Chapters (73)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Prologue
- Part IAnnie
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Part IIHarry
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Part IIIAnnie
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Part IVHarry
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Part VAnnie
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Also by Linwood Barclay
- About the Publisher
Nadine knew the transformer cord would be too short for her purposes, which was why she had brought along the short extension. She plugged it into an outlet by the sink, the one she used for her hair dryer and curling iron and toothbrush charger. Then she plugged the transformer cord into its other end and set the transformer on the edge of the tub at the end close to the taps.
She turned the transformer on, then turned the throttle to the maximum setting. It made a low-level buzzing noise. The red light on top glowed brightly.
Nadine put one foot into the tub, then the other, then slowly lowered herself into the water. She stretched out, the water coming up to her neck.
The transformer continued to buzz.
Nadine raised her left leg out of the water and touched her big toe to the outer edge of the transformer.
“Enough is enough,” she said to herself, then nudged the transformer slowly to the edge until it tipped and dropped into the water with a splash.
Twenty-One
“What time did you get home, Mr. Comstock?” Harry Cook asked.
“Uh, I guess around five,” Wendell said.
They were standing in the upstairs bedroom. Wendell’s wife’s clothes were on the bed.
“And you’d been where, again?”
“I’d driven over to Brattleboro. Got a friend there, he’s thinking of making an offer on a house, and he wanted me to have a look at it.”
“You do house inspections?”
“No. But I have a background in construction. Not lately, and I’m not the world’s biggest expert, but I know a little.”
“What’s this friend’s name?”
“Ron. Ron Hess.”
“I’m going to need a number and address for him.”
“Yeah, sure, I understand. You have to check my story.”
Harry smiled wryly. “I’m not suggesting anything, Mr. Comstock. But I need it for the report. What time did you leave this morning?”
“After nine. Nine thirty, I guess.”
“How long did it take you to get to Brattleboro?”
“About an hour. I stopped along the way and got a coffee. Nadine usually makes—Nadine usually made the coffee in the morning, and she hadn’t yet and I was ready to go, so I said I’d get some along the way.” He shrugged. “And a donut.”
“Where was this?”
“At Dunkin’s. You want to know which one?”
Harry nodded, and Wendell told him.
“So you got to your friend’s around half-past ten?”
“Right. And then we went to look at the house, and we had some lunch and a couple of beers at his place, and then I left a little after four.”
“Okay. And got home around five. Tell me about that.”