Savanna hung up and flung the phone away from her into the pillows. “What? Why does he have to come here? He doesn’t belong here. What in the world was that?” She looked at Sydney. She felt shaky and sick.
“He’s a jerk. Call him right now and tell him to mail your stuff. He doesn’t need to come here.”
Savanna groaned. “Ugh! I don’t want to call him. I don’t want to talk to him at all!”
Sydney picked up her phone. “I’ll tell him.”
“No.” Savanna grabbed her phone from Syd’s hand. “I have to do it.”
Sydney stared at her, waiting.
“I don’t want to talk to him,” she said again. She shouldn’t have checked the voicemail, not right before going to bed. Now she’d never fall asleep.
“Then text him,” Sydney suggested.
Savanna shook her head. “No. I’m not twelve. I’m not going to deal with this over text. I’ll call him. Tomorrow. I’ll call him tomorrow right after school.”
Sydney looked at her skeptically.
“I will! Trust me, I will. The last thing I want is for him to show up in Carson.”
Chapter Sixteen
Rob’s voicemail stayed with Savanna all through Monday. The day seemed to drag as she scripted what she’d say to him in her head, revising it over and over. And then somehow the last two hours of her day flew by in an instant, and before she knew it, she was home, standing alone in Sydney’s kitchen, staring at Fonzie staring back at her.
“Okay, okay, I’m going to call him,” she told her dog.
She clipped on Fonzie’s leash and headed through town toward the park and the lake beyond. She’d find her spot on the dunes where she used to go as a teenager whenever she needed to think. The waves and the sand and sky made everything going on in her life seem small, manageable. Maybe it would still work, that Lake Michigan magic.
She found a spot on the beach, looking out over choppy blue waves, and let Fonzie go. He loved it there. She should come more often, she thought as she watched him kick up sand and bark at the seagulls. Her little section of beach was deserted. Not surprising, given that it was the end of September and the weather had settled into a brisk fifty-five-degree average. She was glad she’d thought to bring a blanket to spread out on the cold sand, and her red-checked scarf and gloves.
She hit dial and had the phone to her ear before she could talk herself out of it. As it rang, she watched Fonzie race back and forth at the water line, pouncing on the waves rolling in and trying to bite the water.
“Hey, Savanna!” Rob’s voice came on the line.
“Hey.” So many things ran through her head, things she should have said to him that day. He’d come straight from a board meeting for the museum, full of himself and all hyped up about a high-end deal he’d been a part of negotiating. Rob was smart—he’d broken up with her in public, at their favorite restaurant, the same one he’d proposed to her in. He knew Savanna would never make a scene in public.
She hadn’t. They’d cut their dinner short, her appetite ruined after he’d explained that he needed space. He needed to find himself. They were just too different, he’d said, and he’d never imagined himself settling down so young. Rob was thirty-one. She’d have pointed this out to him, but she’d been too disgusted by then.
“Savanna?” Her name coming through the phone in his voice sounded wrong to her.
“Rob, don’t worry about my things. If you really want to, you could mail them. What book is it?”
“Uh, I can’t remember. I’m not home right now. Some thick hardcover.”
She sighed. She hated losing a good book. And she really didn’t want to buy a new winter coat. “Okay. Could you please just put everything in the mail? I’ll give you the address.”
“Well, I thought it would be nice to catch up in person.”
She laughed. “I’m not an old friend who just moved away. I don’t want to catch up. I’m good here. I’m doing fine. I should actually thank you.”
“What? Why?” He sounded hurt.
Savanna felt a sense of calm come over her. This wasn’t hard at all. Yes, hearing his voice had instantly took her back to the day he’d broken up with her. But now? It was okay. She didn’t care enough about him anymore to be angry at him.
“I needed to come home. I’m happy here. I’m not happy with the way we ended things, but I’m so glad to be back in Carson. So thank you for whatever it was that led you to break off our engagement. I wouldn’t have been happy. You were right to do it.” She meant every word.
