He also found Sachi’s mother’s obituary. Apparently it wasn’t the newspaper’s policy to comment on manner of death, since it listed only the date she died, her family information, and information on the memorial services, which apparently were held both in Montana and New Jersey.
Sachi Bloomfeld is survived by her husband Michael and daughter, Miki…
Mandaline had only eliminated six more choices by the time the pizza arrived. She’d waited to pop the cap on her first beer until then. Sachi, who apparently had an iron constitution, swore she’d limit herself to two and was already halfway through her first.
As they sat around the folding table in the kitchen, Sachi’s iPod plugged into the men’s portable stereo and blasting Shakira at wall-rattling levels in the living room, Mandaline tried to envision the house finished.
She looked at Sachi. “Isn’t your dad set to retire soon? Maybe he’d like to move to Florida. How long’s it been since you’ve seen him?”
Sachi nearly choked on the mouthful of pizza she’d been working on. “Whoa. Where the hell did that come from?”
“I don’t like the idea of you being alone. Look what happened Saturday.”
“I’m not alone. And I talk to my dad at least once a week on the phone.” She took a swallow of beer. “Look, I’m not worried about it, all right? It’s just a freaky coincidence.” Her expression darkened. “The cops said there’d been several break-ins in the neighborhood over the past few weeks. It was probably kids.”
“They didn’t steal anything.”
“Yeah, because my neighbor scared them away before they could.” She reached over and touched Mandaline’s hand. “Miki Bloomfeld isn’t traceable to Florida.”
“You said he’s out on parole.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, so? I’m what, two thousand miles away?” She smiled. “Hey, you’re not trying to talk me out of skyclad rain dancing, are you? I was all lookin’ forward to seein’ and barin’ boobies.”
Mandaline nearly spit her beer out laughing. “You can’t be serious at all, can you?”
Sachi grinned. “Of course I can. But snark is my passion, right up there next to skeet. I’m good at it. Wouldn’t want me to waste my natural talents, would you?”
Mandaline tried and succeeded in taking a swallow of her beer. “No, we wouldn’t want that at all.” As if to punctuate her comment, thunder rumbled outside. “When is the alarm getting installed?”
Sachi let out a sigh. “Hopefully tomorrow, Momma Bear.”
“Good. Panic buttons?”
Sachi didn’t suppress the eye roll. “Yes, two, one on each keypad, plus a wearable fob.”
“Why aren’t you taking this more seriously?”
“I’m taking it as seriously as I need to.” She picked up her beer and took a few swallows from the bottle. “Let’s be honest. Any goober with half a brain and an Internet connection could probably find me if he tried hard enough. Yes, the house isn’t in my name, it’s in the name of the trust I had set up, as are the utilities and my car, but seriously? They could find my dad, break into his house, and find my address, I’m sure. Or track me down somehow.”
“Then get a fricking concealed carry permit!”
Sachi’s eyebrows soared skyward. “You? Telling me to get a concealed carry permit? I think hell really has frozen over.” She set her beer down on the table. “Can we please not talk about this tonight? We’re here because you freaked out over the rainbow of choices available to paint your walls. I think I can handle this.”
She didn’t want to let it drop, but she knew Sachi had dug her feet in. “I’m just glad you’re staying with us.”
Sachi’s expression softened. “I appreciate you doing it. I feel like a fifth wheel, though.” Sadness flitted across her expression before she schooled her face back to Sachi the Snarky mode. “I know you’re worried about me, but I think I can handle myself.”
Brad felt unsettled all evening, the feeling growing stronger the later it grew. In one way, he was glad Sachi and Mandaline were going to the house together. He thought it would do both women good to get away for a while.
On the other hand, having them out of sight didn’t help his nerves.
That bothered him.
Then the storm began in earnest.
He practically jumped out of his skin when his cell phone rang in his pocket a little after eight. He dug it out to find Ellis calling.
“I’m not walking back in this slop,” he said. “Do you mind if I hang out here for a while?”
Brad glanced out the front windows. In the light cast by the streetlights, the rain blew through in horizontal sheets as the thunderstorm’s fury built. “No, I’ll be fine. I think everyone else is getting ready to head on out.”
“Sachi and Mandaline still gone?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Don’t wait on me to eat,” he said. “I’ll grab something when I get back over there.”
“Okay.”
He hung up and looked out the windows again. Nature’s fury in action.
And still, his nerves grew ever more frayed.
Mandaline stared out the open door. She’d opted for beer number three after downing the second. “Holy crap, it’s really blowing out there!”
Sachi peered over her shoulder. “Chicken?”
She laughed. “Not even.” She pulled her shirt off over her head, neatly folded it, and laid it on the table, followed by her pants. “I don’t see you getting nekkid.”
“It’s going to be cold.”
“Wuss.”
Sachi frowned. “You calling me out, witchy poo?”
“You better believe it.”
Sachi let out a put-upon sigh and began stripping. She folded her clothes and left them on the table with Mandaline’s. “Fine. Happy?” But she smiled.
“Let’s do it.” Mandaline dashed out the door, laughing, Sachi on her heels. The two women stopped in the middle of the mowed parking area, arms stretched high, eyes closed as rain pelted their faces.
“I do love me a good storm,” Sachi said over the din.
Mandaline did an impromptu dance. “Nothing better for the spirit,” she said.
They weren’t paying any attention to the house, or the fact that behind them, all the lights went out. When Mandaline finally turned and noticed, she softly swore.
“What?” Sachi asked.
“Power’s out.” She suddenly had a creepy feeling they were being watched despite knowing that couldn’t be the case. The closest neighbor was too far away, and the brush way too thick, for them to be seen.
“So?”
“How am I supposed to finish picking paint colors in the dark?” Her beer buzz was hitting hard and strong now, helping her to relax and put the being-watched feeling out of her mind.
Sachi shrugged. “We don’t need it out here. Probably just the storm. It’ll come back on in a few minutes, most likely.”
“Oh. True.” She continued her dancing.
Paige was the last one out the door a few minutes after eight. Alone in the store, Brad walked to the front, feeling more unsettled than ever. He spent nearly an hour trying to draw without success. A little before nine, he tried calling Mandaline’s phone and got her voice mail. “Hey, just checking in. Love you.”
He thought about calling Sachi, too, but decided that would just be paranoid.
Pers, released from the apartment to wander at will, followed close on his heels. He looked down at the little dog. “You feel it?”
Pers sat and let out a bark.
“Yeah, me, too, buddy.”
He walked behind the counter. Someone had raked the zen garden, but he picked up the rake anyway and created a circular pattern with it around the small stones. Satisfied, he put the rake down and turned from it.