Dana chuckled. “She said that?”
“She’s sort of a wise-ass.”
“Like you. No wonder you think she’s so great.”
“She worries me, though. I mean, she’s always taking unnecessary risks. Like this thing about the Kevlar vests. Would it kill her to wear one?”
“Maybe she thinks she’s invincible.”
“Maybe. I don’t know what it is. She drives me up the wall. I mean, she’s very smart and dedicated and everything, but... What the hell is taking her so long?”
“It hasn’t been all that long,” Dana said.
“She thinks she’s so tough.”
“Apparently, she is tough. From what you said...”
“But someone might get her from behind, you know?” Tuck grabbed the door handle.
“She told us to stay here.”
“She might be in trouble. What if she yells for help? We won’t even be able to hear her.”
Tuck slid the door open. The night air came in, wrapping Dana with its chill.
Nobody was calling for help. Dana heard only the hissing, bubbling sounds of the spa and a few distant squeals that she supposed were coming from seagulls.
Tuck stepped out onto the patio.
“Get back in here!”
Not even glancing back, Tuck simply shook her head.
Dana stepped out and stood next to her. “She told us to stay inside.”
“Yep. So what’s she gonna do, arrest us?”
“Well, since we’re out here anyway...” Dana stopped talking and walked away from Tuck’s side.
“Where’re you going? You’d better get back here.”
Ignoring Tuck, she strolled over to the table. She lifted her robe off the back of a chair and put it on. The soft fabric felt cozy. She was glad to be warm again, and glad to have her body covered, hidden away from anyone who might be out there watching. After tying her belt, she picked up Tuck’s robe and both towels.
As she approached the door, Tuck gave her a peeved look.
“I was freezing,” Dana explained. “Anyway, you’re the one who wanted to come outside.”
“I didn’t mean we should go wandering around.”
“I didn’t wander far. Anyway, I’m back.”
After taking Tuck’s robe and towels into the house, she came back out and stood beside her.
“I’m just a little rattled by all this,” Tuck said.
“I know. Me, too.”
“Isn’t enough that somebody messes around with the Ethel exhibit. Isn’t enough that we end up with three missing players and have to go on a search. And we’ve still got somebody missing. I mean, that’d be a bad day all by itself. That’d be a shitty day. But now we’ve gotta have some kind of creep lurking around the house with God-only-knows-what on his sick, perverted mind.”
“Maybe it’s just a secret admirer,” Dana said.
“Like I just said, a sick, perverted creep. What the hell is taking Eve so long?”
“She’s probably just doing a thorough search.”
“She shouldn’t be taking this long.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. Do you think it might all be connected?”
“Connected?” Tuck asked. “What?”
“What you were just talking about. Maybe the guy who screwed around with Ethel had something to do with the missing tape player. And maybe he came over here.”
“I don’t know,” Tuck said. “I guess it’s possible.”
“Maybe we should tell Eve about that stuff.”
In a half-joking voice, Tuck said, “You mean, if she isn’t dead?”
“She’s not dead. Maybe she’ll have some ideas about...”
“Let’s just deal with one problem at a time, okay? Eve doesn’t have to know about our troubles at Beast House. She might want to start an investigation. Next thing you know, everybody’d find out. It’s nobody else’s business.”
“If a customer disappeared...”
“Nobody disappeared. Not necessarily. We’re just short one tape player, that’s all.”
“But...”
“Nobody was looking for anyone and there weren’t any leftover cars in the lot. That’s pretty strong proof that we don’t have a missing person. I know, maybe he went on the tour alone. Maybe he parked on the street somewhere, or walked over. For now, though, we don’t have any good reason to start a major fuss about the situation. I don’t want to go whining to the cops every time there’s a little glitch in things.”
“You called the cops tonight.”
“A prowler lurking by the pool is a big glitch. For God’s sake, where’s Eve?”
“She’s probably...”
“EVE!” Tuck shouted.
No answer came.
“Oh, God,” Tuck muttered. “Something’s happened to her.”
“Maybe she’s...”
“EVE! DAMN IT, WHERE ARE YOU?”
Over beyond the far, left-hand corner of the pool, Eve trudged out of the bushes. She was hunched over, her head down.
When she stepped onto the concrete, she straightened up. “What’s the trouble?” she called.
“Are you okay?” Tuck asked.
“Fine. What’s the trouble? Did you see him?”
“No.”
“What’re you doing outside?”
“We got worried about you.”
Eve smirked and shook her head. Then she shut off her flashlight and came walking around the pool. As she neared Dana and Tuck, she said, “Let’s go back into the house.”
They went in without waiting for Eve to arrive. She entered after them, slid the door shut and locked it. Not saying a word, she turned her back to them and started to shut the curtains.
“Uh-h,” Tuck said. “I’m not sure I like the way this is going.”
Eve faced her and said, “I know I don’t.”
“Yuck,” Tuck said.
“Somebody was back there, all right.”
The words came as no surprise to Dana. After all, Tuck had said she’d seen someone. But Dana felt stunned, anyway, to hear a police officer confirm it. She felt a cold heaviness in the pit of her stomach.
“Did you see him?” Tuck asked.
Eve shook her head. “Afraid not.”
“What did you find?”
“He’d tramped stuff down pretty well. In some places, the weeds were mashed flat against the ground. I think he must’ve spent quite a while back there.”
“Shit,” Tuck muttered.
“Anything else?” Dana asked.
“Not really. I can’t even say with absolute certainty that it was a person. Might’ve been some kind of large animal.”
“I saw an arm,” Tuck reminded her. “And shoulder.”
“I’m not doubting you,” Eve said. “If you say it was a person, it probably was. I didn’t see anything to suggest it wasn’t. My guess is, you had a voyeur. He found himself a nice hiding place in the bushes to watch you two cavort in the swimming pool.”
“The spa,” Tuck said. “We were in the hot spa.”
A smile broke out on Eve’s face. “Glad to hear that. I’d hate to think of anyone in the swimming pool on a night like this. Either way, though, it looks as if you had an audience.”
“Terrific,” Tuck said. “At least we kept our suits on.”
“Even though it was optional,” Dana added.
“From the looks of things,” Eve said, “I don’t think he’s a regular visitor. It’s pretty thick and wild back there. Nothing was worn down. All the trampled places looked fresh. So this might’ve been his first night. That’s the good news.”