“Okay. Maybe.”
“Alright. See you around.”
“Yeah. Bye.” Kaylee watched Mia head back towards her own house. Then she turned to look at Eric’s house again, allowing herself to linger just a few moments in hopes that the boy might make a reappearance for some reason.
When he didn’t—no surprise there—Kaylee turned around and started to head back towards the welcome shade of the umbrella, where her sketchbook awaited her. Would she have any more luck finding the inspiration to draw this time? As much as she would like to be optimistic, she got the feeling that she would end up just staring at a blank page yet again.
5
AFTER ANOTHER COUPLE HOURS OF sitting out in the sun, staring at the blank sheet of paper in front of her that sucked away her already shaky motivation to draw, Kaylee gave up altogether and retreated back inside the house to plop down on the couch, after cranking up the air conditioning of course.
She was bored out of her mind being in this empty house without a damn thing to do. It almost made her wish that she still had her cat, Percy, but her mom made her give him to Mrs. Tuttle across the street after they moved because she didn’t want to take the cat with her.
Lying on her back, she checked both her Twitter and Facebook pages. There were tons of messages from friends at her old school, asking her how she was and to get in touch with them again. Her ex-boyfriend, Marcus, even sent her a lengthy message about how he missed her and wanted to get back with her.
But just like every time that someone from her old life contacted her, the messages were all ignored. It was strange, but after losing her best friend, Kaylee also lost the desire for friendship and companionship altogether.
What was the point? How could she ever replace someone like Chelsea? No one would ever be as close to her as Chelsea was. No one would ever know her the same way.
Losing her made Kaylee realize that she didn’t really have any other friends. In fact, it completely changed the way that she looked at what a friend really was. It was so easy to slap the label of friend on anyone you shared a few good times with and cared enough about to greet when you passed them in the halls or saw them on the bus, but those people weren’t really friends.
A friend knew things about you that you didn’t even know about yourself.
A friend took time out of their day to be there for you even when they didn’t really know why you needed them around.
A friend loved you even when you weren’t sure if you loved yourself. Maybe you even hated yourself.
And Chelsea was a true friend to Kaylee. An irreplaceable friend. Someone that Kaylee had no idea how she was supposed to live without. Nothing felt the same. Nothing seemed to have the same meaning when she wasn’t able to share it with Chelsea.
Her mom insisted that she had to move on with her life. That one day she would be back to herself. But deep down, Kaylee didn’t believe that for a second. It was just one of those stupid cliché things that people said in a situation when there wasn’t anything to be said. Kaylee didn’t want to hear that. She just wanted Chelsea back . . . but she wasn’t going to get what she wanted.
Kaylee heard the sound of the front door opening, followed immediately by her mother’s voice. As over-the-top perky as she had been since the very first moment she purchased this new house that she loved so much.
“Hey, Kaylee, I’m home. And I brought food.”
Kaylee sat up and stuffed her phone back into her pocket, not wanting her mom to think that she was thinking about her old life. Her mom would just give her some stupid speech about how she would find lots of new friends here when she went to school in the summer.
Her mom appeared in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. She was carrying a paper bag under one arm, which was crammed full of groceries.
“Hey,” she said. “How was your first day in the new house?”
Here we go. Kaylee sighed as she got to her feet. “It was riveting, Mom. Really.”
“I know there isn’t much to do around here, but I promise you it’s going to get better once you start to see the town and meet some people.”
“I met the next-door neighbor,” Kaylee said as she walked past her mom into the kitchen.
“You did?”
Kaylee nodded, not even sure why she was telling her mom this. Maybe because deep down she wanted her mom to tell her that she should take Mia up on her offer to hang out, just so that she could shoot the notion down. Like that would somehow make her feel better about herself. Like it was some kind of reaffirmation that she was doing the right thing by isolating herself from the world after Chelsea’s death.
“Do you mean that girl we saw sitting on the porch yesterday?” Her mom set the bag of groceries down on the island in the center of the kitchen.
“Yep. That’s the one.” Kaylee grabbed a glass off the counter beside the sink and filled it with water.
“Is she nice?”
Kaylee shrugged. “She’s alright I guess. Her name’s Mia.”
“See, I knew you would make new friends in no time.”
Kaylee drained the glass in one gulp and then set it back down on the counter. “Mom, we’re not friends. She just introduced herself. I don’t want anything to do with her.”
“And why not?”
“Seriously, Mom?” Kaylee leaned against the counter. “Are we really going to rehash this again?”
“Alright. Alright. I won’t say anything.” She shrugged and then got started unpacking the groceries from the bag. “I just really think you should consider the possibility that something good might happen in your life if you’re open to it. That’s all.”
Kaylee could only shake her head. Why did her mom always insist on having the last word? It was probably because Kaylee’s dad had constantly cut her off every time they fought. He would never let her get a word in, and now she was making up for that.
“Oh, shoot,” her mother said before heaving a sigh.
Kaylee, who was about to leave the kitchen and head up to her room to finally finish unpacking, looked over her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“I totally forgot to check the mail on the way home.”
“So? Do it tomorrow.”
