next question. âWho was in the attic?â
Seth shook his head. âNo one. I went through the entire thing, twice, and there wasnât a person or animal in the place. I even checked the windows to see if that had caused the bang, but they were all locked up tight.â He frowned, his gaze drifting upward toward the ceiling.
âWhat arenât you telling me?â Cat stepped closer and took the glass from his hand.
He dropped his gaze and considered her question. âIt could be nothing.â He paused, but when Cat didnât move, he shrugged. âThereâs just something off about the space. I didnât notice it before, but the space is off. And it appears some things have been moved around. Of course, I might just not be remembering how I left things.â
âSo you think someone was up there? Could someone have snuck out when we were talking?â Cat considered the third-floor layout. The attic stairway was in sight of where theyâd been standing. If someone had come down those stairs, either she or Seth would have seen them. âI wasnât hearing things. Iâm not crazy.â
âI didnât say you were crazy.â Seth looked at the bags on the table. âCrap, Iâm blocking the driveway, arenât I? I was going to unload the back, then park on the street.â
âNo worries, you can do that as soon as you bring in the rest of the groceries. Iâm going to put these away.â Shauna started unpacking the thin plastic bags. She looked at Cat. âYou want a glass of wine or a beer?â
âBeer and Iâll get it myself.â Cat waited for Seth to leave the kitchen. âI heard something, I know it.â
âSometimes you get all caught up in your stories, are you sure what you heard came from the attic? Could it have been from outside? Maybe a bird flying into the turret?â Shauna carried the box items to the cupboard and started stacking them.
Cat opened her beer and took a pull off the cool bottle. âMaybe. But I donât think so. It sounded substantial. I thought Seth had torn down a wall or something.â
âMaybe until your uncle finds that murderer we shouldnât be alone in the house. Letâs make a buddy system so there are always two people here. With our guests this week, that shouldnât be much of a problem.â
Cat took three cartons of eggs from a sack and put them in the fridge. âNot a bad idea.â She smiled at her friend. âWhen did you get to be so smart?â
Shaunaâs laugh echoed through the kitchen. âIâve always been this way. You just havenât noticed, my dear.â
The door to the kitchen opened and Seth walked in. âSounds like you two are having a party in here.â
âGirl talk.â Shauna grabbed another bag. âIs that everything from the SUV?â
He nodded and she threw him the keys. âMake sure you park it in the driveway when you finish unloading your truck.â
Seth paused, turning to Cat. âAre you sure youâre okay?â
âA little shaken, but Iâm fine. Shauna and I are setting up a plan to keep a few of us in the house at all times.â She saw him start to say something and held up her hand. âDonât. I take it you didnât find anything?â
âNothing. However, I think itâs a great idea and make sure you put me on the schedule. Heck, with the amount of work I have here, you could be my only client for a while and the business would be fine. I do have a few odds and ends I need to finish up, but this week plan on me being here full time.â Seth left the kitchen and both Cat and Shauna watched him leave.
âHeâs not so bad on the eyes. I guess we could do worse than having our own bodyguard.â Shauna brought Cat a cup of warm apple cider sheâd had simmering on the stove and took away the empty beer bottle.
Cat settled into a chair and
Tim Curran, Cody Goodfellow, Gary McMahon, C.J. Henderson, William Meikle, T.E. Grau, Laurel Halbany, Christine Morgan, Edward Morris