Hidden - Laura Griffin Page 0,48
hanging in the library at Villa Paloma. It was Dana Smith’s favorite. She called it ‘the Sunshine Girl.’”
The resemblance between Robin Nally and the woman in the painting with the yellow dress and hair was striking. Bailey looked at Jacob to gauge his reaction. She could tell he saw the resemblance, even if he didn’t admit it.
“Uncanny, isn’t it?”
“Dana Smith had brown hair.”
Bailey rolled her eyes. “She dyed it. Brown hair was part of her cover. The blond would have been too conspicuous— I mean, look at her. She looks like a movie star. But I bet she missed the blond.”
Seeing the photo of Robin Nally had made Bailey view the Sunshine Girl painting in a whole new light. And she’d also thought about some of the cryptic things Dana’s friend Alex had said. Looks can be deceiving.
“You know, when I interviewed one of Dana’s friends at the museum, he even pointed out that she looked like the woman in this painting. ‘Except for the blond,’ he said. ‘Her hair is much darker.’”
Alex had also made a point of saying Dana was evasive about her background. I’m from everywhere and nowhere. Bailey had a hunch Alex knew that Dana wasn’t who she’d said she was.
Jacob was watching Bailey now with a look she couldn’t read. He definitely seemed tense, as though he had something he wanted to say but couldn’t.
“I’m not asking you to confirm, Jacob. I know I’m right.”
The muscles in his jaw bunched.
“And I also know there are two witnesses who testified. Where’s the other one? Where’s Tabitha Walker?”
He didn’t respond.
“Someone needs to find her and warn her that her life’s in danger. Assuming it’s not too late.”
His look darkened, and she felt the tension coming off him, but still he didn’t say anything.
She stepped closer, close enough to see the tiny bits of sawdust in his hair. His skin was slick, and she wanted to slide her hands over his muscular shoulders. Instead, she just looked up at him, watching the conflict burning in his eyes.
“I’ll be right back.” He stepped around her.
“Where are you going?”
“To shower.”
“You don’t need to shower. We’re having a conversation.”
But he ignored her and disappeared down a hallway.
She huffed out a breath and scanned his empty kitchen, annoyed by his abrupt exit and his lack of reaction to her discovery. This wasn’t going as she’d expected.
She sipped her beer in an effort to relax and then stepped into the room just beyond the kitchen. As opposed to the front room, this space looked finished. More rich golden floors, plus some brown leather furniture and an intricate rug of deep reds and blues. The furniture faced a huge TV where the Rangers game was on, but muted, and she guessed he’d been watching it when she rang the bell.
Bailey crossed the room to check out the big windows that looked out on a wooden deck illuminated by floodlights. She glanced back at the hallway and heard the pipes running. Then she opened the glass door and stepped outside.
The deep yard sloped down, and the back was shadowed by towering pecan trees. Cicadas droned in the distance, luring her across the deck. She took a few steps down to the lawn, then turned around to look at the house.
It glowed like a lantern, warm and inviting. She skimmed her gaze over the ladder and the bare light fixtures in the front room. It was a work in progress, an endeavor that absorbed his spare time and energy, and she felt a sharp prick of envy. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had that. Outside of rowing, she’d let go of all her hobbies. Basically, she worked. And when she wasn’t working, she was thinking about work. And when she wasn’t thinking about work, she was catching up on laundry or cleaning or maybe stealing a quick coffee at Hannah’s. Ever since the first round of layoffs at the newspaper, her life had become an endless quest to rack up bylines and hang on to her job.
She sat down on the wooden step, facing the darkness of the trees. Acoustic guitar music drifted over from the neighbor’s yard, along with the scent of marijuana. She tipped her head back and looked at the sky. The stars were out, along with a full moon. She closed her eyes and realized how good it felt to sit and just be. Jacob’s yard was an oasis, removed from the hustle and noise only a few blocks away.
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