“Or . . .” Her mom took a key out of her pocket and held it up. “Do you think you could do it?”
“I’d rather not. I don’t even know where the mailbox is.”
“It’s just right up the street. You can’t miss it.”
Kaylee frowned. It was the last thing that she wanted to do, but she supposed it wasn’t too much for her mom to ask. Besides, it wouldn’t take very long, and her mom wouldn’t be able to say that she never left the house if she did it.
“Alright, fine. I’ll do it,” Kaylee walked over to her mother.
“Thank you.” Her mom handed her the key. “Go right at the end of the driveway and the mailbox is just around the corner. Box number thirteen is ours.”
“Box thirteen.” Kaylee stuffed the key into her pocket on her way out of the kitchen. “Why am I not surprised?”
***
The heat was even more unbearable than it was earlier in the day as Kaylee walked along the sidewalk. It made her wonder if anyone actually enjoyed feeling like they were in an oven every time they set foot outside of their home.
The only good thing that she had to say about this place was that it was quiet, just like her mother said it would be. She didn’t even see or hear any neighbors on her way to the mailbox. Other than some unseen birds chirping and her own shoes on the sidewalk, it was dead silent.
It was kind of peaceful she guessed . . . but also a little unnerving. What did these people do all day? Maybe they all hated the heat as much as she did and preferred to seek refuge inside their homes.
When she reached the mailbox, she located box number thirteen and then leaned forward to slide the key into the slot.
And heard a chuckle coming from right behind her. It pierced through the silence of the q
uiet neighborhood and sent a chill running down her spine.
Kaylee stood up straight and then spun around to find a short old man standing just a couple yards away. How had she not noticed him come up behind her earlier? And just what the hell was he doing sneaking up on her anyway?
He looked to be in his late sixties or maybe even early seventies. His face was wrinkled and dotted with ages spots. Eyes were sunken and beady, nose crooked like the beak of a vulture, and mouth a lipless slit filled with yellow teeth. What little hair he had left on his scalp was gray and only on the very back of his head and around his ears. He was dressed in tan shorts and a gray button-down shirt that was obviously too tight on his portly frame.
Kaylee was sure that she made a sour face when she got a good look at the man’s rather repulsive appearance. It was rude of her, but considering that the old man was eyeing her like she were a batch of freshly baked cookies straight out of the oven, she didn’t feel bad about it.
Retreating a step so that her back was right up against the mailbox, she folded her arms in front of her. “Can I help you with something?”
The old man grinned. “I haven’t seen you around here before. You must be new in the neighborhood.”
“Maybe . . .” Kaylee decided it was best to not reveal any information about herself. She just wanted to get the mail and then get out of here as quickly as possible, but in order to do that, she would have to turn her back to him, and she really didn’t feel comfortable doing that.
“Ah, you must be the one who moved in next door,” the old man said. “I saw the moving truck there yesterday morning, but I wasn’t sure who moved in . . . until now.”
Kaylee just stared. Her hand gripped the key tightly while the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. How could she not be on edge with this creep drooling over her like a fat kid who just saw the ice cream van?
The way his eyes wandered her body left her feeling sick to her stomach, and she suddenly regretted her decision to wear short shorts and a tank top. Way too much skin exposed for the old man to salivate over.
“My name is Frank.” He extended a calloused hand. “Frank Palmer, but you can just call me Frank. We’re neighbors after all.”
Kaylee stared at his hand, but refused to shake it. She didn’t want the man’s grubby mitts touching any part of her body, no matter what his intentions were. Sure, it was possible that he was just a harmless weirdo that had no idea how to conduct himself in basic social interactions, but Kaylee wasn’t about to risk finding out.
Especially when it was just as possible—and much more likely—that he was nothing but a dirty old pervert who was all hot and heavy about seeing a teenage girl in some tight clothes.
Frank chuckled again as he withdrew his hand. “Now there’s no reason to be all skittish. I’m just trying to be friendly. The least you could do is tell me your name now that I’ve told you mine.”
Kaylee was trying to think of a way out of this situation when she heard a car. A very comforting sound considering how badly she didn’t want to be alone with Frank.
Looking past the old man, she spotted a familiar sports car approaching. It pulled over on the curb and came to an abrupt stop with a screech of the brakes.
Frank jumped at the sound and turned around. Then took a step back from the car.
The driver’s side door was flung open and Eric got out. The first two times that Kaylee saw him, she got butterflies in her stomach. She was even more excited this time.
“Checking your mail, Frank?” Eric leaned against the roof of his car, dark hair falling over his shoulders.
Now that Kaylee saw Eric up close, she could see that his deep set eyes were nearly as dark as his hair. His features were sharp and he was every bit as gorgeous as she expected him to be when she saw him from afar.
Maybe even more so.
“Yeah. I was just checking my mail.” Frank’s voice stuttered as he shuffled his feet and messed with the collar of his shirt as if it were suddenly trying to constrict him.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Eric asked. “Go ahead and do it.”
“Oh, I, uh, well, I think the young lady was here first, so I think I should let her check her mail first.”
