“All right. Hold on.” There was a short grating sound, and the gate slid open.
I pulled the car down the driveway and parked around the side of the house. Nora was waiting at the front door. “Come in,” she said, flashing a tight smile at Erin and me. “It’s a horrible day, isn’t it? This rain came out of nowhere.”
“Yeah, it did. It’s freezing out there, too.” I returned her smile and stepped inside. Erin followed me.
Nora looked at us with a quizzical expression. “So what can I do for you?” she asked. “You said there was something you wanted to talk about.”
“Yes. It’s, uh…” I rubbed my chin as I fumbled for an excuse. “It’s about Cerina.”
“Oh. Of course.” She let out a weary sigh and rubbed her left temple. “I should have known you’d be missing her terribly. You two used to be such good friends.”
Erin cleared her throat and spoke up. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Vincent, but would you mind if I used your bathroom?” she asked. “I think I ate something bad for lunch, and my stomach is just…”
She trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air. Nora nodded. “Of course, darling,” she said, pointing to a doorway on the left. “Go down that way and take the first right. You’ll find the closest guest bathroom there.”
Erin flashed a meaningful glance at me before she took off down the hall. I knew she didn’t really need the bathroom. She was just using it as an excuse to poke around the house while I distracted Nora with our conversation.
Nora turned her attention back to me. “Would you like a drink, Jax?” she asked, lifting her brows. “Coffee, water, juice?”
“Sure. I’d love a coffee,” I said.
Truthfully, I couldn’t stand the thought of putting caffeine in my system when I was already so wired on adrenaline, but the longer I managed to draw this chat out, the longer Erin would have to hunt around the bottom floor of the house.
“Come into the kitchen with me,” Nora said, beckoning me to a wide doorway on the right. “Without the staff here, I have to make everything myself.”
“That must be hard.”
“Oh, it’s not too bad, but I somehow managed to scald my hand on the milk frother yesterday.” Nora gave me a rueful smile and shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it all figured out now.”
She pulled two white cups out of a cupboard. Then she set herself up by the chrome-coated coffee machine on the far side of the kitchen. “What did you want to talk to me about?” she asked, looking back at me over her shoulder as the espresso grinder whirred.
I tapped my ear. “Sorry, I can’t hear you properly over the machine,” I called out. That wasn’t true, but it was a believable story, and it would buy a little extra time for me and Erin.
Nora waved her free hand. “Never mind. Let me finish making these drinks first.”
A couple of minutes later, she presented me with a perfectly-made cappuccino. “Here you go,” she said. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks.” I accepted the mug and dipped my chin to take a small sip.
Nora took a sip of her own coffee. Then she set the cup down on the counter and looked up at me. “So what did you want to talk about?” she asked, eyes flickering with curiosity. “Is it something specific, or do you just feel like sharing some memories of Cerina?”
“It’s something specific.” I took a deep breath and rubbed the back of my neck. “I don’t really know how to bring this up without upsetting you, but I found out something recently. About Cerina. I thought I should tell you about it.”
Nora’s forehead creased. “What is it?”
“Well... someone at school told me that he overheard Cerina arguing with Mr. Blythe a while ago. He thought they might be having an inappropriate relationship,” I said. “I know your family is fairly close with the Blythe family, so I figured you had a right to know what might’ve been going on.”
“Oh, honey, no.” Nora let out a tinkling laugh. “Whoever told you that is just a rumor-mongering idiot. I’d trust Matthew with my life. He never would’ve touched Cerina.”
Before I could say anything else, Erin stepped into the kitchen. Nora looked over at her. “Feeling any better, darling?”
“A little. Thanks.”
“Let me make you some herbal tea. It’ll calm your stomach.” Nora hurried over to the other side of the kitchen and reached into a cupboard.
While she was distracted, I leaned my head close to Erin. “Did you see or hear anything?”
“Nope.” She shook her head, lips set in a thin line. “I couldn’t check the second or third floors, though. So I guess Kinsey could be somewhere up there.”