Page 141 of The Housekeeper

“After we say hi to Grandpa,” Daphne said, “ask Elyse if we can have some milk and cookies.”

“Perfect.” I hoped that would give me the chance to talk to my father alone.

I rang the bell and we waited. No one came to the door. “Looks like no one’s home,” I said after the passing of several minutes.

“There’s someone in the window!” Sam exclaimed, one skinny arm extending toward an upstairs bedroom.

My eyes followed my son’s arm to the upstairs window.

There was no one there.

“You’re sure you saw someone?” I asked.

“Pretty sure.”

I rang the bell again. And then again.

No one came.

We walked around to the side of the house, but the high wooden fence surrounding the pool was locked.

“Maybe they went for a walk,” Sam offered.

“I’m tired of waiting,” Daphne whined.

“Me, too,” said Sam.

“Me, three,” I agreed, grateful when my children laughed at the old joke as if it were something I’d made up on the spot. Grabbing my cellphone from my purse, I called the house.

No one answered.

“Dad,” I said, leaving a message, “It’s really important that I speak to you.” I returned the phone to my purse and guided my children back to the car. As I backed out of the driveway, I thought I saw something move in the upstairs window. But when I stopped the car and squinted to get a better look, I saw nothing.

—

The phone rang as we were sitting down to dinner.

“Work or your sister,” Harrison remarked, the unpleasant edge to his voice a holdover from earlier in the day. “Who else calls at dinnertime? What is this stuff we’re eating anyway?” he continued, one sentence disappearing into the next.

“Beef stew,” I said, walking toward the kitchen. “I thought you liked my stew.”

“And I thought we were cutting back on red meat.”

“Don’t eat the meat, then,” I said.

“Great dinner,” he sneered. “Potatoes and vegetables.”

I sighed and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Jodi,” the man’s voice said.

“Dad?”

“I got your message. What’s so damn urgent?”

“Nothing urgent,” I said. “We just haven’t spoken in a while. I was getting concerned.”

“Nothing to be concerned about. We’re very busy, that’s all.”