Watch Me (24 page)

Relieved, he started back down the hall. Robert’s bathroom was filthier than the rest of the house. The smell
alone made Cain eager to leave. But he paused when he saw that the door to the spare bedroom was closed.

Just to be thorough, he pushed it open—then froze. There was a computer inside. Only this one had four monitors above it, attached to the wall.

And they were showing live feed.

“What’s wrong?” John asked, leaning up on his elbow in bed. “You seem…distant.”

Karen knew that wasn’t good. They’d just made love. But she hadn’t expected John to show up tonight, and she’d been watching the clock over his shoulder the whole time. She was ninety minutes late for her meeting with Cain. Surely he’d left by now. “I’m tired, that’s all.”

He pulled her into his arms for another kiss. “Happy
and
tired, I hope.”

She’d be much happier if she didn’t have to worry about whoever was sending those notes.
I’ll expose you. Just watch me.
Was it Robert? And if so, how far would he go to make sure she didn’t threaten his way of life? Would the news of their engagement make him reveal what he knew to John? “Of course. We’re going to have a storybook ending.”

“It’s about time. It’s taken me twelve years to convince you that I’m the man for you.”

She grinned. “The most powerful bonds are the ones that grow slowly.”

“If you say so.” He kissed her neck, her collarbone, her lips. “When should we make the announcement?”

“Don’t you think it would be best to take your boys aside and tell them first?”

He gazed down at her. “That’s a good idea. Do you want to tell them together?”

“I think Owen would be receptive to that. He and I get along well. But Robert?”

Scowling, he let go of her and sat up. He thoughtlessly dragged most of the bedding with him, but Karen didn’t complain. It was warm in the room, despite the swamp cooler in the hallway. “Robert will be fine with it,” he said.

“Robert doesn’t like me.”

“Don’t start with that. Why ruin the evening?”

Because she had a note in her purse that could ruin more than their evening. She had to handle this marriage announcement right. “I’m just saying I think you should visit with him alone, tell him we’re in love and would like to get married. Try to get his blessing.”

He pulled on his boxers. “I suppose you expect me to ask Cain for his blessing, too.”

“It’d be nice if you spoke to him, made him feel like part of the family,” she said as she watched him dress.

“No way. As far as I’m concerned, he can find out when everyone else does.”

There was that prejudice again. “Do you
really
think he shot Jason, John?”

“I think he’s capable of it, and that’s enough for me.” Taking his keys from the nightstand, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Get some sleep. I’ll talk to the boys tomorrow.”

Karen listened to him lock up as he let himself out, then she went to the phone and tried Cain’s house. He wasn’t home.

“W
hat the hell?” Cain whispered, gazing at several different views of John’s house.

Pink Floyd was singing
I’ve become…comfortably numb…
but in the next second, the music snapped off. Cain stiffened, wondering if Robert had come home, but he didn’t hear any movement. “Robert?”

Nothing.

Returning his attention to what he’d found, Cain sat at the desk and studied each monitor. Apparently, Robert had installed a security system. But why? And why hadn’t Cain ever noticed the cameras before?

Probably because he didn’t come by very often and wasn’t in the habit of looking for such things. Still, Robert must’ve hidden them well or he would’ve noticed
something
. The fact they were there at all was astonishing enough—but it was the
reason
for the security system that really stumped Cain.

As far as he knew, John had never been robbed. If Robert was worried about a break-in, why hadn’t he put up a camera that focused on his own front door? Robert’s computer equipment meant more to him than anything. He spent every dime he made on either
hardware or software. And yet none of the monitors showed the approach to the trailer—or covered the trailer at all.

“This is weird.”

As Cain watched, a Toyota Prius came down the street shown via a camera filming John’s front lawn. Although it was impossible to discern many details about the driver, there were enough streetlights to reveal the color of the car. It was a car Cain recognized. The town librarian, Marian Welton, lived on the corner and drove a charcoal Prius. If Cain could freeze the screen and magnify the picture, he was fairly sure he’d be able to identify her, maybe even read the license plate number.

Was Robert recording all of this or just using these monitors to keep an eye on the place while he was home? So many cameras would require an equal number of recording devices. If the tapes existed, and they were date-stamped, it was possible that his stepbrother had recorded footage of the man who’d kidnapped Sheridan from her uncle’s house—or at least his vehicle.

