said he’d take care of it in person. Wouldn’t even let me hire someone to clean it up. I don’t know how he got here so fast since he lives in Connecticut. But, if there’s food rotting it’ll draw even more rats.”
Neither Terri nor Billy gave a hint that Connecticut meant anything to them. “We’ll take care of it,” Terri managed to say before they left the office.
When they got to the car, Billy insisted that he drive. He’d trust Terri with his life in a boat but not in a car. “Just direct me and we’ll go to the cabin.”
“It’s probably nothing,” she said as she got in the passenger seat. “A coincidence.”
“I’m sure you’re right. So tell me about Mr. Owens.”
“I don’t know much. He’s a handsome, middle-aged man. When he first arrived I was a kid but even I saw the way the women went after him. He wanted nothing to do with them. Dad and I used to laugh about it.”
“Who does he socialize with?”
“I have no idea. I don’t remember ever seeing him at any of the community get-togethers. One time Dad said if everyone was like Mr. Owens our lives would be a lot easier.”
“But he came by your house yesterday?”
“Yes, he did. He brought some pastries from the Summer Hill bakery. I didn’t spend any time with him because everyone wanted my attention.” She looked at Billy. “He could have stolen the bag with the bowl in it but so could have lots of people.”
Billy was quiet for a while. “So this man usually comes only in August?”
“Yes.” She looked at him. “But he’s here now. Because of rats that frightened his tenants away.”
“Rats that appeared just when a car was found in a lake.”
“And the newspapers blasted it all over the country.” Terri’s heart was beginning to pound.
“And as antisocial as he is, he showed up at your house.”
“And said nothing to anyone that I saw,” Terri said.
For a second, their eyes locked, then Billy looked back at the road that encircled the lake. “Got somewhere we can park where we won’t be seen?”
“Yes.” She pointed the way to an empty cabin and Billy pulled into the driveway.
“Guess it would be pointless to—” He halted when Terri hopped out of the car. “To stay here,” he finished.
Terri knew a back way to get to the Owens cabin. She climbed over a fence. Straddling it, she saw Billy hesitate. “Come on!”
“I’m saying a prayer of forgiveness. I hope my fellow parishioners don’t see me.”
Terri nodded toward the nearby cabin. “She’s a weekend widow. She’ll forgive you anything.”
Billy scurried over the fence so quickly Terri laughed.
“Stacy Hartman is available, you know.”
“Not my type. She’s too perfect.” He smiled in a way that let her know he was thinking of their past.
“Does that mean I’m not perfect?”
Billy was out of breath. “You, dear Terri, are far and away from being perfect.”
She snorted at that, then motioned for him to be quiet and follow her. They were near Mr. Owens’s cabin.
Since her father and his partner had built many of the houses, she knew the floor plans. The biggest windows looked out to the water, but there were side windows. They’d be able to see in but probably not be seen.
“Wait!” Billy said as they reached the cabin. He leaned against a wall. “Do you know what I had to do to get a position at St. Anne’s? Summer Hill is a coveted site. If anyone saw me now I’d be sent to some remote island.”
“Where they dance in grass skirts? Stop complaining and let’s go. Say nothing.”
With a roll of his eyes, he followed her around to the front of the cabin.
They couldn’t see all of the big room, but they did see Nate. He was sitting in a chair, looking quite calm, as though he was on alert about something.
Standing over him was a huge man with a pockmarked and scarred face. He had a flattened, distorted nose like a prizefighter.
“I think his hands are tied,” Terri whispered. She tried the knob to the side door just enough to see that it was unlocked. “I’m going in.”
Before Billy could stop her, she picked up a rock and threw it through the window.
Inside the house, both men turned to the sound and in the seconds their attention was on the shattered glass, Terri ran through the door. She grabbed a metal ornament off a shelf by the door and drew back to throw it.