Break Ups and Break-Ins Read online

  “He shot at Margo.”

  But he didn’t hit her, Natalie pointed out. When she heard me scream, she came out of the bedroom. I imagine she saw the armed man at that point, because that’s when she locked herself in the bathroom. He tried to catch her before the door closed, but he was much, much too late. He shot a few times after that. Goodness, it was loud. I think it was louder than he thought it would be. He almost dropped the gun after the second shot. It went off and put another hole in the door. Like I said, embarrassing.

  “What made him run off then? Did he think he got her?”

  Not unless he’s a complete moron. She was still screaming in there when he ran off. He kept looking around. I think he was afraid someone was going to hear and come to her rescue. The whole thing was a mess, if you ask me.

  Rowen tried not to let her annoyance show. Natalie still sounded a little too disappointed that Margo hadn’t been killed. “Did you see where he went after he ran off?” she asked instead.

  Well, I was a little rattled myself, but I was rather curious too. I didn’t go after him immediately, but I did follow in the direction I saw him run off in.

  That was both disappointing and promising. “Can you show me which way he went?” she asked and noticed Ben perk up as well.

  I don’t see why not. Natalie didn’t say anything after that. Rowen realized a little too late that she couldn’t actually see Natalie to follow her.

  “Um… Natalie?” Rowen didn’t get a response immediately. “Are you still here?”

  It was almost a full minute before Rowen heard Natalie again. Are you coming or not?

  “You’ll have to go slow and keep talking to me. You’re kind of invisible.”

  Natalie sighed dramatically. It was a wonder that a ghost could still sigh, even if only for effect. Come on then. Down the steps and to the left.

  It was easy enough to follow Natalie while she was going slowly. Rowen could feel her energy. It was like playing a very literal game of hot and cold if the rules were inversed. As chilly as it was outside, it was colder still when she got near enough to Natalie.

  They walked to the left and away from both the trailer and the Greensmith house. Ben walked close behind. He didn’t say anything. He knew better than to interfere. If he had questions, he was saving them for later.

  They walked across the lawn and toward the patch of trees that separated them from the main road. He went through here, Natalie explained. The last place I saw him was before he got to the trees. I think I heard an engine start up, but I didn’t see him drive away or anything. I don’t know what sort of car he had or which direction he went after that.

  “Thanks. This is good.” Rowen said that and meant it. She stopped at the edge of the trees, throwing out an arm to stop Ben as well. “She says he came through here and that afterward he drove away.”

  “Did she see what kind of car he was in?”

  “No, but it was over here. Can’t you find tracks or something?”

  Be raised a hand, indicating that Rowen should wait where she was while he checked things out. He walked forward slowly, stepping lightly as he scanned the ground. “The ground is pretty hard around here. I don’t see tracks… Wait.” He squatted down to get a closer look. “The grass is packed down here. There might have been a car… or…” He stood again and looked around. “Yeah, there were wheels here. I’m not sure about a car, though. A van, maybe?”

  “A van?”

  “That’s my best guess.” Ben pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll get the team down here. Maybe they can get something more out of this. Did Natalie tell you anything else that was helpful?”

  “Well—” Rowen began. She was cut off when she heard a car pull up. She turned to see a sleek black muscle car pulling down the gravel drive. She recognized it immediately. Only one person she knew drove a car that nice. “I’ll tell you in a minute.”

  Ben nodded and made his call. You’re welcome, said Natalie, indignant.

  Rowen hadn’t realized Natalie was still nearby. “Sorry. Thank you. Do you see who that is?”

  Hmm… Oooh, it’s Jasper.

  Rowen nodded and hurried off in that direction, hoping to intercept him before he got to the front door of her aunts’ house. The car door opened and a man in a bespoke suit got out. Even on a day like this, he was looking sharp. Rowen wondered if he even knew what had happened. He turned a couple of times, hesitating before he began walking in the direction of the trailer. Surely, he could see the police tape from where he was.

