Carlene Thompson - Don

Dirt and gravel crunched under her Reeboks. Much too soon her breath grew short. She used to run daily but had abandoned the routine months ago. Now she was out of shape. Blaine pulled ahead, then dropped back as if she sensed Natalie's need for a companion.

Natalie tried to keep her eyes straight ahead, but they drifted up again. The ugly birds circled. At least they weren't feasting. Yet.

A wave of nausea and breathlessness forced her to slow down. She was close now, but close to what? Oh, please don't let it be Lily, she prayed.

She saw a gray-white heap in the middle of the road. A hairy gray-white heap with a long bare rat-like tail. A dead opossum.

Natalie stopped abruptly and her vision blurred. She bent over, hands on knees, and drew deep, slow breaths. First she thought she would faint from fear. Now she thought she might faint from relief.

Blaine barked and drew closer. Natalie's head shot up. A man stopped in front of them, looking at Blaine with caution.

"I just wanted to see if you were all right," he said.

His voice was familiar. Natalie wiped away the perspiration dripping from her forehead into her eyes and blinked. Tall. Slender. Dark blond hair curling over the collar of his denim shirt. The man she'd met in Lily's store.

"Jeff Lindstrom?"

He smiled. "You remembered." He looked at Blaine. "Will you tell Lassie I'm harmless?"

"Her name is Blaine. She's very protective." Natalie was not sure this was true, although the dog was showing protective tendencies, but she suddenly recalled that the night Charlotte Bishop had been murdered she was seen arguing with a man who fit Jeff's description. She did not touch the dog, hoping Blaine would maintain her tense stance. "What are you doing out here?"

"Sightseeing. Someone told me about the Saunders house. I have to admit I was disappointed. They said the place was a little run-down. It's a wreck."

"So I've heard. My friends and I used to go there when we were kids. Back then it was run-down. I haven't seen it for ages."

"You and your friends?" He flashed the smile that at first had struck Natalie as open. Now it seemed studied. "Would that be Lily and Tamara Peyton?"

"Well, yes. How did you know?"

"When I was in Curious Things I could tell you were a good friend of Lily. Tamara was her twin. Simple deduction." The smile. "It really is terrible about Tamara. People in town have told me the details of her murder. She was found on this road, wasn't she?"

"Yes."

"By Lily and you." She nodded. "Hell of a thing. Who do you suppose would want to kill a lovely young woman like Tamara?"

"That's what the police are wondering."

"Then her husband and that Bishop woman. They must have been involved. Did Tamara know?"

"I have no idea," Natalie said faintly. She was growing alarmed. He was asking too many questions, watching her too intently. "I really have to be getting back."

"Why were you running? You looked like you were scared to death."

"Did I?" She forced a smile. "What you saw was strain, not fear. I haven't run for a long time."

"That wasn't a simple jog I saw. Tell me. What's wrong?"

You're scaring the hell out of me, that's what's wrong, Natalie thought. She wouldn't show it, though. "Nothing is wrong. I just ran too far too fast and I started to feel sick. I'm fine now.".

"You don't look fine." He moved one step closer. "You're very pale."

Blaine emitted a low growl. Jeff barely looked at her. His gaze held Natalie's.

"I am fine." Turn around and walk, part of her said. Another part told her not to turn her back on this man. It would be easy for him to grab her and pull a knife neatly across her throat. "Did you drive out here? I didn't see a car."

"It's parked over there." He motioned vaguely toward the end of Tamara's street. "I've been around here for hours."

"Then you must be ready to go back. Walk with us."

"Wouldn't you like to see the Saunders house? You said you haven't been there for a long time."

No, dammit! she screamed inwardly. Should she chance it and turn away? He certainly didn't seem intimidated by Blaine and she couldn't stand here forever.

"Hi! How're you doin'?"

A kid's voice. Jeff looked past Natalie. She turned her head. A black-haired boy rode a bike toward them. "Hi!" she called gaily as if she knew him. He looked familiar. Wasn't he the boy who'd hung around the day they found Tamara's body?

"I saw you come out the road, Natalie," he said, grinding to a halt beside her and hopping off his bike. "You brought Blaine. Hi, girl."

Natalie? Blaine? How did he know their names? "She looks a lot better than the first time you saw her, doesn't she?" Natalie asked.

"She sure does." He looked at Jeff. "I'm Jimmy Jenkins. I live in that big blue house across from the Hunts."

"Jeff Lindstrom." Tight voice. Tight smile. "Nice to meet you, Jimmy."

"Do you live around here?"

"No. Just visiting. Natalie and I were headed back. Are you going to the Saunders house?"

Jimmy shook his head. "I don't care about that old house. I just came out to see Natalie and Blaine. I'll walk with you guys."

Bless you, Natalie thought. Jimmy grinned at her. He'd known something was wrong and he'd come to her rescue. She felt like throwing her arms around him.

When they reached the paved street, Jeff gave them an overly hearty farewell and began striding east. Natalie looked at Jimmy. "Thanks."

He shrugged. "No big deal. I saw him hanging around here eyeing the Hunts' house. Then he went out Hyacinth Lane. Then you came and I saw you take off running. I thought something was wrong."

"I was supposed to meet Lily here. When she didn't show up I got scared. I saw vultures flying around and… well, I thought of Tamara, but it was only a dead opossum."

"I've been around here all day and I haven't seen Lily."

Natalie frowned. "You couldn't have missed her?"

He flashed that grin again. In a few years he'd be a heartbreaker. "The way she drives her 'Vette? I couldn't have missed her screeching into the driveway."

"I don't understand," Natalie muttered. Then: "Jimmy, how did you know my name and the dog's?"

"Paige Meredith told me. We're friends."

"Oh, I see." Natalie remembered Paige mentioning a "Jimmy" four or five times last night. She obviously had a crush on him. "I'm certainly glad you came after me."

"I had to. There's something creepy about that guy." Jimmy looked at the ground and frowned. "I thought I saw something drop out of his pocket. There it is."

He pointed. Natalie bent and picked up an object. It sparkled in spite of the overcast day.

"What is it?" Jimmy asked.

"A silver and amethyst earring," Natalie said thinly. "It belonged to Tamara."

"You sure?"

"Yes. I gave these earrings to her for her birthday." Natalie frowned and asked slowly, "Could he have just found this on Hyacinth Lane?"

"Maybe." Jimmy looked at her solemnly. "Or else he's been carrying it around since the night Tamara got murdered."

The red Corvette sat in front of Lily's apartment. Natalie, Blaine standing beside her, knocked on the door. In a minute Lily appeared. She wore a robe and her eyes were red and slightly swollen. "Natalie," she said without inflection. "I didn't know you were coming."

"May I bring in the dog?"

"Of course. I love dogs." She shut the door. The draperies were pulled. The only light in the room came from a television. A soap opera played with the sound turned low. "Do you want something to drink? Juice? Soda? Coffee?"

"Wine."

Lily raised an eyebrow, a ghost of a smile playing around her mouth. 'It's just past noon, Natalie St. John. What would your father say?"