There was nothing but silence on the other end of the line.
“Rob?”
“I’m here. I actually wanted to talk to you about that, Savanna.”
Savanna had an inkling…almost a premonition, a prickle across her shoulders. Don’t say it.
Rob said the words that, just a month ago, Savanna would have given anything to hear. “I think I made a mistake.” His voice was quiet.
Fonzie bounded over and stared at her, whining.
“What,” she whispered at the dog, motioning for him to go play.
The dog pawed at the ground and barked, obviously wanting her to come play too.
“Savanna? I hear Fonzie. Where are you? I miss our dog.”
“He wasn’t our dog. You know that.”
“Well, I helped walk him sometimes. I miss him. Where are you? Are you working at all? Did you move back in with your parents?”
Wow. The idea he must have of her in his head: sad, distraught, barely functional without him. So broken-hearted she was unable to secure a job, find a place to live, or even exist on her own. “I’m on the beach right now. The lake is gorgeous on this side. I’m working, and I’m staying with my sister for the moment. But there are some really cute houses I’m looking at.” She couldn’t help it—she needed him to know she’d landed on her feet.
“Wait, so you’re staying there?” He sounded incredulous. “You still have subletters in your apartment. We still haven’t filled your position at Kenilworth. It’s yours, Savanna, if you want it. I guess I thought you’d be back.”
She swallowed hard, stunned. “Rob. I moved. I only have subletters until my lease is up. I’m sorry you’ve held the position at work but…I’m done. I made that clear when I turned my notice in to your father.”
“Okay, listen. I want you to think about this seriously. You had a future here, in Chicago and at Kenilworth. What are you even doing now? You always made Carson sound tiny. Are you commuting all the way to Lansing for work? Wouldn’t it be better to be back in the city?”
“I’m working in art. I had no trouble finding a job. I have a future here. Don’t worry.”
Silence.
“Rob,” she said, softening her voice. She wouldn’t have believed it possible a month ago, but now she actually felt a little sorry for him. He sounded so shocked that she wanted nothing to do with his olive branch. “I’m honestly happy now. I hope you can find a way to be too. Please just mail me my things. I’ll text you the address.”
He was so quiet, she pulled the phone away from her ear, making sure the call was still connected. It was.
“Goodbye,” she said and pressed the end call button.
Savanna lay back on the blanket, looking at the sky. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but that whole conversation had certainly surprised her. Rob’s end of it, and her own.
Fonzie barreled onto the blanket and flipped onto his back, rolling around and pushing off of her with his sandy paws.
“Oh!” The smell of dead fish assaulted her senses. “Fonzie, you reek!” She leaped up, brushing the sand off, and he jumped up with her, running through and around her legs. Now it must be time to play, right? “You need a bath,” she told him. “You’re not going home smelling like that!” She shook the blanket out and reached for him, trying to cli
p the leash onto his collar without actually touching him.
He darted away from her, running along the water’s edge with his nose down, obviously looking for whatever it was that had given him such a pungent aroma.
“Fonz!” Savanna shouted in her best disciplinarian voice.
“Fonzie! Come here, boy!”
Savanna whipped around to see Skylar several yards away from her, making her way through the dunes. She put two fingers to her lips and whistled, loud, and Savanna’s traitor dog ran directly to her. Skylar covered her nose with one hand as Fonzie wagged his whole body, waiting to be petted. She reached down and gingerly patted his head, making a face.
“Sorry about that,” Savanna called, heading toward her sister.
“He stinks! Ugh!”
“I know. He rolled in something.” She quickly hooked up his leash and straightened up again. “What are you doing here?”
“Syd saw you leave; she had a feeling you were heading to your spot to call Rob back. She told me about his voicemail. Are you okay?” Her expression was full of concern.
