Jackson and I had been working hard on my legs. I was convinced that if I could get them to be as strong as my arms, then I wouldn’t have to worry about the left one randomly collapsing. I took a few steps toward the window. My leg held. I reached the wall and leaned against it, feeling relieved that if my leg did give out, I could catch myself or slide right down the wall. Undignified sure, but better than concussing myself on the furniture or the floor with an abrupt fall. It had happened before.

I thought about Lexi’s appearance here a few nights ago. I wondered how long she had waited to get access to the inside of the estate. Even though Lexi had refused to come across with a description or a name, I knew who had let her onto the property. Annabelle Martin, my exasperating tenant. Even when she wasn’t flagrantly breaking the rules, she was causing me grief. I was going to have to make sure she was more careful with her comings and goings.

The whole scene with Lexi could have been avoided if Annabelle had been paying attention and closed the gate after herself without letting anyone in. If Lexi had snuck in behind Annabelle, then a mugger, burglar, or rapist certainly could have.

The thought of my tenant being harmed while residing in my guest house made my blood run cold. Not because I cared about her, I assured myself. I’d never even met the woman, not really. No, it was just the thought of something bad happening on my property that upset me. It would be more grief that I had no desire to deal with.

I pushed aside the heavy drapes and peered down across the backyard. It was aglow from the blue lights in the pool and the violet in the hot tub. Both were vacant. At least my tenant had respected my request to stop using the hot tub. I glanced past the lemon and lime trees at the little house set amid the olive trees. The lights were on. Unlike me, Annabelle never closed her drapes. I hated to admit it, but it had unlocked a voyeuristic tendency in me, which, up until now, I’d been completely unaware of. I told myself I was just checking up on her every now and then to be certain she wasn’t burning the place down, but that was a lie.