Adverse Possession Read online

  But Aislynn shook her head. “I don’t want to go home and have Kylie not be there.”

  “Kylie might be there,” I said, leading her out of the kitchen and down the hallway to the stairs. “She might have gotten home by now.”

  “What if she hasn’t?”

  Well, then she hadn’t. “Are you afraid of being alone?”

  “Can you blame me?” Aislynn wanted to know, as we started up the stairs. Through the window, I saw Rafe’s silhouette outlined against the darkness of the yard, phone to his ear. “Those letters were creepy. You said so yourself. And if Kylie isn’t there, I’ll be alone in the house!”

  I hadn’t thought about that. I had figured it more for a game of tit for tat. “What if she comes home and you aren’t there? Won’t she be worried?”

  “I left a note,” Aislynn said. “And I have my phone. If she calls, I’ll answer. That’s more than she’s doing.”

  “Maybe I should try to get in touch with her.”

  Aislynn shrugged and looked around the landing. “Where’s my room?”

  I led her to the door of what had been Marquita Johnson’s room back when Rafe’s grandmother lived here and had a live-in companion. More recently, my brother had stayed there on the occasion of what should have been my wedding day, when Rafe hadn’t shown up for the nuptials and I needed moral support through the night.

  I knew all about missing lovers. The difference was that by bedtime, Rafe had been gone twenty-four hours, and we had every reason to believe something bad had happened to him. Kylie might be back home. We had no reason at all to think anything bad had happened to her. Or at least I didn’t have reason. Aislynn might.

  “Oh, no,” she said when I asked. “I was just afraid she’d spend the night with Lauren and I’d be alone in the house.”

  “So you’re not worried that anything has happened to her?”

  She looked surprised. “Oh, no. What would happen to Kylie?”

  Any number of things, I imagined. Including what Aislynn was afraid might happen to her, if she spent the night alone in the house she shared with Kylie.

  Or maybe she was just afraid of being alone.

  She didn’t have to worry about that here. We’d be right across the hall. All night long. And Rafe is a light sleeper. If she stirred, he’d know.

  I got her set up in Marquita’s room, with clean sheets and towels, and a new toothbrush so she could brush her teeth. Before she went to bed, I made her call Kylie again, but there was no answer. Then I tried calling Kylie too, from my phone, and got no answer, either. When Rafe came upstairs, I made him call Kylie, just in case she wasn’t taking calls from anyone she knew. She might have reasoned that Aislynn had contacted me, and that I was calling to find out what was going on. But if Rafe called—from a number she didn’t recognize—I thought she might answer.

  She didn’t.

  “You don’t think anything’s happened to her,” I asked Rafe softly when we were snuggled up in bed together, “do you?”

  He hesitated. “Dunno.”

  “Do you think something might have?” I kept my voice soft so Aislynn wouldn’t be able to hear me. She was on the other side of the landing, so it wasn’t likely she would, but better safe than sorry.

  “Dunno. It might could.”

  It might.

  Something about this whole situation felt weird to me. Maybe it was just that Aislynn’s fear of being home alone had transferred itself to me, or maybe it was something else. I snuggled a bit closer, and felt his arm tighten around me. Maybe he was feeling the weirdness, too. “Who did you call?”

  “Mendoza,” Rafe said.

  “At this time of night?”

  “He’s a cop. He don’t mind.” And a glance at the clock showed me that it wasn’t actually that late. It had just been a long day with a lot of revelations.

  “What did you tell him?”

  “What she told us,” Rafe said, meaning Aislynn. “He said he’d have a car drive by and check if she’s home. I woulda done it myself, but I didn’t wanna leave the two of you alone here while I went out.”

  “I appreciate that. Has he gotten back to you?”

  “Not yet,” Rafe said. He was starting to sound drowsy. “And I don’t know that he’s gonna. But I figure he oughta know what happened.”

  “That was nice of you.”

  “Professional courtesy,” Rafe muttered. “He’d a done the same for me.”

  Good to know. “I love you. Go to sleep.”

