The Perfect Liar (Last Stand 5)

Because it sounded good. Because he wanted to hear it, wanted to believe it. But Carly never acted on that sentiment, never put forth one bit of effort. She made it clear that she preferred just the opposite. "Then why doesn't she ever want to see me?" Ava asked.

"She can sense that you don't like her, babe. It makes her uncomfortable. It would make anyone uncomfortable."

Ava rocked back. "So it's my fault?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just asking you to look a little deeper, try a little harder."

Ava covered her face.

"Are you listening?"

"I'm trying, but..."

"But what?"

She dropped her hands. "It's so hard to watch you making a fool of yourself over a childish brat."

His face flushed red and he shot to his feet. "When you talk like that, you sound as jealous as she claims you are."

"I'm jealous? I'm your daughter. I should be entitled to at least some of your attention."

"Don't do this to me," he said. "Not now. I'm going to make my marriage work."

"But don't you see?" she cried. "It takes two. Two adults. There's nothing you can do. It's just a matter of time."

"Find your own way home!" he snapped, and stalked out. Then, adding insult to injury, the waitress brought her the check.

It was good to be back in her apartment again. For a while, Kalyna had thought she'd never see it again. While riding in Jerry's semi and envisioning her return to the country of her birth, she hadn't expected to miss it--but she knew better now. She couldn't even remember Ukraine, had no idea where she'd live if she moved there. No, she'd stay here, with Luke.

According to the clock that hung on the same wal as her TV, it was after three. She had a lot to do before tonight. She had to get to the laundry, as she'd promised, so Luke would think she'd been busy with that all day. She had to find an all-black outfit to wear to Ava's and buy some rope. And she couldn't get those items from a store located anywhere in the vicinity. She had to drive out of the area, somewhere the police wouldn't look, in case she was picked up on surveil ance video. She'd pay cash and destroy the receipts. Then she'd dispose of the rope by burying it in the woods when she was finished with it.

The entire drive from Ava's houseboat to Fairfield, she'd studied her plan, searching for potential problems, but she couldn't find anything wrong with it. She could improve on it by using someone else's car, of course, but she wasn't close enough to any of the women in her apartment complex to ask that kind of favor. And it would be an unusual request, which would draw attention to her--exactly what she needed to avoid.

Dragging her luggage into her bedroom, she opened it on the floor and pulled out her dirty clothes. As long as she was doing Luke's laundry, she might as well do her own. She wished she'd have time to make them some dinner, too, but she could do that tomorrow or the next night, when Ava was gone.

The thought of Luke made Kalyna want to call him, just to check in.

But her cell phone was dead and she couldn't change that until she went to the store to buy a new charger.

Maybe she could do that while she was out getting the rope. She was tempted to buy a few other things, as well--implements she could use to have a little more fun with Ava. If anyone deserved to die the way Sarah had, it was Ava Bixby. But if they found the body, there'd be an autopsy.

Kalyna couldn't do anything extra to punish Ava or it would show up on the body, and the whole point was to make her death look like an accident.

"You're getting off easy," she grumbled. Although Ava deserved more, paying with her life would have to be enough.

Chapter 31

It wasn't hard to find Kalyna's apartment.

Tati began searching for her sister's car as soon as she drove onto the property, but she didn't see it. Either Kalyna was parked somewhere Tati had missed or she wasn't home. Most likely the latter, since it was only three-thirty on a Monday afternoon, and she was supposed to be at work.

After parking in one of two visitor slots near the rental office, Tati got out and started looking for #132. Built of typical California-style stucco and wood, the apartments were arranged in pods around a pool, all approachable from the outside. Hip-hop music came from a radio near two sunbathers who were enjoying the water and the sunshine. Tati thought it was nearly as hot here in Fairfield as it was in Mesa, Arizona, but there was more grass, not to mention lots more trees.

Kalyna's apartment was in the middle of its pod on the first floor. Tati knocked, but as she expected there was no answer. Hoping she could wait inside, she checked the door.

It was locked and there wasn't a key under the mat or over the door frame. She walked around the building to see if she could find some other way in, but all the windows were closed up tight. She returned to the door to double-check that she hadn't missed a spare hidden in the vicinity but once again found nothing. She was just thinking that maybe she should go to the closest mall or restaurant, where she could while away an hour or two in air-conditioned comfort, when Kalyna's next-door neighbor came strolling out.

"Hey, Kalyna." The woman had her car keys in her hand and would've passed right by, but Tati stopped her.

"Excuse me, but I'm not Kalyna."

The woman peered at her. "Oh, wow. You're not. I can see a few subtle differences now that I look a bit closer."

Tati immediately thought of the weight she'd put on in recent years, but this woman wasn't rude enough to specify what differences.

"For the most part you look exactly like her," she was saying.

"Amazing."

"We're identical twins." By now that was obvious, but people expected her to confirm what they saw. They liked hearing about twins, enjoyed the novelty.

"No kidding," the woman said. "What's your name?"

"Tatiana."

"It's nice to meet you, Tatiana. I'm Maria. How's your sister doing after the, um, attack?"

"She's okay, I think." With a glance at Kalyna's door, Tati said, "You don't happen to know when she might get home, do you?"

"It seems like she gets off around 4:00 p.m. most days. Is she expecting you?"

Tati didn't want to admit the number of times she'd called Kalyna without a response. "No. I didn't tell her I was coming. I wanted to surprise her. But now that she's not home and the door's locked, I don't know how to get in."

"Oh, I can help with that."

Tati felt her eyebrows go up. "You can?"

"Sure. When she moved in, Kalyna asked me to hold on to a key for her in case she ever locked herself out. It's in the cupboard above my fridge."