Даниэла Стил - Neighbors

“I’m exhausted,” Meredith admitted. Several times during the day, she had thought of the Fabergé box, and tried to imagine any of her new friends stealing it. She just couldn’t. It didn’t compute. Even for Peter, who had no money to speak of. They all seemed like honest people, and stealing something of value from her home seemed so out of character. She couldn’t imagine it, and was sure it would show up at some point and prove her right, especially to Debbie, who thought them all profiteers and thieves, out to take advantage of Meredith. She appreciated how protective Debbie was of her, but in this group, she was sure it wasn’t necessary.

All the men came home shortly after they did, and looked just as tired. Peter had run into Charles Chapman at the OES office, and had invited him to dinner, and hoped Meredith wouldn’t mind. She didn’t, and was happy to see him when he came. Even Andrew seemed more subdued that night. He had dealt with a steady stream of emergencies at the hospital, and didn’t comment when Tyla told him she had gone back to work at the shelter.

Debbie had prepared a simple meal of pasta with basil from the garden, and she’d defrosted steaks for those who wanted them. Meredith noticed that Charles and Arthur were engaged in a long conversation, and he and Peter seemed to have made friends. Then over coffee, Charles came to sit with Meredith. She had talked to Tyla and Ava all through dinner about what they’d seen and done that day at the shelter. It was exhausting, but invigorating to be helping people.

“How are you faring with your hotel here?” Charles asked her with a warm smile. “Arthur has been trying to talk me into going to his concert in Shanghai in November. He almost has me convinced. Are you going?”

She laughed. “Shanghai is a little extreme for a woman who’s officially been a recluse for fourteen years.”

“It might do you good. And it would be interesting. He’s playing at a new concert hall there. He certainly hasn’t slowed down. He’s also playing in Paris, Hong Kong, and Sydney this winter. My life is embarrassingly dull compared to his. I hear you’ve been working at the shelter in the Marina.”

“It feels good to be doing something to help.”

“I think you’re already doing quite a lot here.” He smiled at her. “We’re hoping that this part of the city will have power by next week.”

“We’re lucky we have the generator,” she said. “And I’ve gotten used to battery-operated lanterns all over the house.”

“Certain parts of the city won’t have power back for at least another six months,” he said.

“There seems to be so much reconstruction to do,” she said thoughtfully. “Some of the people at the shelter have lost their homes, and have no earthquake insurance. It costs a fortune, so most people don’t have it.”

“The city will be hurt for a long time,” he said. “We’re swamped at OES.” They were still digging people out of the rubble, and the financial district was a shambles with many people still trapped in office buildings. Rescue teams were working frantically to get them out before they died. The stories on the news were still fraught with drama every day. “I’d love to take you to dinner sometime, when the restaurants get going again. How does that fit in the life of an ‘official recluse’?” he teased her a little and she laughed.

“A week ago, it wouldn’t have,” she said, “but that seems to be changing. My neighbors have gotten me out from behind my walls.”

“That’s lucky for me.” She noticed that he was watching Debbie as she worked in the kitchen cleaning up. She hardly spoke to Meredith that night, after their conversation about the Fabergé box, and Charles said something to Meredith, when she walked him through the courtyard to let him out the front gate. “I feel a little odd saying this to you, but I get a funny vibe from your housekeeper. I saw her looking at you strangely tonight. She doesn’t seem too happy about your guests.”

“She’s not, and neither is her husband. They’re not used to houseguests. Admittedly it’s been a big group, although they’re all very easy, and Will and Daphne are adorable and well behaved. Actually, I had a run-in with my housekeeper this morning. She’s convinced one of them stole a valuable object from the house. I just don’t think that’s possible with this group. I think the object she thinks is stolen is tucked in a drawer somewhere. They’re very protective. They’ve been through a lot with me. They’ve been with me for fifteen years and have been the mainstay of my existence for most of it, my only friends. They worry about people taking advantage of me, or chasing me because of who I am. That’s not the issue here. These people all needed help and a place to stay, and they’ve all been respectful and discreet, but of course it’s more work for Jack and Debbie than when I’m alone in the house.”

“This may sound strange, but some people who live in other people’s houses as a way of life often try to take control of them at some point, and isolate them. The tables turn, and suddenly the employees are running the show. It sounds odd, but it has happened to some very capable, intelligent people. Be careful, Meredith. That woman looked daggers at me several times, and she was almost seething when she watched some of your guests. How much do you trust them?”

“Totally,” Meredith said without hesitating.

“Maybe they took the missing object and are trying to point the finger at someone else,” he suggested, and Meredith looked shocked.

“They would never do that. They had flawless references when I hired them, and they’ve never done anything that concerned me in fifteen years.”

“Just keep your eyes open,” he said as gently as he could. He thought that something about Debbie was almost frightening, Meredith was more vulnerable than she realized, and at the mercy of whoever worked for her. They could influence her, or isolate her without her realizing it, steal from her cleverly, or even hurt her. She wouldn’t be the first famous person it had happened to. There was something about Debbie and her husband that had struck him viscerally from the first time he’d seen them and Jack had let him into the house. They almost seemed to feel that it was their house as much as hers.

“I’m sure they’ll relax again when my guests leave.”

“When do you think that will be?” he asked her.

“When their homes are up and running, and safe again. They all had considerable damage, but their houses aren’t ready to fall down. They’ve been calling construction companies all week. I think Joel is meeting with his contractor on Monday, and Arthur has someone coming to assess the damage later in the week.” She hesitated for a moment, and then told him something else. “I’d like to keep Tyla and the kids with me as long as possible. Since we’re talking about following our instincts, I think Andrew can be a very different man from the charming doctor we see at dinner. He’s very hard on Tyla. I’ve overheard him say some things to her I didn’t like, and their little girl says he hits her. If she needs help, I’d like to keep an eye on things for as long as I can.” Charles nodded as he listened to her, sad to hear what she said, and touched by how concerned Meredith was about her, after only knowing her a short time. And he agreed with her.

“It’s funny, I have the same feeling about him. Underneath the smooth exterior, I think he’s a very angry guy.” Meredith nodded and unlocked the gate, and Charles hugged her. “For a recluse, you seem to have a good eye for the people around you.”

“I used to,” she said quietly. “I might be out of practice, but don’t worry about Jack and Debbie. Trust me, they’re good people. I would trust them with my life.”