She reached for her phone and saw a text from Serena.
Colin called and said you were sleeping, and he told me what happened. Come to the house after you wake up. Dad's taken care of everything!
Maria furrowed her brow. "Colin?" she called out.
"Hold on," he mumbled, poking his head through the doorway, and she saw a mouth full of toothpaste, along with some on his finger. He rinsed his mouth and stepped into the main part of the room, moving toward the bed.
"Did you use your finger to brush your teeth?"
He sat beside her. "I didn't bring a toothbrush."
"You could have used mine."
"Germs," he said with a wink. "You slept late. I already called your parents."
"I know. Serena texted. What's going on?"
"I'll let you be surprised."
"I'm not sure I'm ready for any more surprises."
"You'll like this one."
"How long have you been up?"
"A couple of hours. But I didn't get out of bed until twenty minutes ago."
"What were you doing?"
"Thinking."
There was no reason to ask About what? She already knew the answer, and after they showered together, they dressed and packed. Stepping out the door, they saw Wright sitting in the folding chair.
"Would you two mind if we get a cup of coffee?" he asked.
"For starters," Wright began, "your apartment has been cleared for reentry. Forensics left earlier this morning and they're done. I figured you'd want to know in case you needed to grab anything. Clothes or toiletries or whatever."
If there's anything left that I even want, Maria thought. "Did they find anything?"
"No clear evidence was left behind, except for the paint cans, and there were no fingerprints on those. Atkinson must have worn gloves. As for hair samples, that'll take a little longer, but no guarantees. Hair sample analysis is always tricky, unless there's DNA from the root."
Maria nodded, trying to force away the images she'd seen the night before.
"I also made some other calls this morning," Wright said, stirring sugar and cream into his coffee. Maria noted the bags under his bloodshot eyes. "As of yet, no one has been able to talk to Lester. He hadn't been at the station for ten minutes before his attorney showed up, and a short while after that, his father appeared, too, and made the same demands that the attorney was making. Not that they were able to talk to him, either. By then, Lester Manning was strapped to a gurney in the infirmary, on psychiatric hold. And he's still sedated. The general consensus is that he's nuttier than an almond tree. According to the officers, as soon as he saw the cell, he went bonkers."
"How so?"
"Screaming. Fighting with the officers. Trying to bite the officers. And once they got him in there, he started kicking at the doors, banging his head on the wall. Crazy stuff. Even scared the other prisoners, so he had to be moved out. A doctor was called in, who gave him something to calm him down. It took five officers to restrain him, and that was when the attorney showed up. He's claiming all sorts of civil rights violations, but it's all on camera, so no one's worried about Lester having some sort of case that might spring him. I wanted you to know that right up front. That's not going to happen, no matter what his attorney might say. He shot a cop. Anyway, the point is, no one's been able to talk to him yet."
Maria nodded, feeling numb. "How's...?"
"Pete?" Wright asked. "He made it through the night. He's still in critical condition, but he's stable for now and his vitals are improving. His wife is hopeful that he'll regain consciousness sometime today--the surgeon said it was possible--but we're still in a wait-and-see mode on that front. Rachel was able to spend some time with him this morning. Their boys, too. Of course, it was scary for them. They're only nine and eleven, and he's their hero, you know? After coffee, I'll head over there, see if I can sit with him a bit, or at the very least, sit with Rachel." When Maria didn't respond, Wright rotated his coffee cup in place. "I also looked into the car that was at the bungalow. I remember seeing it, too, and to answer the question from last night, the Shallotte police did not impound the vehicle. Nor did the sheriff's department. Which means that Atkinson showed up after the police had left to retrieve it."
"Maybe," Colin said.
"Maybe?" Wright asked.
"He may have been there all along. Maybe he ducked out the back when Evan and I were trying to save Margolis. He hid out for a while, then came back. That also might explain how Margolis got shot in the first place. He went in expecting one person, and then was surprised by two."
Wright studied Colin. "When Pete talked about you," he said, "I didn't get the sense he liked you very much."
"I don't like him, either."
Wright raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you save him?"
"He didn't deserve to die."
Wright turned to Maria. "Is he always like this?"
"Yes," she answered with a wry smile, then switched gears. "I still don't see how or why Lester and Atkinson are working together to target me--"
"There's more," he said, lifting his palm to stop her. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I spoke to the detective in Charlotte that Pete was working with. His name's Tony Roberts, by the way, and when I filled him in on what happened to Pete, he told me that Pete had called him yesterday, but that he hadn't been able to check out Atkinson yet. Of course, this put the request on a whole new level, and he called Atkinson's mother, picked her up, and went to Atkinson's apartment. She was able to convince the manager to let him in. There's still a missing persons report on file, even if up until now, no one had believed her, and she's the next of kin. The point is, she was more than happy to let Roberts help find her son, and I guess that when Roberts got there, he hit the jackpot. It just wasn't in the way the mom wanted. It turns out that Atkinson's laptop was still there, and Roberts was able to access it."
"And?"
He looked at Maria. "He had files about you. Tons of information. Background information, school records, information about your family, where you live and work, your daily schedule. He even had information about Colin in there. Photographs, too."
