Page 82 of Hell Hath No Fury

“Can I see your hands?”

Clearly she hadn’t expected that. “Why?” But she held out both, palms up.

No cuts or knicks from handling broken glass.

Matthias gave one quick nod. “Thanks. We’re done here.” He gestured at the box. “I’d be happy to carry that out to your car for you.”

* * *

“Why isn’t he calling back?” Eric demanded.

“He’s probably interrogating Tina.” Emma sat behind the wheel of the Prius with Eric again in the passenger seat and the windows rolled down. She’d pulled the car out of the garage and parked at the end of his driveway. If whoever planted the shovel was still inside the house, she’d be able to see them leave. Or if, as she feared, the culprit happened to pull a gun, she and Eric would be able to make a quick escape.

Her phone buzzed with an incoming call. Matthias’s name and face lit the screen. “Speaking of…” She thumbed the green button.

“I got your text,” Matthias said. “What’s this about a shovel?”

Emma put the phone on speaker and began telling him about the clay-caked implement mysteriously appearing in Eric’s garage.

“Are you sure it doesn’t belong to him?” Matthias asked.

Eric leaned forward and winced. “I’m absolutely sure. I don’t do enough digging to need two. Mine is right where I always keep it. After I hose it off.”

“Where are you?”

“In Eric’s car,” Emma replied. “In the driveway.” She explained why she didn’t venture farther into the house than the garage.

“Stay where you are. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Make it fifteen,” Eric said.

But Matthias had already disconnected.

Eric sighed in exasperation. “I love my car, but right now, I love my bed even more.” He turned to look at Emma. “Since we’re stuck here, we need to talk about Nell.”

Emma still hadn’t told him her fears about Nell’s true reason for being back in Ohio. “I know.”

“After we get this shovel business sorted out, we have to go to Akron. It’s only two hours away. We can be there tonight, before she has a chance to check out.”

Emma thought about it. “I was going to call the motel and ask if she’s there. Or, since she’s using my credit card, ask ifI’mthere.”

“They won’t tell you anything.”

“They might. If I let them know the card’s mine and that she took it.”

“Oh, great. They’ll call the cops and have her arrested.”

“Not if I accept responsibility for the charges. I want her to be safe, but I need to be sure it’s actually Nell using my card.”

Eric’s eyes widened. “Do you think someone mugged her and stole it?”

“Maybe.” What Emma really feared was that someone had taken it from Nell’s dead body. But Eric had a point about simply driving to Akron. If she called the motel, they might confront Nell and send her on the run. As long as she didn’t know Emma was aware of her location, Nell would stay put. At least for tonight, which was all the time Emma needed to get to her.

“I still think we should go there ourselves.”

“I agree.”

He appeared surprised. “You do?”