Pulse racing, Cain opened the cabinets beneath the desk that contained the CPU. Nothing there. But a second later, he found what he was looking for in the closet—a tape for each camera and a red light that indicated the system was recording.

“I’ll be damned.” Why hadn’t Robert said anything? What was the purpose of all this?

Regardless, he had to get his stepbrother to let him view the tapes from the night Sheridan was attacked.
But Robert didn’t have a cell phone. He wasn’t away from home enough to need one.

Back in the kitchen, Cain called Owen. “Where’s Robert?”

“What?”

Owen’s groggy voice told Cain he’d gone to bed. “I need to talk to Robert.”

This time Owen sounded more alert. “What’s he done now?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why do you want to talk to him?”

“Did you know about the security system?”

“The
what?
”

“The security system. Robert’s watching Dad’s house 24/7.”

“Oh, that.” Owen yawned loudly. “It’s nothing, just Robert’s new toy. I don’t have to tell you what a techie he is.”

“Why would he put up a system to monitor Dad’s house and not his own?”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“Then tell me.”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard Dad ranting about it lately, but he saw some story on the news that convinced him banks are no longer safe. He withdrew his entire savings and invested it in silver coins, which he’s keeping at the house.”

“Oh, brother,” Cain grumbled. “If he was going to do that, why wouldn’t he put it in a safety deposit box?”

“I guess he wants it accessible. He talks like he’s preparing for the end of the world.”

“How long has Robert had this system in place?”

“Three or four weeks.”

“Any chance his cameras might’ve been recording the night Sheridan was kidnapped?”

“I don’t see why not,” he said. “But, like you mentioned, those cameras are aimed at Dad’s house. How’s that going to help?”

“One camera catches a section of the street. It might tell us more than we think.”

“I doubt it, but—” he yawned again “—you can definitely ask Robert.”

“Do you know where he is?”

Before Owen could answer, headlights bore down on the trailer as a car pulled up.

“Never mind. He just got home.”

“Wait…”

Cain hesitated. “What is it?”

“Where are you calling from?”

“Robert’s.”

“What are you doing there?”

“Snooping,” he admitted.

“Shit, don’t let him know that.”

“I don’t think there’s any way to avoid it, since I’m standing in his kitchen and he’s parking out front.”

“Say I told you about the system and you wanted to see it,” Owen said quickly.

Robert would refuse to help him if he admitted the true motivation behind his visit, so Cain agreed. “Good idea. Thanks for the cover.” He was about to disconnect, but Owen stopped him again.

“Whatever you do, don’t fight with him. I really don’t
want to drag myself out of bed right now. And I’d hate to see what you could do to poor, stupid Robert.”

Cain peered out the window to see his youngest stepbrother climbing out of the truck he occasionally borrowed from Owen. “I won’t touch him.”

“If he’s drunk he might get in your face—”

“I said I won’t touch him,” Cain repeated and hung up just as Robert threw open the front door and let it bang against the wall.

“What the hell are you doing in my house?”

He didn’t sound drunk, but the vein popping out on his forehead put Cain on notice that he was more than a little upset. “Take it easy.” Cain lifted a placating hand. “Owen told me about the security system, and I came by to talk to you about it.”

“Where do you get off letting yourself in?”

“You weren’t home, and I wanted to see it.”

His stepbrother tilted his head. He seemed to believe this response, but then his eyes narrowed in distrust. “I didn’t see your car parked in the drive.”

“Because I walked down from Sheridan’s.” At least that part was true.

Robert dropped his keys on the counter and ditched the anger and suspicion—but not the belligerence Cain encountered even on good days. “That system’s none of your business.”

“From what I saw, there’s a camera angled across the front yard.”

Robert went to the fridge and took out a beer. “So?”

“So I’m thinking you might’ve inadvertently recorded the guy who kidnapped Sheridan.”

There was a crack and a hiss as Robert popped the top of his beer can. “You think you’re the only one smart enough to consider that, do ya?”

“Quit being an asshole and tell me if it’s possible.”

“Yeah, it’s possible. I burned the footage from that night on a DVD.” He raised his beer in a mocking gesture before taking a long drink and wiping his mouth. “But I’ve already gone over it a dozen times. There’s nothing that shows who dragged her from the house.”

