Page 42 of Nowhere to Hide
“Dad, please, stop provoking him.” The girl was huddled with her brother, and tears were streaming down her face.
“She’s a smart girl. You should listen to her.” Ryan put the muzzle of his gun to the bottom of Edward’s chin.
Edward’s eyes rolled back again, and his head lolled to the side.
Ryan slapped his face, and Edward’s eyes shot open. The girl cried out while the boy’s wheezing grew worse.
Yet amid all the chaos, a moment of calmness settled over Ryan. The warmth of the whiskey was moving in again, doing its job, wrapping around him like a soothing blanket. He was going to be heard. All the Hanson family secrets were about to come out, and in the aftermath of this storm, there would be a rainbow of truth and justice.
He poured another shot of whiskey and lifted it high. “For you, Mom.”
TWENTY-THREE
2:30 PM
Cindy Moore knocked on the door for Heather Wainscott. She lived in a beautiful rowhouse with her husband, Merv. As she stood on the front step, Cindy appreciated the vivid blue sky. Not a cloud in sight, and the temperature was warm with little to no humidity. The summer day was about as perfect as it could get.
Footsteps padded toward the door, and it cracked open soon after. A man stood there, deep smile lines around his eyes and mouth. His eyes were a pale crystalline blue and sparkled.
“Mr. Wainscott?” she said, taking a guess.
“That’s me, and you are, sweetheart?”
“Officer Moore. I’m looking to speak with your wife, Heather, if she’s home.”
“She is. Can I say what this is regarding?” He puffed out his chest and squared his shoulders, putting on the show of formality, but it was betrayed by the mischievous glint in his eyes.
“It’s regarding her time working with Hanson Property Development.”
“Who-ee.” Merv let out a whistle. “That was many, many moons ago. Back before our babies. We met there.” He grinned at her, but impatience was seeding in her gut.
“Your wife, sir, if you could please get her for me?” she prompted.
“Sure, all right then.” He stepped back and waved an arm, inviting her inside. “Come on, now. There’s no sense cooling the outside.”
Cindy took him up on the offer, though she didn’t see it as a hard choice to make. There was no point wasting energy. People needed to be more conscious of making wise choices that would leave the world a better place for the next generation. That happened one small and seemingly insignificant decision at a time.
“Darling?” Merv called out after latching the front door behind them.
“Merv, what—” A beautiful older woman, with a short bob of gray hair, stepped toward the entry. “You’re the police.”
Cindy smiled. “I am, ma’am. Officer Moore. Cindy.” She felt the desire to share her given name with the woman. “And you are Heather Wainscott?” It wasn’t really a question, though she framed it as one. She looked just like her driver’s license photo.
“That’s me. Are the boys okay?” Heather turned to her husband, who gestured toward Cindy.
From the couple’s background, theboyswere in their forties, but Cindy understood the woman’s concern. “As far as I know, your boys are just fine. I’m here about another matter. An urgent one, actually.”
Wrinkles furrowed in the woman’s forehead. “All right, what is it?”
“She told me it had something to do with when you worked for Hanson Property Development,” Merv said, speaking up. “I told her we met during that time.”
Heather shot a look at her husband that had his mouth clamping shut. “Information which you could have volunteered a moment ago instead of acting like you were in the dark.”
“I was just letting the young woman do her job.”
These two reminded Cindy of her grandparents. They were married for forty-some years and bickered like siblings. “Is there someplace we could sit down?”
“This way. But wipe the bottom of your shoes, please.” Heather left the entry, proceeding down the hallway.
