Neighborhood Watch (11 page)

Teddy and Kristin rose.

“Once again, welcome,” he said offering Kristin his hand.

“Thank you,” she said. Teddy accompanied Philip Slater to the door where he bid him good night. After Philip Slater left, Teddy hurried down the steps and back to the dining room. Kristin was clearing the table, looking like she was in deep thought.

“Well?” Teddy said.

“Very sneaky, Theodore Morris. But it was a very thoughtful gift. It was nice of him.”

“Great guy.”

She turned slowly. “Sad about their only child.”

“I know.”

“He never mentioned anything about it, but I kept feeling as if I should say something.”

“I suppose it’s not easy for him to talk about it,” Teddy said and turned to see Jennifer inching her way up the corridor toward them.

“Hey, Peanut. What’s the matter? Why were you so frightened of the nice man?”

Kristin turned to look at her.

“Jen?”

“I don’t like him,” she moaned.

“Oh, Jen, why?” Kristin said moving toward her. Teddy stepped up behind.

“He’s just a nice neighbor, honey,” he said. She shook her head and continued to cringe.

“He’s got eyes that move,” she complained.

“Move? Everyone’s eyes move, honey,” Teddy explained. “We’ve got little muscles

behind them and—”

“His move out of his head,” she explained.

“Out of his head? Jennifer, what are you saying?” Kristin asked. Jennifer shook her head.

“They moved toward me.”

“Oh, Jen.” Kristin embraced her and looked at Teddy. “She’s been having nightmares.

Jean Levine told me she told her about a dead baby crying.”

“Oh,” Teddy said.

“Everything’s all right, honey. You just had a bad dream,” Kristin said.

“But I was awake, Mommy.”

“You can dream while you’re awake,” Teddy told her. “It’s called daydreaming, honey.”

“So you see,” Kristin said, smiling, “you shouldn’t be afraid of Mr. Slater. Come on.

Show me your drawing now,” she coaxed. Jennifer glanced at Teddy timidly and then

hurried back to her room to get her drawing.

“What an idea . . . eyes moved out of his head. Little kids have such wild imaginations,”

Teddy remarked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Kristin said. “The first time you saw me, you said your eyes popped out of your head.”

He laughed.

“They did. Luckily I’m an ophthalmologist, so I knew how to fix it.”

They both turned excitedly, prepared to lavish compliments when Jennifer hurried back with her drawing.

Later in bed, Kristin lay awake with her eyes open for the longest time. Teddy looked like he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but in the darkness, she imagined two eyes peering down at her and thought about Jennifer’s bizarre claim. It made her shudder and she slid her body closer to Teddy.

“You all right?” he asked.

“Yes.” Her voice was small, like a child’s. He kissed her forehead. “Not getting

romantic, are you?” he asked.

“No. I just want to feel you beside me,” she said. He embraced her and she fell asleep in the crook of his arm, opening her eyes for an instant when she heard the distinct sound of their doors being checked by the ever present, efficient security service that kept the residents of Emerald Lakes feeling secure and safe.

For some inexplicable reason, tonight Kristin didn’t feel that way. She fell asleep wondering why.

5

“HELLO,” Teddy called from the foyer. “Anyone home?”

“Daddy!”

Jennifer came running down the hallway and across the living room. Kristin, who had been on the back patio, slid the door open and entered.

“Where were you?” she asked before he came down the marble steps. “I called the office nearly an hour ago and they said you had just left.”

“Stopped to pick something up,” he said cryptically. He scooped Jennifer into his arms and kissed her.

“I got a gold star today, Daddy.”

“Really? For what?”

“Desk neatness.”

“Well, what do you know? Must take after your mother. My desk was always a mess and still is.” He paused and looked at Kristin. “Everything all right?” From the look on her face, he already knew the answer. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been outside reading the directory. Our copy was delivered by one of the security guards.”

“Directory?”

“Our interview, remember? Look at this. I never told them this, did you?” She thrust the booklet toward him.

He took it with his free hand and gazed at the paragraph. Then he looked up sharply and lowered Jennifer to the floor.

“I never told them that either.”

“How would they know I had a miscarriage last year, Teddy?” He shrugged.

