“Gid.”
“Go!”
Gideon walked up to the guy. Before he closed the screen door, Seth heard, “My brother’s getting her, but I think she went to clean up. Might be showering. Let’s sit on the picnic table over here and wait.”
“Thanks, but I’ll stand.”
His heart beating fast, Seth opened the sliding door and took out his phone.
Rafe stood up from the table. “What’s wrong?”
He held up a finger to his brother and dialed 911. “We need help at this location. A suspicious person came into our yard. We had a break-in next door this week. He’s asking for the owner of the house.”
Even before Seth disconnected, Rafe turned to the women. “Alessia and Kate, go down into the den. I’ll get the kids inside.” He headed to the entrance.
Ali said, “Kate go on down. I’ll be right there.” When Kate left, she turned to Seth. “You aren’t going to take Julianne out there, are you?”
“We have to see if she knows him.”
Rafe came in through the living room. “Adults are in the family room or den. Mama took the little ones back upstairs.”
Ignoring Rafe, Ali added, “She can’t go out there, Seth.”
Seth pointed to the kitchen window. “She can look through here.”
“All right.”
Alessia said, “I’ll get her.” She climbed the back stairs.
Seth said to Rafe, “We have to keep an eye on Gideon.”
“I can see them. They’re just talking. You stay with Jules and I’ll go out for reinforcements.” Rafe opened the sliding doors.
In minutes, Ali came back with Julianne. Her hair was mussed like she’d been sleeping. “Somebody’s here to see me?”
“Yeah.”
“Why the hush-hush?”
Seth grasped her arms. “Because Gideon said criminals often come back to the scene of the crime.”
Her face paled.
He kept hold of her.
“I’ll be right here while you look out the kitchen window.”
“Me, too.” This from Ali.
Julianne walked to the sink. When she looked out at the yard, her shoulders relaxed some. “I know him, Seth. But he shouldn’t know my address.”
* * *
Julianne watched as Terrance Chandler stood on the grass, hands in his pants pockets staring up at the house. Ali and Seth flanked her. “Who is he?” Seth asked.
“One of my students. He’s nineteen and I give him private lessons.”
Sirens wailed in the background. Outside, Terrance glared at Gideon. Through the open window, she heard, “What the hell’s going on?”
Uniformed police circled the house, guns drawn. Instead of answering the guy, Gideon faced the officers. “I’m Detective Casella. This man showed up in our yard, looking for the victim of the break-in yesterday.”
“Wait a minute,” Terrance said. “What are you doing?”
“Your call then, Detective,” one officer said.
“Cuff him.”
Julianne turned to Seth. “I have to go out there. I know him. They all should hear that.”
“Wait till Gid calls you out.”
Which he did right away. Julianne walked outside to the edge of the patio. “Stay over there, Jules,” Gideon said. “Do you know this man?”
“Yes, he’s one of my students.”
Terrance shook his head. “Julianne, I read online about the break-in and came to see how you are.”
“Did the article give my address?”
“It said 33 Grove Circle had been broken into. That sounded familiar. I asked my parents and they knew your house number because they mailed your checks there.”
Good God. She never thought not to get studio payments at home.
“All this is true,” he said. “Check the Hidden Cove Herald and you’ll see it in the police blotter.”
“They do that, Jules, to alert the community.” Gideon turned back around. “Where were you two days ago, Chandler?”
“I’m not answering that question. I want to call my lawyer.”
Which he had a right to do.
Gideon took out his phone. Clicked into the number he was given, and put the phone on speaker. “Hogan Chandler here.”
“Dad, I need help.”
* * *
The next morning, Seth went to the open door of Julianne’s bedroom and leaned against the jamb. He found her at the desk looking at the screen of a computer. “Good morning.”
She turned. Her shoulders slumped some and her eyes were bleak. “To you, too.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, of course.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “You didn’t come out of your room after everybody left last night.”
“I was exhausted.”
“I hate that the guy was released.”
“He’s still a kid, Seth. Only a few years older than Cory. And he acts…entitled. I doubt he’d stoop to something like this.” She sighed and stood. “I’m worried about keeping my doors open at the school if I lose private clients.”
“Really?”
“I depend on the lessons I give so I can pay the rent.”
“I didn’t know that. What about all those music therapy classes you run?”
“They’re on a sliding scale. Three quarters of the kids who come in are underprivileged. Which is what I want, to help those kids. The elementary school pays well, but I can’t survive on just that income.”
“You only lost Chandler, Jules.”
He remembered the scene they’d made…
“I will never let my son near your school,” Hogan Chandler had bellowed. “How dare you try to blame him for just checking up on you?”
“She wasn’t,” Gideon responded. “Calling the cops was my idea.”
“Which the mayor of Hidden Cove will hear about…”
“Then I am sorry about that, though. I’ve got money saved—”
She held up her hand. “Don’t. I’m responsible for my own welfare. Besides, I have money saved, too.”
“Maybe we can brainstorm some ways to increase your business to get more high-paying clients.”
She bolted up. “Seth, stop! You’re taking over for me again.”
He recoiled. “What? I’m trying to help.”
“By making plans for me. Decisions. Just stop.” She picked up her purse from the bed. “I’m going home.”
Wanting to protest, he stepped back so he wouldn’t. Instead, he followed her downstairs.
His mother was having coffee at the table. “Good morning, dear. Seth.”
“Hi, Mama.”
Julianne gave a forced smile. “I got a call. I can go home, now.”
“Ah, I see. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
She glanced at Seth. “No, thanks. I’ll make some for myself.” She bent over and kissed Carmella’s cheek. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome here any time.”
“I know.”
“Can I walk you over?” Seth asked. “It might be hard to go inside the first time.”