โNo, no, no.โย Bel looked down at the black, empty screen.ย โShh,โย Ash hissed.ย โShe might hear you.โ
โThis isnโt fair, this was supposed to be it.โ
โIโm sorry,โย Ash o๏ฌered, but it wasnโt enough, not nearly enough.
โNo.โย Bel handed him the iPad, useless to her now.ย โSheโs not winning.โ โWhere are you going?โย Ash grabbed her hand.
โI have to know what she came here for.โ
โBel,โย her name shaped by a gasp, but she was already running from him, across the road. Jumping over the line of shadow to the left side of the house, crouching below the front windows.
She curved around the corner, hand to the wooden slats to steady herself, heart trying to drag her back. She wouldnโt listen, her head winning out, telling her this was her chance to take Rachel down.
Bel hurried three more steps, then dropped to her knees below the window, the one on the far wall of the living room, beside theย ๏ฌreplace, over the sideboard.
If Rachel was distracted, looking for whatever she was looking for, she wouldnโt see Bel. She planted her feet and slowly, slowly, rose up, straightening her legs.
She stopped when her eyes broke above the ledge, looking through the very bottom corner of the glass.
Her own re๏ฌection got in the way, obscuring the room beyond.
Bel moved closer, pressed her nose against the window, cupping her hands around her eyes.
The room came into view.
And so did Rachel, dead still, staring right back at her. Belโs heart told her so, escaping out her chest.
Rachel angled her head.
โAnnabel?โย she called, voice mu๏ฌed by the glass. Fuck.
Bel stood up the whole way, eyes still cupped against the window.ย โHi!โย she leveled her voice, smoothing the fear out of it.ย โI thought someone was inside.โ
Rachel smiled. It didnโt reach her eyes.
โCome around.โย She gestured toward the hallway and the front door, herย ๏ฌngers walking through the air.
Double fuck.
โOK!โย Bel smiled, backing up until she could only see herself again, and that smile didnโt even convince her.
She walked around the corner, planning her excuses, discarding the ones that wouldnโt do, the ones Rachel would see through.
Ash must have spotted her now. Bel waved her arm in his direction, telling him to get out of here. Swiping her hand across her neck twice to tell him it was over, she was dead, double dead. Rachel had taken the bait, but the plan had fallen apart.
She trudged up the steps and the front door opened, Rachel standing in the heat beyond, an unreadable look on her face.
โHi.โย She moved back to allow Bel in.
โHi,โย Bel said, brighter, to throw her o๏ฌ.ย โThatโs funny,โย she said, still not sure what she was going to say or how it was funny.
โWhat are you doing here?โย Rachel asked.
Bel was backed into a corner, came back with a lie.
โI couldnโtย ๏ฌnd my water bottle. I thought maybe Iโd left it here yesterday. Did you see it inside?โย Bel wandered through into the living room.ย โWait.โย She narrowed her eyes on purpose.ย โWhat are you doing here? You had a doctorโs appointment?โ
Because Rachel might have caught Bel, but Bel had also caught Rachel here. A stalemate, a trial for both of them. Bel felt like sheโd passed. Rachelโs turn.
โOh, I got the day wrong,โย Rachel said, leaning double-handed on the back of Grandpaโs chair.
โDid you?โ
โYeah. So I came over for Grandpaโs walk. Guess I just missed them.โ
Bel nodded, like that made sense. Then she stalled, chin pointed up, like a new thought held her there.ย โHow come you were inside, then?โ
Rachel shu๏ฌed, clammy hands against the leather.ย โWhen I realized they werenโt here, I let myself in with the spare.โย She paused.ย โItโs Patโs birthday next week and I wasnโt sure what to get him. I thought Iโd have a quick look around, see if I couldย ๏ฌgure out what heโd like.โ
Bel completed the nod. Not quite as good a lie as hers.
Rachel pointed toward the bookshelf.ย โAlthough I think Iโve been caught. I noticed thereโs a camera on the shelf.โ
Belโs eyes followed the line of Rachelโsย ๏ฌnger, spinning, searching, as though she didnโt know exactly where it was.ย โOh, that.โย A dismissive wave of her hand.ย โDad put that in months ago, to check up on Grandpa during the day, before the second stroke. I think itโs disconnected; hasnโt been turned on since Yordan got here.โ
Rachelย ๏ฌexed her chin.ย โMakes sense.โย Yes, it did. Bel was pleased with that.
โWhy were you at the window?โย Rachel said, throwing it back to her.
โI thought I heard someone inside,โย Bel countered.ย โAnd the spare key wasnโt under the frog.โย Rachel wasnโt going to trip her up.
โYou didnโt see my car parked out front?โย Rachel narrowed her eyes.
โI saw a car, didnโt realize it was yours, donโt know the license plate yet. Lucky it was only you,โย she said, with a breathy laugh, as though Rachel was
safe, as though Rachel wasnโt the most dangerous person to her.
โYeah, lucky.โย Rachel glanced behind her, through the open doorway into the hall. Her eyesย ๏ฌxed on the stairs, climbing them one by one, as the silence stretched between them, growing teeth.
Bel studied Rachelโs face, looked for the signs she was learning, the twitches, the lines. Did Rachel know? Who had really caught who here?
โWe should probably head home, hey?โย Rachel said, breaking the deadlock, o๏ฌering a way out.ย โWant a ride?โ
Bel couldnโt say no.