  “Jasper.” Rowen waved her arm to get his attention. It wasn’t difficult given that she was standing out in the open. He changed his trajectory some to meet her.

  Jasper was a handsome guy. He wasn’t Rowen’s type, but she wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was good looking. He had pale blond hair and pointed, aristocratic features. His cheekbones were pronounced and high, and one of his outfits probably cost more than Rowen’s entire wardrobe put together. He was thin and regal and Sutton could absolutely beat him in a fight no problem.

  “I… I just heard what happened.” Jasper looked unsteady. His hands were shaky as he straightened a cuff. “Rose called me. I tried to call Margo, but she isn’t answering her phone. Is she… Is she here?”

  Rowen shook her head. “She’s still down at the station.”

  “Is she all right?”

  “Well… I mean, physically.”

  “Physically. Right. Well, I’m sure this is upsetting for her.”

  “That’s one way to put it.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply—” Jasper shook his head. “Should I… I shouldn’t go down to the station. Do you think I should?”

  “I think she’s done there. I’m going by in a little bit to pick her up. Or try to anyway. I guess you can come with me then, if you want.”

  Jasper didn’t answer immediately. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, like he wasn’t quite sure how he wanted to answer that. “Yeah,” he said, finally. “Of course. When are you leaving?”

  “Soon, I think. Wait here. I’ll be back in just a minute.” Rowen turned as Jasper nodded. She headed back across the lawn to tell Ben what was up.

  I like him, said Natalie once they were a fair distance away. Rowen realized she had probably been there the whole time. She just hadn’t wanted Jasper to hear her for whatever reason. With the witchy blood that ran through his veins, he would have been able to. I don’t know why Margo wants to break up with him. He’s cute and, better than that, he’s rich. I keep telling her, you don’t leave a catch like that. At the very least, you marry him first. Get half his assets in the divorce.

  “I’m not sure about that. I’m especially not sure about that last part.” Another question occurred to Rowen. “Margo didn’t break up with Jasper yet, did she?”

  No… I don’t think so. Natalie sounded annoyed. I know it’s something that’s been on her mind.

  “You don’t think they’ve broken up?”

  Well, I don’t exactly follow her everywhere, do I? I know I’ve heard them talk once or twice and she’s gotten close to breaking up with him. She hasn’t explicitly done it yet as far as I know. Of course, if he doesn’t see it coming after all that he’s a moron.

  Rowen filed that bit of information away for later. She still didn’t think Jasper had anything to do with this. “Are you… Are you coming with us to the station?” Rowen didn’t want her to, but she was afraid that telling her she couldn’t would definitely make her come.

  No, the court shows are starting about now. I’m not going down to the police station just so everyone can ignore me. Hey, be a dear and turn the television on before you go, will you?

  “Will do.” Rowen got to Ben and told her what the plan was. He ended his call and told her to go on. He was staying behind to deal with their new findings. Rowen relayed to him what little else Natalie had been able to tell her before she went looking for Eric.

  Eric had gone inside the Greensmith
house to get out of the cold. The kids had roped him into a game of hide and seek, and it was a bit of a chore to get him out of the house after that. Rowen didn’t have a lot of time for socializing and, for once, Aunt Lydia completely understood.

  “Let them go, kids. They have to go check on Margo.”

  Chapter Seven

  Jasper followed behind Eric and Rowen in his own car. The police station wasn’t a terribly long drive away. Eric parked around back, and Jasper pulled in beside them. Rowen considered calling Rose before she headed inside. It might be a good idea to see where everything was at news-wise.

  She was feeling guilty for not checking in earlier. Surely, Rose had written something up by now. Knowing her, she had probably done it alone. She wouldn’t want to bother her family at a time like this. In all likelihood, she had already written something and it had been tasteful. Channel 2 probably had their own story up as well. Rowen wondered if Julia Martinez had gotten in touch with Margo. God, she really should have done something before now.