Savanna hugged her older sister, kissing her cheek. “I’m totally fine. I swear. I’ll tell you about it on the way. I’m stopping at Fancy Tails to throw him in the tub.” She pointed at Fonzie as they started back toward the park and town.
“Oh, thank goodness.” Skylar laughed. “That’s pretty awful. And you wonder why I don’t want a dog.”
Savanna rolled her eyes at Skylar. “Nolan would love a dog, you know. It’s worth the work. Get a rescue, like Fonzie. They’re wonderful. It’s all about unconditional love.”
“Nolan gets that from us. Maybe we’ll start with a fish.”
Chapter Seventeen
Savanna dressed more carefully after school Tuesday, changing to go work on the mural. Every time she was at Caroline’s working, wearing grungy, ten-year-old painter’s clothes, Aidan showed up. Well, almost every time. She pulled on a nice pair of dark, slim-fit jeans she’d accidentally spattered a few drops of bleach on at the right ankle, and a plain pink T-shirt. She liked the color and the way it followed the curve at her waistline. She was willing to get paint on it for the sake of not looking horrible every time she was Caroline’s. She pulled on black-and-white Converse high-tops and a black sweater on her way out the door.
Savanna stopped in front of Skylar’s law office and her sister got in before Savanna even had a chance to call and tell her she was here.
Skylar threw her briefcase and purse in the back seat. “I’ve got all of Mr. Carson’s paperwork. Copies of authentication certificates, bills of sale, everything. I haven’t had a chance yet to look through it, but I thought we could go over it with Caroline while we’re there. It’s really a bookkeeping measure that we should have been doing since August, anyway, when she started selling off some of her collection. We need to get everything in order for the upcoming sales she’s making, and file the ones she’s already sold.”
“Perfect.” Savanna said. “I have an idea too. I’m going to ask if she minds if I check out that smaller Minkov in the dining room a little more closely.”
“You’re going to take it to Lansing? Will she let you do that? I mean, you said it’s worth a ton. I can probably find her purchase price in the paperwork I brought.”
“I won’t have to take it offsite—not at first, anyway. I still have my Firefly. It’s a handheld microscope that connects to my computer through the USB port. I’d have to calibrate it first, and bring my laptop for imaging, but I might be able to authenticate that Minkov with just that. But I can’t just take her priceless painting off the wall and set up my equipment on her buffet without asking her. So I’m going to ask.”
Skylar nodded. “Okay. Does she know you saw something odd in that painting?”
“No. I haven’t mentioned anything to her, but maybe I can blame it on my former job…or say that I just want to take a closer look at the work. She knows how much I love that artist.”
“That sounds like a great idea. Do it. Did you bring it today?”
“No. I have to run this by her first, but it’s not a big deal for me to get the equipment and run it over there this week to check it out.”
“Perfect.” Now Skylar echoed Savanna’s earlier sentiment. “That should put your mind at ease. Hopefully.”
As they turned onto Caroline’s street, Savanna gasped, grabbing Skylar’s hand. Two patrol cars were in the Carson house driveway. She automatically looked for Aidan’s SUV but it wasn’t there. Which might mean nothing medical had happened…?
Savanna rang the bell, looking at Skylar. “Should we go in?”
Princess and Duke came skittering into the foyer, barking.
Skylar peered through the screen door. “The door’s open.”
“Caroline?” Savanna called as they stepped inside.
“Hello?” Skylar put a hand on her forearm. “Hold on a sec.”
They were quickly met by a police officer coming down the hall. She looked imposing, wearing the Allegan County dress blues, with a chrome nametag that read “D. Zapelli.” One hand rested on her belt near the holster.
“Sorry,” Skylar spoke. “We should have waited at the door. Is Mrs. Carson all right?”
Zapelli frowned. “You are…?”
“I’m Mrs. Carson’s attorney. This is my sister, Savanna. She’s working on a project for Mrs. Carson.”
