Page 34 of Then Came You

“I didn’t want her asking a bunch of questions, that’s all.”

“I understand. More cider?”

“Sure.”

They ate and drank in silence for a few minutes, and when Gillian smiled at him in between bites, he began to relax again.

They were each polishing off their second donut when Stella and her grandchildren emerged from the store and started walking toward them. Gillian had her back to them, so she hadn’t seen them.

“Don’t look now, but Stella is heading this way,” he whispered.

Gillian wrinkled her brow, but when Stella came up to the table, she smiled politely.

“Sorry to interrupt, but there was something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Stella said.

“What is it?”

“I saw someone on your property a couple of nights ago. Your house was dark, so I figured you weren’t home, but I swear I saw someone go around to the back.”

Sam immediately went on high alert. “Can you describe the person?” He sounded like a cop, but at that moment, he didn’t care. Gillian’s safety was more important than her nosy neighbor, and in this case, he was grateful to Stella for noticing the trespasser.

“He—I think it was a he—had on a dark-colored jacket with the hood up, so I couldn’t see his face.”

“What else was he wearing?”

“Jeans, I think, and sneakers. But like I said, I couldn’t see very well. My eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be.”

Sam got the impression that her eyesight was just fine. Either that or she used binoculars like Gillian had said. “Any idea how old he was? Young, old, medium?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say young. Maybe a teenager or early twenties. He was slender and walked kind of fast.”

Gillian had sat up straighter, and she looked concerned, though she seemed content to let Sam ask the questions.

“Did you see anything else? A car? A bike?”

Stella shook her head. “I always look out the windows before I go to bed, and that’s when I saw him, but I never heard a car. I watched for a while longer but didn’t see or hear anything, so I went to bed. The next morning, I went over to your house to tell you, but you were already gone.”

Sam turned to Gillian. “Do you have any friends or relatives who live within walking distance of your place?”

She shook her head. “I have no idea who it could be.”

Stella’s grandkids tugged on her jacket. “C’mon, Grandma. I’m hungry,” said one of the boys.

“I thought about calling the police, but—”

“That’s okay. Thanks for letting me know, Stella.”

Stella’s grandkids squirmed out of her grip and started to walk away. “I’ll keep my eye out,” she called as she turned and hurried to catch up with them.

Sam quickly gathered their trash and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Gillian asked.

“To throw this away, and then we’re going back to your place.”

Her eyes went wide.

“I want to check out your property and look for signs of an attempted break-in.”