The following morning, Gary cornered Caroline in her bedroom before she could go down stairs. “I need to take your envelope to the office with me,” he demanded in a hushed tone.
“Why?” she gasped.
“I haven’t seen your evidence yet, and I want to have a look at it.”
“Then come in and close the door; I’ll show you what I’ve got!”
Stepping back, into the hall, Gary glared at her. Going into her new room and closing the door would be out of the question for more reasons than he could count. “No thanks,” he raked the air with his hand as if swiping the idea of it away. “Give it to me, and I’ll look when I get to work.”
Her mouth twisted into an angry pucker, Caroline retrieved and handed over her bundle. “Promise me nothing will happen to it,” she hissed.
“I swear, it will be perfectly safe. I’ll make copies of anything I need and bring the originals back to you tonight,” he offered, palming the pack and turning away. Placing it in his briefcase in his office on the first floor a moment later, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hated the idea of deceiving Candy, but for the time being, the less she knew the better. Hearing the morning chatter in the other room stirred feelings of guilt within him, and he would be hard pressed to keep the secret for long.
Joining the others in the kitchen, he discovered that Caroline had come down directly after him and had taken over the cooking. Frying scrambled eggs on the stove, she didn’t even look up when he entered.
“Daddy!” Dakota squealed, reaching for a hug with jelly coated fingers.
“Hey, buddy!” Gary replied. “Don’t smear the suit, ok?” he teased as he moved in for a quick squeeze.
It had taken months for Dakota to learn to keep his hands to himself when they were dirty, but they had managed to impart at least that portion of wisdom to him. Watching the pair, Candy smiled with pride. If there was anything odd in Gary’s behavior, she didn’t seem to notice, and he made his escape half an hour later; headed to work and a safe place to go over whatever it was that had both Ben and Caroline afraid for their lives.
As soon as he had gone, Candy sat down and wrote out their daily schedule. “This is the usual around here, but we get doctor appointments and other interruptions pretty regular,” she informed the blonde as she handed her the list.
“Looks simple enough,” Caroline agreed, studying the page and noting Candy’s cell number at the top. “I’ll get him off to school and then give the house a deep cleaning, starting with the kitchen here.”
“A deep cleaning?” Candy sounded miffed.
“Well, sure!” Caroline grinned. “With as busy as you’ve been, I’m sure it could use an extra scrub!” Seeing the anger simmering in her employer’s hazel orbs, she back tracked, “It’s not what you think; I don’t mean that your house is dirty. On the contrary, it’s probably as clean as you and Lanelle can keep it. But I’m here to help take it to the next level, so please don’t be offended!”
“Who says I’m offended?” Candy shot back coolly, reaching for a rag to give Daks a quick wipe before leading him up to a proper bath. Scrubbed and dressed, she returned with him a few minutes later to discover the other woman had already begun the process and had cleared the counter tops to do the job justice.
“I’ll be back late today; this is my Tuesday – Thursday class, and we have a lab,” Candy stated crisply.
“No worries,” Caroline reassured. “Dinner will be ready when you get home.”
“Don’t wait for me,” Candy insisted. “Feed everyone else, and I’ll warm up a plate when I’m ready.” Not looking at her as she spoke, she fought actual tears as they slipped into their jackets and went out to wait for Dakota’s bus at the end of the drive.
“Do you think I’ve upset her?” Caroline asked Lanelle, who sat at the table enjoying her coffee as the discussion had unfolded.
“Not really,” Lanelle grinned over the rim of her cup. “My daughter is very stubborn. She doesn’t like to need or accept help. Don’t worry; she’ll get over it, just give her time.”
Caroline nodded, feeling oddly disturbed by Candy’s displeasure. Attacking the grime she had discovered beneath the canisters that had lined the back of the laminate tops with vigor, she thought about the time she had spent with Gary, before Candy came along. In truth, she had hurt him very deeply with her ploy to trap him into a permanent relationship.
Perhaps her taking care of his wife and home could be her way of making it up to him. Besides, if he helped her solve the mysterious fires by bringing those responsible to justice, then she would owe him an even greater debt for getting her out of an impossible situation.
Once she had finished the scrubbing, she cleaned out the fridge and freezer, removing spills and moldy leftovers. Watching her all the while, Lanelle smiled each time she squealed at some new, gruesome discovery. “I dare say it’s been months since Candy had time to do any of that,” the older woman finally informed her.
“I can tell,” Caroline agreed, plunking down in a chair with a cup of hot tea for a break. “This is much different than being a secretary, that’s for sure,” she whined as she inspected her manicure.
At that moment, the phone on the wall rang, causing them both to jump. Staring at each other for a moment, Lanelle finally stood, since it was mounted almost directly over her head, and lifted the receiver. “Hello?” her voice grated into the mouthpiece. When no one replied, she tried again, “Hello? Is anyone there?” to no avail. Hanging up the handset, she shrugged. “Usually, it’s someone selling something. Oh well.” Shuffling into her bedroom, she called over her shoulder, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to lie down for a bit. Wake me when lunch is ready?”
“Yes ma’am,” Caroline called after her, disturbed by the mysterious call. Making her way to the front room, she peered out through the curtains at the long private drive and front yard. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she closed the drapes and returned to her chores to keep herself occupied until time to prepare the next meal.