The officer stood still, considering for a moment. “Come with me.” She stood to one side, motioning them to walk ahead of her down the hallway, toward the kitchen.
They were relieved to find Caroline sitting at the big kitchen table with her plastic-booted foot propped up on one of the chairs. She appeared fine.
“Girls! Oh my, you’ve no idea how glad I am to see you.” She held out her hands.
They each leaned in for a quick hug. Savanna stayed close, shaken up at being greeted by the officer. She looked around the kitchen. Lauren and her father, Thomas, sat adjacent at the table, and Detective Jordan leaned against the island, arms crossed.
Skylar spoke first. “What happened?”
Jordan raised an eyebrow at her. “There was a break-in.”
“Oh no,” Savanna said, giving Caroline’s shoulder a light squeeze. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she replied. “I wasn’t home when it happened.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Lauren said.
Detective Jordan spoke. “I just have a few more questions, Mrs. Carson. Is there someplace more private we can finish up?”
“No,” Caroline said, “you can speak in front of the girls. I’ve known them all their lives.”
Jordan sighed. “Fine.” He looked down at the notepad he’d been writing on. “So you changed your locks on what date?”
“Oh, I’m not quite sure.” Caroline glanced at Lauren.
“It was a week ago yesterday,” Skylar said. “Our dad installed new exterior door handles with digital locks.”
“And who has the entry code?”
“Just us,” Lauren said.
“‘Us’ who?” Jordan asked.
Thomas said, “Myself and my daughter.” He gestured at Lauren.
“And us,” Savanna added. “Caroline gave it to me for when I come over to paint, and to Sydney so she can pick up the poodles for grooming.”
Jordan jotted that down in his notepad.
“I don’t understand why you’re concentrating on who knows how to unlock the doors, when it’s clear the burglar came in through the living room window,” Caroline said.
“We have to cover every angle,” Detective Jordan told her. “And I’m not sure that was the actual point of entry.”
“What do you mean?” Thomas asked.
Jordan said, “The broken glass doesn’t leave a large enough hole for someone to climb through.”
Savanna glanced wide-eyed at Skylar. Detective Jordan thought Caroline knew the person who’d broken into her house?
“So, maybe they reached up and unlocked the window, to open it. To climb in,” Lauren said.
“Okay,” Jordan said. “Except the lock mechanism is still engaged.”
Thomas shook his head. “Why is that important? Maybe the guilty party closed the lock when he closed the window, after climbing through.”
“Why would someone do that after breaking the window?” Jordan asked.
The room was quiet.
“And then there’s the displaced glass pattern that Detective Taylor took photos of before he left. We’ll know more after we analyze that, as well as the fingerprints forensics collected. Mrs. Carson, we have to entertain the possibility that whoever is responsible already had a way into the house.”
Savanna realized they’d arrived well after the incident. It sounded as if there had been a whole team of law enforcement at Caroline’s house.
Caroline cleared her throat. “I don’t believe that someone I know could have done this. But I’ll be honest, Detective. Until recently, I’ve never locked my doors. It’s never been an issue. So, I’ve given the lock code to the people I rely on to help me here. I’m eighty-nine years old. I’m still fortunate enough to live on my own, in this rambling old house, because I have help.”
Detective Jordan nodded. “Is there anyone else you’d like to list as having access to your house?”
Caroline sighed. “Sure. But I think the notion that this could become a list of possible suspects is ridiculous. Anything of real value that I own is still here, from what my son’s been able to glean so far. Don’t you think it’s likely that this is along the lines of that rash of car break-ins last summer? Just kids, bored and looking for something to do?”
The detective pulled out a chair and joined them at the table. He closed his notebook, setting it down with his pen. “To be frank, Mrs. Carson, I believe someone has an agenda where you’re concerned. I don’t have the motive yet, but after speaking with Savanna and Dr. Gallager last week, I’d like to get this wrapped up quickly. Before you or anyone else gets hurt again.”
Out of the Picture Page 16
