The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland

Author:Karen Cleveland [Cleveland, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2022-07-26T00:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

The way she’s holding that gun, she isn’t a stay-at-home mom. She isn’t a kindergarten teacher. This is someone who’s been trained to shoot. Someone who’s done it before, done it often. And recently.

The gun’s steady, the barrel pointed directly at me. She doesn’t look the least bit afraid. She’s completely confident.

“Down on your knees,” she says.

I don’t move.

“On your knees.”

She levels the gun, eyes me through the sights, and I know she isn’t messing around. I drop down slowly to my knees, one at a time, hands still up, palms extended toward her.

“What are you doing in my home?”

“It’s my home,” I say. It’s the first thought that enters my mind. I say it impulsively, but then I realize it’s the right thing to say. Live your cover. “I mean, it was. I’m Beth Bradford. The former owner.”

“I know who you are.”

The words sound chilling.

“Look, I made a mistake—”

“Bullshit.”

She’s right. It’s bullshit, and we both know it. I’ve walked all the way through the house, all the way upstairs, into the master bedroom, and now I’m caught, red-handed, in gloves, in front of her locked safe.

I need something else—

“I can’t let go,” I say. Because that’s what Alice told her, right?

She watches me impassively, the gun still pointed directly at me.

“I’m having a hard time. This was where I raised my kids. Where my husband and I— We’ve split up, you know.”

“I know. And I know that’s not why you’re here.”

“Then why am I here?”

“You tell me.”

My gaze flits to the barrel of the gun. I’m still on my knees, completely vulnerable.

“What are you looking for?” she asks.

“Nothing. I just…I wanted to look around.”

“Who sent you?”

“What? No one.”

She takes a step closer. “Stop lying to me.”

“I’m not. I—”

“You are.”

I can see fire in her eyes.

“I’m going to ask you one more time,” she says slowly, moving even closer to me. “Why are you here?”

She could shoot. There’s nothing stopping her. I’m in her house. An intruder. She could tell the police that I threatened her. She could say whatever she wants.

She shrugs. “Suit yourself.” And then she aims. Really aims this time, and I see her finger wrap around the trigger—

“Because you’re The Neighbor!” I blurt it out and cringe, eyes scrunched close, waiting.

There’s silence. I open my eyes the smallest bit, peek through half-shut lids, because maybe she’s just waiting for me to open my eyes. Maybe she wants me to see her press that trigger—

She’s watching me, over the sights again, but her grip has eased on the gun. I open my eyes more fully, cognizant for the first time of what I just said.

She looks like she’s trying to make sense of something, figure something out.

“The Neighbor has found a new cul-de-sac,” she finally says, expressionless.

“Yes.”

“You think it’s me, and it’s this cul-de-sac.”

“Yes.”

She gives a half laugh, then lowers the gun, holsters it. Reaches into her back pocket, pulls something out. Credentials. She opens them up, extends them toward me. “Madeline Sterling, FBI.”

I force myself to take my eyes off her, to focus on the creds.

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