  The only answer was a soft snore. I snuggled in and went to sleep, too.

  Chapter Nine

  If Aislynn stirred during the night, I didn’t hear her. If Rafe stirred, I didn’t hear him, either. When I woke up, he was still wrapped around me, with a hand splayed on my stomach. He likes to sleep spoon-fashion, with his nose buried in my hair. It’s nice.

  And like most men, he wakes up ready to go. That’s nice, too, especially when—like now—my hormones were pinging off the wall from the baby.

  After a refreshing little interlude, it was finally time to talk. “Did anything happen overnight?”

  He shook his head.

  “She didn’t move? Mendoza didn’t call?”

  “Nobody did nothing,” Rafe said, stretching. I watched as muscles bunched and relaxed under his skin. In case you were in doubt, he’s extremely nice to look at.

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Means your friend’s body didn’t turn up at the morgue.”

  I shuddered. “That’s definitely good.”

  “She’s prob’ly home,” Rafe said, relaxing back down beside me again. “Either worried about her girlfriend, or wishing she wouldn’t have been stupid last night.”

  “You think she was stupid last night?”

  “Some people are,” Rafe said. “I don’t know her.”

  “I guess I should get ready and go over there.” I glanced at the clock. Just before eight. “I need a shower first.”

  “I’m gonna put in a couple hours in the gym,” Rafe said. “Some of the boys’ll prob’ly be there. I can usually count on’em giving me a workout.” He grinned.

  Since the boys—the young TBI recruits he was training—were on average ten years younger than he was, and determined to beat him, I imagined he could.

  “You can get in the shower first.” I was never really ready to get out of bed these days. It takes a lot out of a woman, growing a baby.

  “Don’t mind if I do. I’ll be quick.” He rolled out of bed and padded toward the door to the bathroom. I watched until he was gone—I always watch—and then I closed my eyes again.

  Fifteen minutes later, he was shaking me. “Darlin’. Time to wake up. You’re gonna be late.”

  “Shit. I mean... shoot.” I kicked like an overturned beetle for a moment before I got myself turned sideways and over to the edge of the bed. “Help me up.”

  Rafe chuckled, but he extended a hand and hauled me to my feet. And then he pulled me into his body and held me for a second. He was still damp from his own shower, with a wet towel riding low on his hips, and I was in a hurry, but as usual I put everything else aside and just enjoyed being close to him.

  Until he let me go and swatted my butt. “Go on. I left you a little hot water.”

  “You better have.” I scurried for the bathroom. The last thing I saw before I closed the door—and it gave me a moment’s pause—was that he dropped the towel.

  By the time I got out of the shower, he’d dressed and gone downstairs. I could hear him moving around in the kitchen, and smell coffee. And Aislynn must be down there with him—either that, or he was on the phone again—because I could hear his voice.

  I did a quick blow-dry on the hair and threw on some clothes before heading downstairs. By now, it was already almost nine, but I figured with Aislynn here, and with Kylie not answering her phone, it wasn’t the end of the world if I didn’t make the nine o’clock appointment time.

  And Aislynn was here, sitting
across the table from Rafe drinking coffee. When I looked surprised—I hadn’t realized caffeine was an approved poison—she told me, “I only drink coffee once in a while.”

  “It doesn’t matter to me,” I said, although I’d kill for some coffee. I’d been off it for five months because of the baby, and it was hard to get up in the mornings. I poured myself a glass of milk from the fridge instead, and sat down with them. “Any word from Kylie?”

  Aislynn shook her head. “She’s still not answering her phone.”

  “She might be asleep.”

  Aislynn shrugged.

  “Has this ever happened before? That she doesn’t answer her phone when you call?”

  “When we’ve had an argument,” Aislynn said. Which wasn’t cool, as far as I was concerned. You don’t punish your lover—or your boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse—for an argument by not picking up your phone. What if something was wrong?

  If Rafe tried to pull a stunt like that, he wouldn’t like what I had to say about it afterwards.

  I glanced at him, wondering whether I should say so. He met my eyes, and I kept my mouth shut. There was no need to say anything. He knew, and was beaming the message back to me that I’d better not try to pull anything like that, either.