“No, I think you should. Age before beauty and all that crap, you know?”
Beauty? Does that mean he thinks I’m beautiful? Kaylee’s cheeks flushed. Stop it, stupid, it’s just an expression. Besides, you don’t even know this guy. He might be as bad as the old pervert . . . or worse.
“Oh, you know what,” Frank said, “I just remembered that I already checked it earlier today. I guess I’ll just be going then.”
“Well, you know, they say the mind is the first thing to go,” Eric said. “See you around, Frank.”
Without a word, Frank turned tail and started to walk away at a brisk pace for a man his age. And as he retreated, Kaylee was reminded of the fact that the man lived right next-door to her. Not at all a comforting thought.
“You alright?”
Kaylee turned and met Eric’s gaze, causing goosebumps to sprout all over her skin. She looked down at her feet, feeling like it was the only way she could talk to him without turning into a blathering idiot.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” She brushed her hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”
“Stay away from Frank. He’s more than just a creepy old man. He’s dangerous.”
Kaylee looked up to study his face. His dead serious expression telling her that he wasn’t exaggerating.
And while Kaylee had little trouble believing that Frank could be dangerous, how did she know that Eric wasn’t any less dangerous? Mia had already warned her about him, but he also helped her when he didn’t have to, so he couldn’t be that bad . . . could he?
“Well, I’ll see you around, new girl,” Eric said before he started to get back inside his car.
“My name is Kaylee,” she said.
But Eric either didn’t hear her or ignored her. He shut the car door before he sped off without sparing Kaylee as much as a glance.
She was left to stand beside the mailbox and watch his car until it disappeared around the corner and out of sight. Only then did she get the mail like she came to do.
Once she had the mail in hand—the fact that it was nothing but some junk mail really making her feel like the trip was a waste of her time—she started to make her way back home.
While she walked, she couldn’t stop thinking about the handsome and mysterious neighbor who came to her rescue. Why did he go out of his way to help her if he couldn’t even spare a moment to talk to her afterwards? Unless he was just shy, but he didn’t look like the kind of guy who had an issue talking to girls.
But was he really a knight in shining armor? Or a wolf in sheep’s clothing? All Kaylee knew for sure was that she intended to find out.
6
STEPPING THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR, Kaylee’s ears were immediately greeted by the unexpected sound of laughter. A woman’s laughter, and it was not her mother. It came from the living room, so Kaylee made her way there, heading through the kitchen—where she dropped off the mail on the counter—and then stopping in the doorway to peer into the living room.
Where she saw her mother sitting in the lounge chair across from the couch. And sitting on the couch were the Hendersons.
“Ah, Kaylee, there you are,” her mother said when she spotted her in the doorway. “I want you to come in here and meet our new neighbors.”
Kaylee frowned. Afraid that would happen. She wished she could rewind a few seconds to back before she was seen by her mother and try to sneak up to her room before she was noticed.
But there was no going back now, so she figured she might as well get it over with. If she was lucky, this would be a short visit. If not, she could always make the excuse that she had to finish unpacking.
With her contingent plan made, Kaylee forced herself to smile and then entered the living room.
“This is Greg and Claudia,” K
itty’s mother said as she gestured to the Hendersons one after the other. “They live right across the street.”
“Well, not quite right across the street,” Greg said, “but very close.”
Kaylee nodded. “Hi, I’m Kaylee, although I’m guessing you’ve picked up on that already.”
“I think I saw you earlier today, didn’t I?” Greg said. “Yeah. You were talking to Mia from across the street.”
“Now, Greg, why are you spying on the neighbors?” Claudia asked before laughing and nudging him playfully. “Seriously, though, my husband and I just had to take the time to come over and welcome you to the neighborhood. I even brought you some homemade oatmeal and raisin cookies. I’m sure you saw them on the counter.”
Again, Kaylee nodded. She hadn’t seen them, but she didn’t care either. She wasn’t interested in eating something that a perfect stranger made, especially since she hated raisins.
“Well, your mother was just telling us about how excited you are to be here in Sunny Vista,” Claudia went on.
“Oh was she?” Kaylee’s lips curled into a crooked grin and she shot her mother a sideways glance. “Well, I know how much my mom loves to exaggerated things. Isn’t that right, Mom?”
Her mother’s face was turning pink. She managed to salvage her composure, though, and kept a smile plastered to her face. “Kaylee, sweetie, didn’t you say earlier that you had some unpacking to finish upstairs in your room?”
“That’s right. I do. I should really get on that.” Kaylee turned on her heel and started to head for the stairs.
“It was lovely to meet you, Kaylee,” Claudia said.
Kaylee paused at the foot of the stairs and glanced over her shoulder, forcing a smile once more. “Likewise.”
***
Kaylee went to bed early that night, right after dinner. She wasn’t tired, but she did say that she was just so she had an excuse to avoid any more of her mother’s nagging about the way she behaved in front of the Hendersons. It was all her mom’s fault anyway. If she didn’t want a scene like that, then she shouldn’t have lied.
The Killer Next Door: A Murder Mystery Page 4