“Maybe you let it slip somehow. I remember Jean was rattling on about her children and Nikki asked a lot of questions about our earlier days together, but . . .”

“Even if I had referred to it, which I didn’t, why put something like that in here?”

“I don’t know,” he said shaking his head. “Maybe they’re frustrated journalists.” He shrugged. “Well, it’s over and done. No sense—”

“I want it out. I want you to call Mr. Slater and tell him how upset I am.”

“If it’s already been printed and delivered, Kristin, what good will a retraction do?”

“Maybe everyone doesn’t consider this a best-seller and everyone hasn’t dipped right into it, Teddy. I’m just not happy about it being there. How do you think it makes me feel to open this thing and read it in black and white, and know that these strangers know some intimate details about our lives? I knew this whole thing was a stupid idea. I just knew it.”

“All right. Don’t get yourself worked up.”

“What?”

“I’ll call. I will,” he added when she gazed at him furiously. “I promise,” he said.

“Anything else in here I should see?”

“It’s all stupid. Calling me an amateur composer with dreams of being another Andrew Lloyd Webber. I never even mentioned his name. I write ballads, not musicals.”

“They fancy themselves writers and took some creative license, I suppose.”

“They don’t have to be creative with my background and my life. It’s . . . it’s like standing naked in the street. If I want people to know my fantasies, I’ll tell them myself.”

She widened her eyes with emphasis. Her face had turned crimson with indignation.

“All right. It’s not like anyone but the people who live here will see it,” Teddy said as calmly as he could. But the more relaxed and coolly he behaved, the more infuriated Kristin became.

“How do we know that? The way Nikki Stanley talks, everyone in America is dying to

read and hear about the people of Emerald Lakes.”

“Well, this is a model community. Hank Porter was telling me that even when the real estate market took a dip two years ago, the property values continued to escalate in Emerald Lakes.”

“So why doesn’t he live here then?”

“He already had built a house in another development and they’re happy there, but he says if there ever comes a time . . .”

“Does his development have a directory?”

“I don’t know. All I know is he talks very highly about ours, as does just about everyone I’ve met who learned we’re living here. They’re impressed,” he said. “Look, everyone has some rough times making a move. Up until now, you have to admit, it’s been great.

This is really the first glitch. Let’s not blow it out of proportion, honey. I’ll take care of it and we’ll correct it.”

She relaxed and gazed at Jennifer who stared with a mixture of fear and curiosity. She didn’t see Kristin angry very often, and she had no idea why her mother was so angry now. It was the child’s expression that made Kristin feel a little foolish haranguing Teddy this long.

“Where did you say you were?”

“Oh. I forgot.” He retreated to the front door and returned carrying a large box with holes in it.

A scratching noise started and the distinct sound of whimpering. Kristin’s eyes widened.

“What’s that, Daddy?” Jennifer asked, drawing closer.

“Open it up,” Teddy said, lowering the box to the floor by her feet.

Jennifer squatted and carefully pulled on the flaps. Then she gasped. She was gazing down at a two-month-old brown toy poodle with a white spot on its forehead.

“A puppy! Daddy bought us a puppy!”

“Teddy, he’s adorable,” Kristin said. “Is it a he?”

“Yes.”

“What’s his name?” Jennifer asked.

“You have to give him a name, honey.”

The puppy sniffed at her cheeks and she giggled.

“Careful, honey. He’s just a baby.”

Jennifer put the puppy down and it sniffed at her shoes and whimpered.

“All he does is sniff and sniff,” she said.

“So, call him Mr. Sniffles.”

“Yes. Mr. Sniffles.”

“We need to make him a comfortable little bed. I’ll cut up this carton and we’ll find some old blanket for the time being,” Kristin suggested.

“Can he sleep in my room, Mommy? Can he?”

“We’ll see, Jennifer. Take him outside for now. He might want to piddle.”

“What’s piddle?”

“Make pee pee,” Kristin explained.

Jennifer opened and closed her mouth, nodded, and gently lifted Mr. Sniffles into her arms.

“What got into you, Mr. Morris?” Kristin asked.

