Across the street from Eric Schindler’s estate, Eddie Wysecki sat in his car, watching for any sign of TJ. Doreen had bailed on him again, still using her daughter as an excuse. Maybe she was getting ready to move on. Might be for the best if she did. In case he had to leave town in a hurry, running would be easier without any ties. He felt pathetic, sitting here for two nights, stalking some chick he’d never met. And on a Friday night to boot.

Since he’d arrived, he hadn’t seen anyone come or go. Stupid to keep sitting there. He wasn’t going to find out anything this way and his butt was starting to cramp. Maybe another fifteen minutes.

In the kitchen, TJ and Jeff laughed as they made chili, arguing about how much, or if any, cumin should be added to the recipe. Lisa sat in front of the widescreen TV, having agreed more than two cooks in the kitchen were too many.

When Phanny came around wanting to go out, Lisa took her to the door off the kitchen.

“If you’re taking her out, I’ll go with you,” Jeff offered.

“Thanks, but I’m just letting her out for a minute. She’s good about staying close by.”

Any plausible explanation for why those people were staying in Eric’s house eluded Danielle. Eric had said nothing about having houseguests. She started to back away when she heard a door open. Had someone spotted her? It would be impossible to get back to the woods without being seen. Squeezing into a corner between the side of the house and a large, stone chimney, she hoped for the best, her heart pounding.

Relief poured through her when she saw a black dog being let out to do his business. Damn, was he going to bark at her? Instead, it saw her and ran over, seemingly looking for affection. Danielle gave the dog’s head a quick pat, then turned toward the woods with the dog at her heels. She whispered at it to go home, but the canine followed her into the blackness.

As she moved into the dark woods, her small light began dimming. Without adequate light, the dog’s presence was reassuring. She hadn’t gotten more than fifty feet in, when the dog started to growl. She stopped in her tracks, wondering if she should turn back when a figure rushed out from behind a wide oak tree. Danielle felt herself pulled against her attacker’s body, her arms pinned to her sides as the dog backed away, whimpering.

Strong, gloved hands circled her throat. She clawed at them, uselessly trying to halt the viselike tightening. Thrashing wildly, she kicked at him in an effort to free herself, praying the dog would come to her rescue. But the dog was hurrying back to the house, tail pointing toward the ground.

When Lisa opened the door to Phanny, the dog rushed in, whining. Lisa tried to calm her as the dog frantically circled the kitchen but Phanny’s strange behavior persisted.

Worried, she said, “I hate to interrupt the fun, but Phanny just came in whining and won’t settle down. I’m afraid something isn’t right outside. Maybe we should go out and have a look around.”

Jeff said, “Call the security guard.”

TJ sprang from the couch. “He’s not going to be here until eleven. I’ll go out. You two stay put.” She put on a jacket and checked her gun. Jeff, not waiting for permission, put on his coat to follow.

“I think I saw a lantern in the garage. Let’s grab it,” Jeff suggested.

“Fine.” She turned to Lisa. “Stay here. I’ll call you if anything is off.”

Lisa’s cell phone rang only minutes later. “Lisa, there’s a woman’s body out here. I called 911. Do you know if Eric has a gun in the house?”

Lisa had avoided telling them about her handgun rather than explain why she owned it. She had to admit owning the guy. “I have one.”

Not asking for an explanation, TJ told her to find some plastic rope and meet them in the woods about a hundred yards behind the house.

“I’ll be right out.”

After locating the rope and picking up two lanterns she found in the garage, Lisa hurried out to the woods with Phanny leashed at her side. Aided by the light of the lantern Jeff held, she quickly found TJ and Jeff standing over the body of a woman.

The woman lay on her side, wearing dark slacks and a black leather jacket, her face turned away from where Lisa stood. Feeling like it would be disrespectful, Lisa didn’t try to get a better look at the woman’s face; she couldn’t possible know her. Instead, she asked, “Did either of you recognize her?”

“No, but she’s a damn good-looking woman,” TJ said, wryly. “Give me the rope. I’m going to tie off the area before the scene gets messed up. Don’t get any closer.” Jeff and Lisa stepped back, watching as TJ circled the trees with the plastic rope.

After she finished, TJ said, “Lisa, we’ll stay here. Why don’t you go back? Someone will have to call Eric.”

Lisa asked, “Someone must have dumped her body here, don’t you think? She wouldn’t have been out for a walk in the woods this late dressed like that.”

“She’s still warm. Had to have been killed right here, that’s why I’m trying to preserve the site for the police.”

Lisa wanted to get as far as possible from the death scene. She’d broken out into a cold sweat under her clothes; she’d never seen a body that had been murdered. Clutching her gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other, she made her way back to the house with Phanny, nervously looking from side to side.

She hadn’t been back long when Jeff appeared at the door. The sound of sirens filled the night as Lisa let him in.

Breathless, he said, “TJ wants to know how you want to spin this for the cops.”

“Spin it? Are you serious?”

“TJ’s right. We have to have an explanation ready for what we’re all doing here.”

“That’s easy,“ she said, calmer. “We’re house guests, keeping an eye on the place while Eric’s gone.”

“That sounds kind of lame, doesn’t it?” asked Jeff.

Lisa rubbed her stress-knotted neck. “Isn’t that actually what we are? Why we’re houseguests is what we leave out. If anyone can think of something better, let me know. We should call Maggie and David. This is out of their jurisdiction, but maybe they can give us some advice on how to handle things.”

“Good idea. I’ll tell TJ.” Jeff turned to go back out until the police arrived.

Lisa watched him leave, dreading the call to Eric. The auction in Texas started tonight. He’d probably have his cell phone turned off until he got back to his hotel room. She’d leave him a message to call her when he got in.

Still parked in front of the house, and nearly dozing off, Eddie jolted up when he heard sirens, quickly aware of their wailing drawing near. Fuck! Had the old lady from last night reported him as a prowler? He had to get the hell out of there and never come back. He’d make sure to get all his ducks in a row and blow town if he had to.

35             

Detectives Maggie Petersen and David Lassiter showed up soon after Lisa called, while what looked like the entire law enforcement population of southeastern Wisconsin gathered outside the house. Maggie and David exchanged glances after they’d been given the details of the night’s events.

Lisa said, “We feel terrible about this woman, but we don’t really know if her death is related to what we’re doing.”

When they looked skeptical, she added, “We called you because we aren’t sure what to say to the police. We’re just going to tell them we’re houseguests.” She looked from one to the other for some sign of understanding.

David took a deep breath, a frown forcing his dark brows together. “Assuming that would pacify them for now, how are you going to explain the security guard?”

“We called the service and told them not to send him yet. When he comes later, it’ll look like a response to the murder.”