“Can I see it?”

His glower returned. “I just told you, there’s nothing on it.”

Cain drilled him with a look. “I want to see it, anyway.”

Robert thrust out his chin as if he was tempted to refuse. Then he seemed to think better of it. Shrugging, he actually smiled. “Suit yourself.” He crossed to his desk, opened a drawer and rummaged around, closed it, searched another drawer, closed that one too, and eventually located it in his computer. “Here you go,
bro
.”

“Good thing you’re so organized,” Cain said.

Robert made a rude gesture. “That’s what your opinion’s worth to me.”

Cain tapped the DVD with one hand as he jerked his head toward the overflowing trash. “You’re going to catch a disease living like this.”

Robert propped his feet on a chair. “So what? My
real
brother’s a doctor.”

Cain chuckled and turned to go but paused at the door. “What does Dad think of the security system?”

“He doesn’t know about it.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m not kidding. He’s not worried about anyone breaking in. He’d consider it a waste of money, and I don’t want to hear him bitch at me for spending this much.”

“Sounds like he’d prefer your help came in the form of a rent payment.”

“Yeah, well, I guess we can’t all be as self-sufficient as you. Anyway, I’m pulling my weight by watching out for him. He’s got a lot of valuables in that house.”

Cain wondered if Robert knew that John had proposed to Karen but didn’t dare mention it. If John hadn’t made the announcement yet, he’d place himself in the awkward position of having to explain how he’d been the first to hear. “How do you like Karen?” he asked instead.

Robert rocked back in his chair. “More than you do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve noticed how you avoid her.”

Leery of the smugness in Robert’s voice, Cain continued to act as indifferent as possible. “I don’t avoid her. Dad and I haven’t been getting along that great the past month, so I rarely see her.”

“Don’t bullshit me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“There’s some sort of history between you two.”

Shit—Robert knew, or at least he suspected. Maybe this was what Karen had wanted to convey. “She used to be my English teacher. What kind of history are you suggesting?”

“Amy said something strange to me once.”

Amy. Cain had never been able to escape her lovesick eyes and grasping hands. She’d given every detail of his
life her undivided attention. If anyone had guessed what happened that afternoon with Ms. Stevens, it was her. Simply because she’d always watched him so closely, known him so well, guarded him so jealousy. In the end, she’d even found out about Sheridan. That incident with his English teacher and the encounter in the camper were the only two secrets he’d ever bothered to keep. And now, there was a chance they were both out. “What’d she say?”

“She said she intercepted a note that invited you to come over and ‘help out’ after school. It wasn’t signed, but she recognized the writing.”

Amy hadn’t intercepted it; she’d probably taken it from his locker. She used to stand over his shoulder to learn his combination. He knew because she’d left him plenty of her own invitations, cookies, pictures of herself. “So? I once earned ten bucks mowing Ms. Stevens’s lawn,” he said. It was after the lawn-mowing that she’d served him a cold drink and let him know what she wanted by the way she brushed up against him and touched his hair or his arm.

“That’s it?” Robert said.

“That’s it.”

An evil grin curved his lips. “Would she say the same?”

Forcing a laugh, Cain rested his hand on the doorknob. “You’ll stoop to any level to break them up, won’t you?”

The sudden uncertainty in Robert’s face provided a modicum of relief. Cain wished he could say, “The past is the past. Leave it alone and let everyone move on.” But Robert would take that for the confession it was, and he wouldn’t be content with using it to hurt Cain. He’d
go after Karen, which would cause John suffering, too. And for what? The past really was the past. That afternoon had been a one-time foolish mistake made in the stupidity of youth, a knee-jerk reaction to the overwhelming anger he’d lived with in those days. Karen felt terrible about her part in it, too.

“Way to turn it on me,” Robert said, belligerent again.

Cain lowered his voice to increase the impact of his meaning. “Bottom line, whether it’s true or not, we’d all be smarter to stay away from that one, don’t you think?”

Robert shot out of his chair. “Are you threatening to take me down with you?”

“I’m saying that in your eagerness to hurt others, you might wind up hurting yourself. If you love your father, mind your own business and quit digging for dirt.” He held up the DVD. “Thanks for the recording,” he said and walked out.