“Thought we needed something around here to make life more exciting. Until the new

baby comes, that is.” He held up the directory. “I’ll take care of this right away.”

He went to his office and called Phil Slater. The thin, soft voice of Marilyn Slater surprised him. She sounded as weak and feeble as a woman in her nineties.

“I’m sorry, Philip isn’t at home,” she said. “Please give me your name and number, and I’ll have him call as soon as he arrives.”

He told her and when she didn’t say anything, he added, “We’re the newcomers.” He

thought if he lightened the tone, she might be more receptive.

“Yes, I know,” she said. When she didn’t add another word, he thanked her and hung up.

Kristin was in the kitchen, preparing dinner. “He wasn’t home yet,” he said as soon as she looked at him. “I spoke to his wife.”

“So?”

“Nothing except she sounded like she was in a tunnel . . . you know, distant, small,” he said. Kristin thought a moment.

“I haven’t seen her, have you?”

“No. Maybe their tragedy messed her up.”

“It’s understandable,” Kristin said.

Less than an hour later, Phil Slater called and Teddy explained why he and Kristin were upset.

“I’m sorry that happened. I’ll speak to Nikki and have the changes made and the pages replaced. My committee gets a little too enthusiastic sometimes. But it’s a good fault,” he added, “especially when you see how uninvolved and indifferent other people are in other communities.”

“The thing about it is,” Teddy pursued, “neither Kristin nor I recall ever mentioning the miscarriage. How would they know that?”

Phil Slater was silent a moment.

“You must have referred to it somehow,” he finally replied.

“Not that either of us can recall.”

“Um. Well, I’ll phone Nikki right now and get this taken care of. Please give Kristin my apologies.”

“Thank you.”

He related the conversation to Kristin.

“Even if we did refer to it cryptically and they made the conclusion, I thought they don’t spread that sort of gossip in Emerald Lakes. That’s what Jean told me. That’s why she was reluctant to talk about what had happened to his child.” Teddy didn’t reply. She thought a moment and then went to the telephone.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t like wondering,” she said. She opened the directory, found the number she

wanted and punched it out by vehemently stabbing the pad with her forefinger. After two rings, Nikki Stanley answered.

“It’s Kristin Morris,” Kristin said.

“Oh, I knew it was you.”

“Why? Were you expecting my call?”

“No. We have caller I.D. Anyway, I know why you’re calling and I’ve already started to take care of it. Sorry.”

“That’s nice, but what I would like to know is how did you two find out about my

miscarriage? I didn’t say anything about it and neither did Teddy.”

“You must have,” Nikki replied firmly. “How else would we know?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. You didn’t find out from my doctor, did you?”

“Of course not. Why would we ask him about such a thing and why would he tell us? I regret it was included. Jean gets a little over the top with her writing and I didn’t proofread it as closely as I should have. I apologize, but you don’t need to get paranoid about it.”

“Paranoid? Neither of us mentioned a fact and that fact occurs in the directory. All I want to know is how? That doesn’t make me paranoid. That makes me curious and quite

upset.”

“I’ll call Jean and see if she remembers anything that gave her the information. It might have been something she read between the lines and concluded.”

“Between the lines of what? I don’t recall us giving our medical history to the real estate agent or the bank. Where could she possibly have read such a thing, between the lines or otherwise?”

“I don’t propose to remain on the phone conjecturing about the source of a verifiable fact. It was unfortunate that it was included. I’m sorry,” Nikki said, obviously peeved that she had to repeat the apology. “Let this be the biggest problem you have,” she added caustically.

“Yes, let it,” Kristin said. “Thank you.” She hung up sharply. Teddy widened his eyes.

“What did she say?”

“She said she was sorry. She didn’t know where the information came from, but she

wasn’t going to waste time trying to discover the source of a, quote, verifiable fact.”

He nodded.

“Well, as long as she’s sorry and they’ll correct it.”

“I don’t like that woman. I didn’t like her as soon as she told me where to put my cold cereals and my staples. In fact,” Kristin said, “I’m changing everything around.”

“Huh?”

Teddy grimaced with surprise as Kristin lunged into the kitchen and began pulling things out of the cabinets. He shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or be concerned.