 CHAPTER 4 (section 3) copyright © 2001, S. Y. Affolee “I like your brother.” Adrian inwardly groaned. He had already made sure that Gavin was safely esconed back in his appartment. Maybe too safely. His brother had taken to the couch and the television like a duck took to water. “What do you mean you like my brother? He’s a pig.” “A very nice looking pig, if you ask me.” Simone checked her revolver to see that it was loaded and snapped the loading cartridge shut. She shoved the gun into a shoulder holster that wrapped under her arms and around her back. They were back at the Greenville mansion in the study. She had changed into a black t-shirt and shorts. Even her boots were black. He had also changed into similar gear, but he wore a pair of black jeans instead. His own revolver was already ready and within reaching distance. “Gavin changes women like some people change clothes.” She gave him a measuring look. “I know.” She went over to the guages for a final check. “So you think the perp will show up tonight, huh?” “Undoubtedly if there’s still something up on the third floor that he plans on taking tonight. He didn’t seem to have minded the cameras if he even noticed them at all.” “He’s pretty stupid if he doesn’t notice,” she scoffed. “Our cars are parked in plain view in the driveway. He’ll know that somebody who isn’t supposed to be here is here.” “Maybe he thinks we’re just really stupid guests.” Simone snorted at the idea. “Okay, so we’re stupid. What a comforting thought.” She walked over to the window in the study and looked out giving him only her profile. He could only see any hint of her expression by the reflection on the window. He walked over to her to also look outside, attempting to see what she was seeing. The trees were dark and the lawn chairs only faint black dots. Moonlight glittered down into the water like tiny bobbing pearls. He glanced back down at her, at the top of her head. Her face was almost touching the window pane, but no moisture gathered on the glass. “We’re going to catch him,” he said. “Him? It could be a her,” Simone replied. “Tell me, what do you think of the people who live here?” “You suspect them?” he said. She gave a faint shrug. “Well? We can’t overlook any possibility that comes our way.” “I don’t think the servants would know anything about it. What the maid said was probably true. They probably didn’t have much of a chance to examine the study if Greenville hardly ever let them in here in the first place.” “What about the butler? Dargood doesn’t come across to me as a sterling character. He’s having an affair with Greenville’s wife, for Christ’s sake. And he had a key.” “Well, there’s that. But there was no indication that Greenville knew about his wife and butler’s indiscretion. And Edna Greenville seems to much of a flake to even instigate something so ridiculous. She’d want to sell this house faster, not permanently put it on the unsellable list because of a ghost rumor.” “Hmm. There’s that.” Simone crossed her arms and looked up at him. “You really think he’ll come tonight, don’t you?” “The more I think about it, it seems right.” “Maybe we should look at those tapes again. It could be a defect in the film.” “We’ve played it over and over. When the prowler came back out again, it didn’t look like he had anything with him.” “He could have hidden whatever it was under his clothes.” |