Evening Stars. Susan Mallery

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      Chapter Five

      “I’LL STILL WRITE ARTICLES,” Averil said, wondering if she looked as guilty as she felt.

      Maya, her boss, waved her hand. “Of course I want to keep getting articles from you, Averil. You’re one of my best, but we’re talking about your novel! I’m so excited.” Maya, a petite brunette with brown eyes and an easy smile, leaned forward. “OMG, I can’t believe it. You’re going to go away and write. I’m so envious. You’re from Blackberry Island, right?”

      Averil did her best not to squirm. She had asked for an indefinite leave of absence on the pretext that she needed time to finish her novel. Not a total lie, if one ignored the fact that before she finished, she needed to actually start it.

      “I grew up there.”

      Maya sighed. “Returning to the family home. You’ll be able to take long walks on the beach and write and just be in your head. I envy you. Not that I have any plans to write a book. Dear God, do you know how long they are? I have trouble with a three-part essay.” She smiled. “We’ll keep in touch via email, of course. And when you’re famous, I can say I knew you when.”

      Averil tried to smile, but she was feeling too much like a fraud. Still, she needed the time away to figure out what was wrong with her. Kevin was a great guy, she loved her job, so why wasn’t she happy? And why didn’t she want to start a family?

      Questions to explore over the next few weeks, she told herself as she rose.

      “I appreciate this,” she said. “You’ve been so good to me.”

      Maya dismissed the compliment with a shake of her head. “You’re talented, Averil. This is a great opportunity. I know you’ll use it to the fullest. We can always use your freelance articles. You know that.”

      Averil nodded. “And when I come back?”

      Maya hesitated only a second. “You’ll be a famous novelist.”

      “Right,” Averil said, ignoring the sinking sensation in her stomach. Because while her articles would always be welcome, her job was less secure. In this business, there was always someone talented waiting in the wings. Something she worried about, but knew in the end she didn’t have a choice.

      Averil thanked her again and left. As she walked to her small office to pack up a few things, she thought how Nina would have rolled her eyes to hear that kind of praise. Her sister knew the truth. That any opportunity handed to Averil had a fifty-fifty chance of being tossed aside and wasted and that what others saw as determination was merely a smoke screen to hide the truth. That Averil was simply one bad decision away from disaster.

      What she couldn’t help but wonder was if the decision to go home was going to make things better or worse.

      * * *

      Nina sat in the car in her driveway. After a very long day at work she was tired and cranky. Steady rain danced on the windshield. It wasn’t the best time to be on the phone with Deputy Sam Payton.

      “Seriously?” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “She was wanted?”

      “Uh-huh. In Spokane, mostly. An assault, passing bad checks and, of course, stealing. We’re looking at four or five felonies. She was being held on half a million in bail, and then was released due to a clerical error. Now that we’ve got her back in custody, we’re sending her over to Spokane, assuming you don’t want to press charges.”

      “She’s going away for a long time?”

      “My guess is close to ten years.”

      “I can put the stuff she tried to sell back in inventory?”

      “You can.”

      “Sold.” Nina opened her eyes. “Please, don’t let her escape again.”

      “I didn’t let her escape the first time. She’ll be driven to Spokane tonight, in custody.” Amusement crept into his voice. “You might want to run a background check on your next new hire. You can do it online for a few bucks.”

      Nina thought about Cindy, happily pricing and cleaning. There was no way she would believe the woman was other than what she said, but still...

      “Any sites you recommend?”

      “Sure.” He gave her a couple of names.

      Nina wrote down the info, thanked him and hung up. As soon as she got inside and changed, she was going to check Cindy Yoo and confirm she wasn’t a secret serial killer. Or wanted by any law-enforcement agency.

      She grabbed her bag and then dashed toward the porch. She was congratulating herself on not getting too wet when she stepped into the living room, only to be confronted by a steady drip in the corner.

      “No!”

      Nina dropped her bag on the floor and kicked out of her shoes. She crossed the carpet in sock-covered feet, stopping only when she felt the dampness seeping across the floor.

      The roof leak. The one her mother had sworn she’d had fixed. The one Nina had forgotten about because of the shock of seeing Dylan. First, her car and now, the roof. This was not her week.

      She detoured into the kitchen and pulled a card off the refrigerator. She used the landline to dial.

      “Buffet.”

      “Hey, Tim, it’s Nina Wentworth. I have a roof leak. Did my mom call you about it a couple of weeks ago?”