Page 43 of Hell Hath No Fury

Matthias crossed his arms. “If you seriously considered me a suspect, I wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t let me anywhere near your investigation.”

A hint of a grin tugged at Fergusson’s mouth. “Well, you got me there. Emma Anderson is pretty far down on my list. Her sister, on the other hand, is right up there with Baker.”

Matthias decided against arguing. Once Eric’s alibi was confirmed, Nell would be cleared as well. Which left Ashley Jones and the Winslow guy.

Fergusson reached for the door. “Shall we?”

* * *

Emma had a feeling the current situation wasn’t going to be wrapped up in time to make her doctor’s appointment tomorrow. While Nell showered, Emma phoned his office and managed to reschedule for Thursday. She optimistically hoped two additional days would suffice, but it still meant she wouldn’t be back at work on Wednesday as planned. Her next dreaded call was to her boss. She’d only held her crime beat photographer job at ErieLIVE for a couple of months. Requesting personal time, especially when she had no idea how long it would take to get things with Nell straightened out, was a huge ask. After Emma explained the situation as best she could, Laurie granted her two more days, but her tone suggested more would be problematic.

After hanging up, Emma used Eric’s computer to research inpatient rehab facilities. She made a list of those with good ratings and recommendations and planned to compare notes with Eric later.

Nell appeared in the doorway, her hair wrapped in a towel and wearing an oversized robe, probably Eric’s. “Your turn,” she said.

Emma logged out and left Nell playing with her phone in the guest room.

The hot, pelting stream of water stung the wound on her left shoulder. Although she was healing well, Emma still felt the effects, not only from the gunshot but also from the concussion. The headaches and dizziness were rapidly dissipating, but not fast enough to suit her. After a few seconds, the pain from the water vanished completely, allowing her to soak away the dirt and sweat. If only her fears and doubts were so easily washed away.

As good as the shower felt, Emma decided running up Eric’s water and gas bills would fix nothing, so she shut off the faucet, reached for a fresh towel, and scrubbed the excess water from her short hair. She found bandages in the medicine cabinet and applied them to her shoulder. Realizing she hadn’t thought far enough ahead to bring in a change of clothes—and Matthias had taken the Jeep with her duffel bag—she slipped her clean body back into the same tank top and jeans before opening the bathroom door.

Nell wasn’t in the guest room when Emma returned to it. Hopefully her sister was downstairs eating some breakfast. She was so painfully thin.

Emma collected her phone, padded down the steps, glanced into the empty office on her way to the kitchen, and found it to be vacant as well. “Nell?” she called. She headed to the basement and Eric’s man cave. The lights were out, the television off. “Nell?”

Getting no response, she took the steps two at a time, ignoring the ache in her head.

“Nell,” she shouted, more insistent. Still no answer.

Emma pulled out her phone and called Nell’s number. The faint ringtones drifted down from the second floor. Emma once again climbed the steps, following the jingle, and found the phone on Nell’s bed.

“No,” Emma groaned. “Not again.”

Her feet barely touched the stair treads on her way down. She pulled on her sneakers and stepped outside. From the stoop, she scanned Eric’s neighborhood. To the left, a quintet of young teens played basketball in one of the driveways four houses down. To the right, the street and lawns were empty.

She circled the house to make sure Nell wasn’t in Eric’s yard. Returning to the front of the house, she again surveyed the street as far as she could see. No Nell.

Emma wasn’t sure whether she should be angry or terrified. With no one else around, she decided to ask the only people outside this morning. She strode toward the basketball game. As she drew near, one of the kids spotted her, said something to the others, and they all faced her.

“Excuse me. Did you happen to see a woman come out of that house a little while ago?” Emma pointed toward Eric’s home.

“No,” a fair-haired boy said.

“Just you,” said an older boy with jet-black hair, a snip of cockiness in his tone.

“Before I came out.” Emma gave him a forced smile, hoping he interpreted it as meaning she only wanted an answer, not his snark.

None of the others spoke, but all shook their heads.

Emma thanked them and headed back to Eric’s yard. Under her breath, she muttered, “Nell, where the hell have you gone?” After another loop around the house, she went back inside. From the foyer, she yelled, “Nell!”

Her voice echoed from the high ceiling.

Something Eric had said whispered to her. She pulled out her phone.

“What’s up?” he answered.

“You told us you moved your wine collection to your neighbor’s cellar. Which neighbor?”