Read The Woman Next Door for Free Online Page B

Craig. “Do you do a lot of cooking?”
    “I do. I don’t like to eat out all the time, so I learned to cook. It’s healthier, and it tastes better. Do you cook?”
    “I do, especially on my days off. I sometimes make extra so that I don’t need to cook when I am tired after a crazy twelve hour shift in the ER.”
    “That’s smart. On really long days I find that cooking relaxes me. I’m not much on fast food.”
    “I’m not either.” Elizabeth helped clean up the kitchen and then she asked, “What are we doing this afternoon?”
    “You are going to go to bed to sleep and rest, Miss Matthews. You are recovering from a concussion and you were told to rest for a few days. I know you weren’t paying attention to those instructions, but I was, and I intend to see that you follow them.”
    “But, I thought we’d talk to people and see if we could find a few clues as to who clobbered me. It is driving me crazy not to know who did this… and why.”
    “I’m sure it is, but sometimes it’s better to go slow so we don’t scare off anyone who is involved in any way. I don’t want to let on what information we don’t have, and that is what I would be doing if I started questioning random people at this point.”
    “What if he comes back to my house while I am here?” she demanded.
    “We’ll know. I have cameras hidden all over the place, inside and out.”
    “You weren’t going to tell me any of this, were you?” she demanded.
    “I wasn’t sure how you would react, Lizzy. Some people get freaked out, but now that I know you want to be informed, I will keep you in the loop. Now, no more stalling… unless you want a repeat of this morning?”
    “Don’t be ridiculous!” she said, her temper bristling. “You can stop threatening me. I am not a child, and I don’t feel like going to bed. I would just lie there and stare at the ceiling!”
    “So be it,” Craig said softly, and Elizabeth gave him a bright smile. It was obvious to him that she thought she was getting her way. “You won’t be smiling in a moment, little girl. I gave you a chance to go to bed, but you chose to argue the matter, and now I am keeping my promise.”
    “No!” Elizabeth declared, and then she took off running as fast as she could, but the turn in the hallway left her dizzy, and the next thing she knew she was sitting on the floor.
    “Lizzy, what happened?” Craig asked, gently scooping her up in his arms.
    “I got dizzy,” she confessed.
    “You shouldn’t have been running like that, honey.” He carried her to her room and put her down on the bed. He removed her shoes, and then asked, “Do you think you can rest now without the spanking?”
    “Yes,” she replied in a small voice.
    “Good. I don’t like being firm with you, but I will be if you keep giving me grief over resting. Are you still dizzy?”
    “A bit. I didn’t think I was this bad,” she admitted, tears pooling in her green eyes.
    “You’ll be fine in a day or two. Do you still have a headache?”
    “Yes; it’s a lot worse now,” she admitted. “I’m sorry to be such a nuisance.”
    “You aren’t a nuisance, Lizzy. Just lie here and rest. It is exactly what you need right now.” He was going to find the man responsible for hurting her, and make him wish he hadn’t been born.
    Elizabeth closed her eyes, but just as he reached the door, she said, “I’m afraid…”
    “Don’t be afraid, honey. I’m right here, and I promise I’m going to find him.”
    “I have no clue who did this; it could be anyone! I could pass him on the street and I wouldn’t know it, and it is going to drive me crazy.”
    Craig crossed the room, sat on the bed and rubbed her back gently. “It may take us a while, but he’ll give himself away. I’m vested in finding him, and I won’t let him get away with hurting you.”
    “It just doesn’t make sense. I haven’t ever harmed anyone, and even though I threatened Mrs. Huffy, I wouldn’t really hurt her.