"He had photographs?"
"Hundreds. Walking, at the store, on the paddleboard. Even while you were working. It seems he's been watching and following you for quite a long time. Spying on you. Roberts removed the laptop as evidence, over Mrs. Atkinson's sudden vehement protests. As soon as she saw what was on it, she tried to withdraw her consent to enter the place, but by then it was too late, and Roberts had it in hand. Defense lawyers would likely raise a stink, but there was a missing persons report, she gave her consent, and the evidence was in plain sight. Roberts, though, was better than that--he let me know he'd actually recorded her saying that she wanted him to access the computer. With that said, once we get Lester to talk, it'll probably be a moot point anyway. Lawyer or not, he'll end up talking. The crazy ones usually end up spilling everything, especially once they get lucid, because guilt sets in."
Maria wasn't sure that was true, but..."Why does Atkinson want to hurt me?"
"That part, I can't answer with certainty. I can tell you there was information about Cassie Manning on the laptop, too, but you're already aware of that link."
"Do you have any idea where Atkinson is now?"
"No. We have an APB out on him, but since no one seems to know where he's been, I'm not sure how much good that will do. Again, I'm hoping that Lester will be able to tell us more, but when that will be is still up in the air. It might take a day, it might take a few days, it might take a week, and then we'll still have to deal with the attorney and his father, both of whom will tell him not to answer any questions at all. Which raises the question of where you want to be for the next few days. If I were you, I'm not sure I'd hang around Wilmington."
"I'm supposed to go to my parents' today," she said. "I'm sure I'll be fine."
Wright looked dubious. "It's your call," he said. "Just be c
areful. From what Roberts was telling me, Atkinson is not only dangerous, he's probably just as crazy as Lester. So let me give you my phone number. I want you to call me if anything strikes you as out of the ordinary or something else comes to you, okay?"
If Wright's intent had been to scare her, it had worked. But after last night, Maria was going to be afraid no matter what, until Atkinson was finally caught.
They got in the car, and as Colin set out toward her parents' he reached for his phone.
"Who are you calling?"
"Evan," he said. "I want to see if he's busy today."
"Why?"
"Because after I drop you off at your parents', I'd like to go back to your place. Now that the police have cleared it, I want to get it cleaned up. Maybe do some painting."
"You don't have to do that."
"I know," he said. "But I want to. You don't need that kind of reminder when you go home. And I'd probably end up going stir-crazy just sitting around."
"But it'll take all day..."
"Not that long. A few hours, maybe. Your place isn't that big."
"Maybe I should go with you. It's not your responsibility."
"You don't need that kind of stress. And besides, you should be with your family."
He had a point and it was a kind thing to offer, but she was about to say no when he turned toward her.
"Please," he said. "I want to do this."
It was his tone that allowed her to reluctantly agree, and Colin made the call, putting it on speaker. She probably shouldn't have been surprised that Lily answered Evan's phone.
Colin told her what had happened the night before and asked if Evan might be able to help him carry out some of the heavier furniture. Before he even finished, Lily had cut him off.
"We'll both be there. Do not even think of asking us not to come. We had nothing on our agenda this afternoon anyway. We'd be thrilled to help."
In the background, Maria heard Evan's voice. "Help with what?"
"We're going to clean up Maria's apartment. And I have the cutest shorts I've been dying to wear! They're a little short and kind of tight, but this seems like the perfect opportunity."
In the background, Evan was silent for a beat. "What time are we going?"
When they hung up, Maria looked over at Colin. "I like your friends."
"They are pretty great," he agreed.
Two blocks before they reached her parents' neighborhood, the meaning of Serena's message became clear.
Her uncle Tito was in the park, kicking a soccer ball with her uncle Jose and a few of her nieces and nephews, and when both of her uncles waved, she knew that what they were really doing was keeping watch.
Meanwhile, Pedro, Juan, and Angelo, her cousins, were positioned in lawn chairs on the front lawn, and some of her younger cousins were in the street playing kickball. Cars she recognized lined the road on either side, all the way to the corner.
My God, she thought, my entire extended family is here. And though she'd been through hell in the last few days, she couldn't help but smile.
Despite Colin's reluctance, she dragged him into the house. Thirty or forty people milled around inside; there were another twenty in the backyard. Men and women, boys and girls...
Serena came rushing forward. "Crazy, huh? Dad actually closed the restaurant today! Can you believe that?"
"I don't think we needed everyone to come..."
"He didn't ask them to," she said. "Everyone just showed up when they found out you might be in trouble. I'm sure the neighbors wondered what on earth was going on, but Dad went around and explained that we were having a family reunion. After today, there will always be a family watch patrol in the neighborhood until Atkinson is behind bars, but they'll be more subtle about it. They've decided to organize shifts."
"For me?"
Serena smiled. "That's how we roll."
It took Colin almost half an hour to extract himself--everyone wanted to meet him, even if many of the greetings were in Spanish. As Maria walked him back to the car, she reflected that despite everything, she was blessed.
"I still think I should go with you," she said.
"I doubt your parents would let you leave."
