He pressed the transponder for her garage door, and it groaned open, showing an empty garage. “Where’s the other car?” Nico asked.
“Jenna must be out tonight.” She shrugged as Nico steered the car into its usual spot. “With friends. Visiting her parents. On a booty call. Who knows?”
Nico slid out of the car, closing the door quietly. He touched his finger to his mouth, the universal ‘quiet’ signal. She nodded and got out, as well. They walked together to her back door, and she waited for him to open it, turn on the lights and search the house. When he motioned her inside, she yawned. “I’m taking a shower and going to bed. You do whatever you need to do. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Ten hours later, they walked through the back door of Madeline’s. Spence must have heard the door, because he was waiting in the hall that led to Julia’s office. She stopped when she spotted him. “Everything okay overnight?”
“No problems. Nothing out of the ordinary. Someone rattled the door around one a.m., but it was a drunk. After shaking the door a few times, he tottered down the street. Bounced off the buildings and the cars parked at the curb. He tried a few more doors until he disappeared.”
“You sure it wasn’t a show? Pretending to be drunk and trying our door?” Nico asked.
Spence shook his head. “I can tell when someone’s faking drunkenness. This guy wasn’t faking.”
Julia frowned. “I should give you a key to the front door, in case you have to leave for something.”
“Great minds,” Spence said with a nod. “I was going to suggest it this morning.”
“I’ll make sure you get one today,” she said.
Brisk knocking at the back door made Julia spin around. Smile. “That must be Zoe. I’ll let her in.”