Chapter Thirteen
Everything was sonormal that it made her tick. What was wrong with her? Catriona wasn’t overly obsessive, but the last few days had shaken her on so many levels, it was as if she’d lost her inner compass and imagined what wasn’t there.
When they entered the house, Hazel hadn’t stopped smiling. The house was precisely as Catriona had imagined it, full of frills, potted plants, and doilies, even smelling of apple pie.
In the living room, the main sofa was covered with a colorful quilt, and she saw knitting needles and wool in a basket by the fireplace.
All Catriona wanted was a single moment of peace and quiet to gather her thoughts, but her hostess had other ideas. After dropping her bag in the charming guest room, Hazel had guided her through the little house, offering information on every tidbit of artwork she’d ever done. Only then did Hazel gave her some breathing space, telling her she was popping out to get something for their dinner, and Catriona sighed in relief, caught in a gnawing headache.
As silence returned, her inner dialog picked up, bombarding her with everything she wasn’t ready to analyze about Jamieson Finch’s sons, and especially if she’d been played or not, or almost trapped by their design. It had been tempting to look at her phone, but for now, she preferred to leave it off, making any sort of tracking impossible. She wasn’t a fool and knew the brothers would have the means and resources to find her, and that was why she needed more time to set her thoughts straight.
With a deep breath, Catriona closed her eyes and joined her hands. If anything could help, it was emptying her mind in prayer, wishing for guidance and enlightenment.
For the first time in her life, serenity evaded her, making it a battle to even calm her heart and breathing. So much had happened in the last 48 hours, her body wouldn’t let her brain calm and take the lead.
That’s when she heard the first banging sound. Her eyes shot open. The sun was slowly dropping over the horizon, but with the snow, the light was still bright. The space was open, so it would’ve been evident if the noise sounded from the front door. A glance confirmed nobody had knocked.
For the longest moment, she waited for another hit, but nothing came. Just as she returned within herself, grabbing at a sense of peace, the knocking repeated, fainter this time, followed by a sort of scraping sound. Silence returned, but there was no way Catriona could pray or sit still now. Heart pumping, she pushed to her feet, trying to guess if the sound was from within the house or close by, when the front door opened. A scream caught in her throat until she saw Hazel coming in, arms loaded with bags.
“Goodness! You scared the living daylights out of me!”
In response, Hazel giggled, closing the door with the heel of her boot. “You’re jumpy, my child. I didn’t mean to surprise you. I thought that thumping my boots in the entrance was loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.”
Catriona shook herself back to the present and grabbed the grocery bags so that Hazel could remove her scarf, coat, and boots.
“Put everything on the table. I’ll put the food away and start the most delicious beef stew you’ve ever had. I hope you weren’t bored. I tried to be as quick as possible.”
“Not bored. It was nice to have a few moments of tranquility. However, I heard a strange noise, a knocking or scraping sound. I don’t know if it’s coming from inside the house or what.”
Hazel shrugged. “Don’t mind that, my dear. The furnace is an old whiner in winter. I know I should upgrade the entire system, but since retiring from teaching, money has been tight. And why fix something that’s not broken? I can deal with a moaning furnace for the time being.”
Moaning wasn’t the descriptive she’d have used, but Catriona dismissed it and instead, helped her hostess prepare dinner. As she discovered, Hazel filled every single second of silence with chatter, to the point of making her dizzy. The only advantage was that time flew in her company.
After dinner, they cleaned the kitchen and relaxed in the living room, enjoying tea and cake. When Hazel finally suggested that they both go to bed, her face was aching from smiling and nodding at her host.
It took only a moment to wash up in the bathroom, say goodnight to her host, and close the door of the guest room behind her. Her entire body ached as she sat on the bed and pulled her bag close. Out of habit, her fingers found her cell, but put it down. It was so natural for her thoughts to go to Liam. How could a man she’d only known a few days have insinuated himself so deep? Could her attraction to Liam mess with her common sense so badly? For the first time since she’d fled the apartment, Catriona felt peace descend upon her.
She closed her eyes and bowed her head as her hands joined. She had to find her way again, to straighten her mind so she could decide on what to do next. Still, Liam was never far from her mind. Once the initial shock had passed, it had been obvious that she needed to get away from the apartment and the brothers. However, now, in the calm of night, doubts arose.
The evidence seemed so obvious, so real. Experience told her always to trust numbers. They couldn’t lie, they couldn’t cheat. Only the humans behind them could, and for her, it was the only sure way to uncover the truth.
There hadn’t been any other option, had there?
After changing into her pajamas, Catriona lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. In the distance, she heard faint sounds, probably Hazel getting ready for bed herself, and then nothing.
The sudden silence made her ears buzz until it lessened, and sleep took her under.
It was impossible to know what woke her, but when she opened her eyes, Catriona knew that it had been a sound, but which one?
Immobile, she waited for it to repeat, but nothing came. Wide awake, she got up and padded out of the room, mindful not to stir Hazel.
The place was dark, apart from a little glow coming from the streetlights and softly diffusing through the front windows. It was so peaceful, she almost convinced herself her imagination was at fault, and only a dream had woken her when a shadow moved across the front door window.
Her entire being froze, waiting to see it again, and as if on cue, it moved. It was pacing. With a look at Hazel’s closed bedroom door, Catriona decided to check it out before alerting the older woman. After all, if an intruder were lurking, she wouldn’t put Hazel in the line of fire. Still in the shadows, she quickly grabbed her phone and switched it on as she tried her best to remain as noiseless and invisible as possible.
As she crouched by the front door and peeked out, it took an extra second to realize that it was Hazel she was looking at, in what seemed to be a nightgown with her coat and boots thrown on. What was even weirder was that she had a cigarette in her hand, gesturing and talking on the phone. The words didn’t make it through the pane of glass, but the tone was annoyed, even angry. Why was she on the phone in front of her house at this time of the night?
It was the first time she’d seen her smoke too. Catriona slowly made her way back to her room. After all, the woman had every right to talk on the phone whenever or wherever she pleased, but it was out of character on so many levels. So why did it feel so strange to her, even wrong?