"Probably not," she agreed. "I'm sure my dad is watching from the window right now. Just in case."
"Then I guess I'm not allowed to kiss you."
"You better," she said. "And make sure you bring Evan and Lily back here for dinner, okay? I want the rest of my family to meet them, too."
Colin didn't make it back to the house until half past five. Some family members had left, but most had stayed. For her part, Lily was perfectly at ease the moment she stepped out of the car, even if Colin and Evan seemed a bit uncertain.
"What a wonderful show of solidarity and love," Lily pronounced with a hug as soon as Maria walked up. "I simply can't wait to meet each and every member of your wonderful family!"
Lily's Southern-tinged Spanish delighted everyone she met, the same way it had charmed Maria, and as the relatives crowded around her and Evan, Maria pulled Colin away and stepped onto the back porch.
"How did it go?" she asked.
"I'll need to put a final coat of paint on the wall, but the primer was able to cover up the spray paint. We got rid of everything broken, and set aside the stuff that might be able to be cleaned. I'm not sure there's much we can do about your clothes, though." When she nodded, he went on. "Did you hear any updates on Margolis? Or have you heard from Atkinson?"
"No," she answered. "I've been checking my phone for messages all day."
He looked around. "Where's Serena?"
"She left a few minutes before you got here. She has that interview tonight, and she had to get ready." Maria reached for his hand. "You look tired."
"I'm okay."
"It was more work than you expected, wasn't it?"
"No," he said. "But it was hard for me to keep my anger in check."
"Yeah," she said. "For me, too."
After making the rounds with the family, Lily and Evan joined Colin and Maria at the table on the porch.
"Thanks for cleaning up my place," Maria said.
"It was no problem at all," Lily said. "And I must say, it's an absolutely charming location. Evan and I considered moving downtown as well, but Evan insisted that he couldn't imagine having no lawn to mow."
"I don't do that now," Evan said. "Colin does it. I hate mowing the lawn."
"Hush, now," she said. "I was just teasing. But you should know that physical labor can be quite attractive in a man."
"What do you think I was doing today?"
"My point exactly," she said. "You cut a very appealing figure as you were moving furniture, you know."
The door to the porch opened and Carmen came out carrying place settings for each of them, followed by several plates of food that occupied more than half the table. Not only had the kitchen been hopping all day, but most of the relatives had brought food as well.
"I hope you are hungry," Carmen said in English.
It was too much food. Just like always. While Colin seemed to have expected it, both Evan and Lily looked overwhelmed.
"This is great, Mom," Maria said, suddenly grateful for her mother's wordless demonstration of love. "I love you."
CHAPTER 31
Colin
After dinner, Colin wandered out to the front yard, seeking some time alone. A pair of uncles sat in lawn chairs overlooking the street, nodding at Colin's polite salute. Reflexively, he relived the destruction he'd seen at Maria's house, trying to piece together its connection to Atkinson and Lester.
Lester and Atkinson had once worked together, and Lester had introduced Atkinson to his sister. And while Maria believed that Lester had been sending messages to her, Dr. Manning suggested that Atkinson was responsible.
It was uncanny timing that Atkinson had disappeared shortly before Maria's stalking began. Presumably, Atkinson had slashed Maria's tires, but which of the two had killed Copo?
Lester shot Margolis; Atkinson removed the car from the bungalow and later trashed Maria's place. Given the trove of information found on Atkinson's computer, his involvement in Maria's stalking seemed clear-cut, but certain details continued to bother Colin.
Dr. Manning had mentioned an argument between Lester and Atkinson and said they'd had a falling-out, but when had they regained each other's trust? Which one was in charge? Why had Dr. Manning insisted that Atkinson was trying to frame Lester when it seemed clear they had to be working together? And if they were working together, why drive two cars to the Sanchez house the night Lester attacked Maria?
And yet... as Colin had cleaned Maria's condo, he'd thought back on the earlier conversation with Detective Wright and realized that there was no evidence conclusively linking Atkinson to the trashing of the condo yet. There wasn't any conclusive evidence supporting the idea that he'd slashed Maria's tires, either. Despite the content found on his computer, Maria had never interacted with him or even seen him. She'd said all along that Atkinson's involvement never felt plausible to her, which meant...
What?
Suppose Atkinson really had gone off to meet a woman. And what if Lester knew that Atkinson would be out of town? Lester could have planted the information on Atkinson's computer and taken Atkinson's car while he was away. Lester could have--as Maria had pointed out the night before--easily paid someone to slash Maria's tires. Maybe even trash her condo. It would be the perfect setup... as long as you believed that Lester was capable of such intricate planning. Based on the behavior that Colin had witnessed at the bungalow and the way Wright had described Lester's actions at the station, that felt unlikely. And since Atkinson had apparently driven Lester back to Shallotte after he'd shown up at the Sanchezes', Atkinson had to have been nearby. They had to be working together, and Colin supposed that Lester must have been spooked by the sirens. Atkinson must have heard them, too, fueling his own panic, and he'd picked Lester up before racing the two of them out of the neighborhood. They would have been driving fast and possibly as recklessly as Colin had, but in the opposite direction...