She hadn’t intended to, but she might try if she thought it would get her off the hook. She sniffed.
“Honey,” he said. “What can I do? I can’t stand to see you like this.”
Marley wanted to groan. She took a deep, deep breath. “You can take me with you to Myrtle Wood and not give me a hard time about it.”
He blinked. “That’s it? That’s why you look as if you’re about to start a flood?”
“You’re making fun of me.”
“That’s fighting dirty, Marley, and you know it. I agreed to go out there and meet Sidney. She wanted to be in a place where no one was likely to find out she’d come to me. You know what this means? She’s got something really important to say. I need to be on top of my game so I don’t miss anything important.”
“It’s always best to have more than one person listening to important things. Afterward we’ll compare notes. It’s a great idea. Trust me.”
“What if Sidney takes one look at you and bolts?”
“I understand these things. I’ll be a help to you, Gray. I’m going to be on her side.”
He picked up a fat cushion from the couch, flopped down and piled the pillow on top of him. “How can you make plans like that when you don’t know what she’s going to say?”
“I could say I’m going to be sympathetic to whatever she says if that works better for you. We women are always getting screwed over by big, mean men. We’ve got to stick together.”
“Big, mean men? Is that a comment on anyone you know?”
She smiled with one side of her mouth. “Nah. Just a wild guess about how Sidney may feel about males.”
“What if she loves men? All men?”
Marley puffed, exasperated. “Oh, she does. Take it from me, she does. Just leave it to me to get her off her guard and talking.”
“She’s coming to help me,” Gray said. “Why go in thinking she’ll hold back?”
“Jeez,” Marley said. “It’s most likely you aren’t moving fast enough to make her into a star with your article. So she’s piling on a bit of drama to get your undivided attention.”
“Couldn’t she just want to help?” Gray said. “Sure, turning this into some sort of tryst may appeal to her, but that doesn’t make her the enemy.”
Marley held up her hands in submission. “Okay, go in thinking she’s going to seduce you, all the more reason for me to be there. I’ve got to protect my interests.”
He chuckled. “You’re impossible. Okay, come, but be careful. Don’t say anything to put her off.”
“I’ll be so good.” Her demeanor turned instantly sunny. She dumped out the clean laundry and started folding. He noted how quickly she moved and how efficient she was.
She hauled out the black shorts she’d worn the day before and shook them. Then she put them on the back of a chair and smoothed them out. A bump stuck out in the bottom of a pocket and she dug around in there until she could pull out a lump of black rubber.
Marley looked at the thing from all sides and tossed it on a palm. She shook her head and made a move to set it aside.
“What is that?” Gray asked.
“I don’t know. The cap off the bottom of a chair leg, maybe—or from one of those TV trays people use.” She looked around the room. “I never saw it before.”
“You must have. It was in your pocket.”
Her mouth took a stubborn downturn. “Well, I didn’t put it there.”
“That’s an interesting thought.”
“It’s just a rubber cap,” she said and made a move to toss it in a wastebasket.
Gray caught the piece. “I think I’ll hang on to this. You never know, I may come up with an idea about what it is.”
“Which brings me to an intriguing question,” she said. “You knew about the helmet, but you hadn’t been in that warehouse before. Or had you?”
“You know I hadn’t.”
She sat cross-legged on the floor and accepted Winnie on her lap. “Gray, you’re definitely psychic.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve thought about it for hours on and off. I think I’m really in tune with you so I see some of the things you think about.”
“Not bad, but not the whole story. I didn’t see the helmet, Gray. I promise you, I didn’t.” Her attention pulled away. What was she missing? “Did you tell me I’d picked something up in that place? Before? You did, but I didn’t remember.”
Leaning forward, Gray absently hooked Winnie’s bone from beside the couch and held it out to the dog. She raised her snubby nose and ignored him.
“You picked something up,” Gray said.
“Evidently. But you knew it before I did—consciously.”
He waved the chew in the air and Winnie looked sideways at him with something close to a dismissive sneer. “What if I don’t want to be psychic?”
She shrugged. “I never saw anyone who was, but didn’t want to be. It’s got its advantages, y’know.”
“Such as?”
“Finding life and death clues in criminal cases. Sometimes knowing when someone thinks you’re an ass. Stuff like that.”
“Charming.”
“It could be that when you aren’t around me anymore, you’ll lose your touch.”
“What does that mean?” Gray said. “When I’m not around you anymore?”
It meant that she was fishing for reassurance that she might still matter to him when all this was over. “I don’t know,” she lied.
“You…” He fell back on the couch and looked at the ceiling. “I’m not much for fooling around with feelings, Marley. I hope I’ll be around you for a really long time.”
She swallowed and felt silly tears. “Me, too,” she said quietly. “Phew, we’ve dealt with that now.”
Gray made a growling sound and started to reach for her.
Winnie leaped between the two of them, planted her bowed legs and snorted at Gray. Marley was grateful she hadn’t actually snarled, but figured they shouldn’t push it.
“Sorry,” Gray told the dog. “You’re a good girl to guard your mom from evil men. Have your bone.” He pushed it toward her and she took it.
“There’s an elephant in the room,” Marley said. “I think it’s getting bigger, too. We need to talk about it.”
Gray nodded. “Pearl Brite? I haven’t heard one darn word on her whereabouts yet. According to Nat this is one more just like Liza and Amber. Zap, she’s gone.”
“Nat talked to me this afternoon,” Marley said. “I wish I could have been more useful, but at least we’ve made progress. Now he’s a believer—which is good news, bad news. He wants me to keep doing what I do as he puts it because he’s certain I’ll finally get coordinates on where to find Liza and Amber.”
“And maybe Pearl Brite?” Gray said. “She sounds like a nice kid. Twenty-four. Lives at home with her dad who doesn’t see so well. Mother dead since Pearl was a little girl and Pearl and her dad have looked after each other. She’s popular at Alexander’s. Some say she’s ready for bigger things.”
Marley propped her chin on a fist.
“What are you thinking?” Gray said.
“It’s not fair. That always sounds so stupid, but it isn’t.”
“No, it isn’t. Did Nat tell you there definitely was no sign of any blood in that warehouse?”
She shook her head.
“That’s hopeful.”
“D’you think? Oh, I hope so.”
“Marley, what’s the deal with the red dollhouse?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask. Will you trust me to explain when I can figure out how? Some things are so much a part of me and my experience that I don’t know how to talk about them. The house is my connection to wherever those women are. That’s the simple explanation.”
“Where did it come from?”
“It was given to me for safekeeping.”
He moved fractionally closer. “By whom?”
“A woman. I don’t know who she was and I can’t find her again. I’ve tried. Please give me some room on this.”
She took hold of the hand he offered and let him pull her to the seat of the couch. Sitting sideways, he looked into her face while he stroked her hair—and kissed her. He adjusted himself to get closer and closed his eyes.
“Mmm-mm,” Marley said. She put her fingers on his lips. “What time are you due at Myrtle Woods?”