Miss Nova, where’s the bedroom, anyway?”
“My bedroom is in the back, on the corner,” I said. “I’ll open the window as soon as we go in.”
The cop and Vince nodded. “You just keep her safe,” Vince said to the cop before walking around the corner in the direction I pointed.
The cop watched Vince go, then turned to me. “You’re a lucky woman, Miss Nova. You seem to have good people in your life.”
“I hope,” I said. “Anything I should avoid?”
“Yeah, try not to step in the blood stains on the carpet. I’m sorry, but the crime scene cleaners haven’t been by yet,” the cop replied. “Please, if you could.”
I took a deep breath and opened the door, trying not to gag at the sight of the blood that had dried in my front hallway. The room was rank with the smell, and I took a deep breath. “Just get the clothes,” I muttered to myself before gingerly walking down the hall, tip-toeing around the blood stains. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the gouge in the wall where I’d buried the head of my baseball bat, a home defense measure that I’d had for a long time and had finally paid off. “Just get the clothes.”
Thankfully, my bedroom was stain-and odor-free, having been closed up since before Kade and I even went to Portland the first time. There was only the slight embarrassment of having a pair of pajamas and a bra lying on the floor, discards that hadn’t been picked up. “Sorry.”
“Hey, you should see my place,” the cop replied, standing in the doorway but not entering. “I pray every day none of my coworkers ever come by and see it.”
I pulled the curtain and opened the window, letting in fresh air and light. Vince was one window over, a concerned look on his face when I stuck my head out. “Here, Vince.”
“Thanks,” he said. The window was just a bit off the ground, so Vince could only be seen from his chin up, but he sounded much more assured. I was sure his presence was only there to make sure that the cop didn’t harass me. “I’ll just hang out here. By the way, your back yard needs mowed.”
“I’m sure,” I replied. “Add that to the list of things we need to do with this property. Kade and I never did get around to the real estate office.”
“Well, let’s get packed quickly and get back to the hospital,” Vince said. “By the way, you have the keys to your car, right?”
“There’s a spare set in the kitchen,” I said. I turned to the cop. “You guys mind if I get those keys?”
He shook his head. “Not a problem to me. It was cleared, you go right ahead.”
I nodded and opened my closet, taking out three suitcases that I had gathered over the years of modeling. “Think this should be enough?”
The cop, taking in the sight of the giant cases, whistled. “Damn, woman, I could fit my entire wardrobe in just one of those things.”
* * *
After packing my bags and loading them up, the next thing on Vince’s and my agenda was to get in contact with Karla McDonald. I understood Kade’s thinking. Nobody had really known that I was back in town, and certainly nobody knew that I was going to my house except for Karla. I didn’t think she’d betray me, but you never know.
Vince handled my car well as we left the neighborhood, more to just get away from a painful scene than anything else. Sitting in the passenger seat, I dialed Karla’s number from my phone’s history. It took me three tries, but she eventually picked up. “Hey, Karla.”
“Alix,” she said, sounding down and wary. “Why are you calling?”
“I think the two of us need to talk. Just talk, nothing else,” I said. “I’m pretty sure you know why.”