  Rowen decided to put off checking on all this until after she had met with Margo. She had put it off this long. What was another fifteen minutes? It made more sense to do it once she knew what she was going to be doing with the rest of her day.

  The lady at the front desk wasn’t thrilled to see Rowen Greensmith coming through the front door. The Greensmiths had a history of barging in and making their way on back to see Ben without actually waiting for an okay. The Greensmiths didn’t have the best reputation, but it wasn’t like they were taking any special measures to remedy that.

  “Ben isn’t here right now,” said the receptionist.

  “No, but I assume my cousin is.”

  “Your cousin?” The receptionist frowned before realization struck her. Her face brightened suddenly. “Oh, Margo. Right. Are you here to take her home?” She swiveled in her seat and pointed back in the direction of what Rowen knew to be the break room. “Last I checked, she was still in there.”

  “Thanks.” Rowen led the way, Eric and Jasper following behind her. It was impossible to ignore the hopeful note in the receptionist’s voice. She wanted Rowen to get Margo out of here before she became a permanent fixture at the station.

  Sure enough, Margo was in the break room. She didn’t look nearly as out of sorts as she had before. She was sitting on the paisley sofa in the corner of the break room, painting her nails on the arm. Rowen could see where she had already dripped some pink splotches on the fabric.

  Aunt Nadine and Uncle Norm were there as well. Nadine was sitting at a little round table with a cup of coffee. She was doing something on the phone in her hands. Norm sat at the other end of the sofa. His attention was on the television mounted to the wall. He had his head propped in his hand, watching the same court show Natalie was probably watching back at the trailer.

  There were two officers in the break room. They were relegated to the far corner and neither of them looked happy about it. They kept looking up from their sub sandwiches to glare in the direction of the Greensmiths.

  Rowen cleared her throat to get her family’s attention. “Making yourself at home here?”

  Margo looked up from her nails, but she didn’t stand or anything. She definitely didn’t rush in for a hug like she had the night before. “Rowen. I didn’t know you were coming by. Are you here for personal reasons or did Rose send you for Inquirer reasons? I suppose I’m the biggest news story in town right now.”

  Rowen couldn’t tell whether she was proud of that or upset by it. “I’m here for the first thing right now. I thought I would—”

  “Jasper!” Now Margo did set aside her fingernail polish. It balanced precariously on the arm of the sofa as she jumped to her feet and rushed across the room. She threw her arms around her boyfriend and he hugged her back in return. They didn’t stay like that for long. After a few seconds, she straightened up and swatted him on the arm. “It took you long enough!”

  “I’m sorry!” Jasper winced. “I had my phone turned off. I was practicing at home, and my parents like me to turn off my phone so—”

  Margo made a disgusted sound. “It’s always about your parents. You’re an adult, Jasper. You can decide whether or not to turn off your own phone. I needed you!”

  Rowen shuffled away from the both of them, not that she could escape the conversation. They were being awfully loud. Even so, she felt like she should at least look like she was trying to give them their privacy.

  Aunt Nadine offered Rowen a strained smile. Uncle Norm rose from the sofa and went over to the round table his sister was seated at. “You two have been here for a while, huh?” Rowen asked, speaking as quietly as she could while still being heard over Margo’s lecturing.

  “It’s been a while,” said Norm.

  Aunt Nadine nodded and stifled a yawn. They both looked exhausted. Nadine especially looked like she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. “She doesn’t feel safe going home, and I can hardly blame her. I’m nervous enough with the kids being so close to… what happened.”

  “I’m sure they’re fine,” said Norm.

  Rowen nodded. “He’s probably right.”

  “Well, I’m still worried.”

  “You can get back to them soon.” Rowen offered her aunt a smile she hoped was reassuring. “I’m here to take Margo home.” She had talked about it with Eric on the way over. He hadn’t had a problem with it. Not that she had thought he would. “If she’s willing, she can stay at my place.”