  As if I would.

  “We should get going,” I said, finishing my milk. Aislynn got to her feet, obediently, and went to gather her belongings.

  “Virgil’s visitation starts at eleven,” I told Rafe while I waited. “I thought I might go.”

  He nodded.

  “You’re welcome to come along if you want.”

  “No offense, darlin’, but I think I’ll pass. I ain’t that big on funerals.”

  I wasn’t, either, but I thought there was a chance that something interesting might happen at this one. If nothing else, a showdown between Kenny and Stacy over the casket. Perhaps an arrest, since the murderer often attends the victim’s funeral. Aside from which, someone ought to represent LB&A at the proceedings. Granted, it was more Tim’s place than mine, as broker and as Virgil and Stacy’s former agent, but if I left it to him, I’d miss out on whatever happened.

  “I’ll probably be home around one or two. Then we can decide what we want to do with the rest of the day.”

  “I vote we go to bed early,” Rafe said, as Aislynn’s footsteps sounded on the stairs.

  “Didn’t you sleep well?”

  “I slept fine. There are other things we can do in bed than sleep.” He grinned.

  I grinned back. “Of course there is.” And by then, after attending a funeral, I’d probably need some of those other things.

  Aislynn clomped into the kitchen in her army boots, and I told Rafe, “I’ll stay in touch.”

  He nodded. “Let me know if you need anything. If not, I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  I told him he would, gave him a quick peck—since Aislynn was watching; otherwise I would have made it a proper kiss—and headed out.

  The drive was quick and painless. There wasn’t a lot of traffic early on a Saturday morning. Ten minutes after we left Potsdam Street, we pulled up in front of Aislynn and Kylie’s house.

  Kylie’s blue Volvo was parked in the driveway. “Looks like she got home safe,” I told Aislynn, and steered my own blue Volvo over to the curb.

  She nodded, and didn’t even wait for me to cut the engine before she opened her door. I got out and dropped the key in my purse while Aislynn scurried into the yard, past the car, and up to the front door, digging for her key. While she got it out and into the lock, I made my own way to the Volvo and put a hand on the hood. It was cool. Whenever Kylie had come home, it wasn’t in the last few minutes.

  The door opened and Aislynn disappeared inside. I headed for the front door, and was halfway there when I heard her scream.

  I covered the rest of the distance at warp speed, especially considering the shoes I was wearing. I had given up on really high heels when my center of gravity changed—it was hard enough to balance the basketball on my stomach without tipping forward while I was barefoot—but Mother would never forgive me if I wore flats for anything but exercise. So I had compromised on a couple of pairs of wedges for this summer. Not much heel to speak of, but an extra inch in height from the sole, and sexy straps across the instep and ankle.

  Anyway, I ran in my wedge sandals: up the steps, across the porch, and through the door, leading with the stomach. And found Aislynn standing in the doorway to the office, where Kylie and I had sat just two days ago looking at poison pen letters, screaming her head off.

  I pushed her aside and took in the office at a glance.

  It was a mess. The books were off the shelves, and the knick-knacks were scattered across the floor, many of them broken. Papers from the desk had sailed everywhere. Drawers hung open or had their contents dumped in piles on the floor. And in the middle of it lay Kylie, the back of her head red and sticky.

  My stomach heaved, and I stumbled back outside while I fumbled for my phone. My first call was to Rafe—“I need you!”—and my second to 911. They kept me on the phone while they dispatched the ambulance, so by the time I heard the sound of sirens coming up the street, Rafe had already brought the Harley to a screeching halt behind the Volvo and was on his way through the yard.

  By then, I had conquered my squeamishness—more or less—and gone back inside the house to A) shut Aislynn up, and B) see if there was anything I could do for Kylie.

  She was alive, but unconscious, so that was the good news. And the bad news too, I guess, since alive was good, but unconscious wasn’t. It was better than dead, though, so I’d take it. And while I’m not an expert, I felt for her pulse, and had no problem finding it. Hopefully that meant she wasn’t in danger of dying.

  Aislynn’s screams changed to hiccups once we determined that Kylie would live. By the time Rafe burst through the open door and the ambulance came to a squealing stop outside, she had herself pretty well in hand. So did I. The knowledge that I wasn’t looking at another dead body had done wonders for my peace of mind.

  I told the 911 operator that the ambulance had arrived, and disconnected. Then I looked at Rafe. “Thanks for coming.”

  He nodded, taking in the room. “You OK?”

  “Fine. A little shook up when I called you.”

  “She OK?” He glanced at Kylie’s immobile body.

  “She seems to be. She’s breathing and her pulse is strong, but she’s unconscious. Concussion, maybe. I didn’t know what to do for her, so I just left her alone. Rather than do the wrong thing, you know? In case I shouldn’t have tried to move her, or whatever.”

  He nodded. “The EMTs are on their way in. Let’s get outta their way.”

  He extended a hand. I took it and let him haul me up. Getting to my feet took more effort every day. Good thing he was strong.

  We hustled Aislynn out the front door just ahead of the EMTs coming in, and put her on the porch swing. I took a seat next to her and patted her hand, while Rafe went back inside to communicate with the EMTs. That TBI badge works wonders, even when the guy wielding it is wearing gym shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt.

  Or maybe especially when the guy wielding it is wearing a sleeveless T-shirt. One of the EMTs was female.

  “This is my fault,” Aislynn sobbed. “If I’d been here last night, this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “You don’t know that,” I told her, although between you and me, I suspected she might be right. A burglar might think twice about entering a house where there are two people. Then again... “And if you’d been home alone last night, that might have been you in there, instead of Kylie.”

  Aislynn whimpered, and then got to her feet when the EMTs came through the door with Kylie on a stretcher. We stood and watched as they carried it down the stairs and over to the driveway, and then they flipped down two sets of legs with wheels, and rolled it the rest of the way to the ambulance.

  Aislynn twitched her hand out of mine. “I want to go with her!”
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br />   “I don’t think they’ll let you,” I told her, but she wasn’t listening. “Aislynn!”

  She didn’t stop. I turned to Rafe, who had just come out onto the porch. “They won’t let her ride in the ambulance, will they?”

  He shook his head. “Go find out where they’re going. Then you can follow’em in the car. I’ll stay here and wait for the cops.”

  “Did you call the cops?”

  “Not yet. I just got here as fast as I could.” And it wasn’t easy to maneuver the Harley, wear a helmet, and make a phone call at the same time.

  “I appreciate that.” I leaned into him for a moment, enjoying the warmth and solidity of his body. “Although I’m sorry to ruin your workout.”

  “I can work out another day,” Rafe said and gave me a push. “Go.”

  I went. Over to the EMTs, who were arguing with Aislynn about why she couldn’t go in the ambulance with Kylie.

  “It’s against the rules, miss. No civilians in the bus.”

  “But I don’t want her to ride on her own!”

  “One of us will sit with her,” the female EMT said patiently. “She won’t be alone. And we’ll get here there as fast as we can. It won’t be a long drive.”

  Aislynn bit her lip, clearly not convinced.

  “Come on.” I took her arm. “I’ll drive you there. We’ll stay with the ambulance the whole way. I promise.”

  “But I want to stay with her,” Aislynn said stubbornly.

  I shook my head. “You can’t. And the longer you stay here and argue, the longer until they can leave, and the longer until they get her to the hospital.”

  She sent me an unfriendly look, but finally allowed herself to be towed away. The female EMT hopped into the back of the ambulance with Kylie, and the male EMT shut the doors before swinging himself up into the driver’s seat.

  The ambulance rumbled to life.

  “Come on.” I hustled Aislynn over to the Volvo. “Hurry.”

  We sorted ourselves into our seats as the siren started. Aislynn winced. I turned the key in the ignition and followed the ambulance as it peeled away from the curb and headed down the street, lights flashing. Up on the porch, Rafe had his phone to his ear. He lifted a hand as we shot out of sight.