  “If she’s willing,” repeated Norm for emphasis. “I tried to get her to come back with me to my apartment. She wasn’t having it, said she wouldn’t feel any safer there.”

  “I talked to Ben about having the police drive by to check in on us. It’ll be easier for them to check in on a house than an apartment complex, I think. Plus, she’ll have both me and Eric with her.”

  “What’s going on here?” demanded a new voice.

  Rowen turned to find Sutton standing at the entrance to the break room. He had overheard all the commotion, it seemed. It was probably difficult not to. There was a frown on his face as he scanned all the new arrivals.

  “Sorry,” grumbled Margo. She clearly didn’t want to apologize, but it was her who had been the loudest. Jasper had been talking at more of a stage whisper.

  “Well, keep it down. People are trying to work.” Sutton scanned the room again. “If you need to talk, come into my office.”

  “I do need to talk, actually.” Rowen raised a hand. “There’s something I should probably discuss with Margo, and you should probably hear it too.”

  Sutton nodded. “All right. Come on then. Not all of you, though. My office is small.”

  Rowen turned to her aunt, uncle, and Eric. “I’ll be right back,” she assured them.

  “What is it?” asked Margo, an eyebrow raised.

  Rowen just waved her on. “We’ll talk about it in there.” She followed Sutton to his office. Margo came as well, which meant Jasper wasn’t far behind. After the earful Margo had just given him for not being there for her, he was hesitant to leave her side.

  Sutton’s office was somehow more cramped than Ben’s. It looked like a repurposed storage closet, and a small one at that. It was a great deal cleaner than Ben’s office, at least. There weren’t stacks and stacks of paperwork covering every surface. Sutton scooted around behind his desk and sat down. “Well?” he prompted, leaning back in his rolling chair.

  Rowen didn’t bother sitting. There was only one chair in front of the desk. “I was talking with some people, and… Well, obviously Margo can’t stay here forever.”

  “No one is keeping her here,” said Sutton. “We’re done with our questions for now. She’s free to come and go as she pleases.”

  “I haven’t been here all that long.” Margo was already defensive, like she knew where Rowen was headed with all of this.

  “You’ve been here a while.” Rowen didn’t want to argue about this. “I get it if you don’t want to go an
ywhere near the trailer, but you can’t spend another night here.”

  “Well, the couch isn’t particularly comfortable,” huffed Margo. “But I’m sure I can manage.”

  Sutton cleared his throat. “It might take us a little while to find the culprit. The police station isn’t really the best place for you to stay until then.”

  “I beg to differ,” huffed Margo. “This is the safest place in Lainswich. I deserve to be safe, don’t I?”

  “Of course you do. I just don’t think—”

  “Then I’m staying.” Margo sat down in the chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “You can come stay with me,” suggested Jasper. “We could stay in Tarricville.”

  “With your parents?” Margo made a scoffing sound and looked away from him. “I don’t think so.”

  Jasper frowned and opened his mouth in what looked like it was going to be a snappish retort. He seemed to think better of it, changing his tone. “I can get us a room somewhere, I guess.”

  “I was actually thinking you could stay with me, Margo,” Rowen said, deciding now was probably a good time to speak up. “Eric doesn’t mind, and we have a guest room.”

  “That sounds like a good plan to me,” said Sutton, nodding in Rowen’s direction. This earned him a measured look from Jasper. Did Sutton not want Margo staying with Jasper for personal reasons? Did Jasper, in turn, know something about their burgeoning relationship?

  Margo still had her arms crossed. “I don’t see why we have to decide on something right this second.”

  “You can’t stay here.” Rowen wasn’t sure how many times she was going to need to say that. Before she could object, she looked to Sutton again. “I was talking to Ben before I came here, and he said something about having some kind of protection detail on Margo?”

  Sutton nodded immediately. “I got a call from him a little while ago.” Rowen could only assume that was when he had called with news about the tire tracks. “That’s absolutely doable. We can have someone patrolling the area at night.”