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sound of his voice.
    "You're a jumpy
little thing today. Too many rude salespeople can fray one's nerves, I
suppose."
    She managed a
smile. "Yes," she said. "I was just coming to tell you that .. well... I'm finished."
    He looked
puzzled. "Finished? Laura, I thought it was going to take days and that we were
going to keep up with each other....remember?"
    She looked
around and blinked hard, determined to keep the tears out of her eyes. "I know,
Mr. Greenway, but something's come up so I reduced it to one day. I'm sure
you'll be pleased with the gifts. If you want to take them in
and look them over."
    "Oh, not here,"
he said. "There's no point in hauling them up to the office and then hauling
them back down. Would you mind if we just took them to my house?"
    Laura looked at
him for a moment. All she wanted to do was get this over with. No, she didn't
want to go to his house. But she knew she couldn't refuse.
    "Sure," she
said. "I can follow you. Is it far?"
    "I live out at
The Gables," he said.
    She felt herself
cringe, as if the very mention of the community were some sort of omen.
    "I know where
that is," she said. "I used to have .. I mean, I have
clients out there."
    He looked at her
again. "Are you sure everything's OK?"
    "Yes,
no." She fidgeted nervously. He was so tall and intimidating, standing there in his
topcoat and scarf. "I'll explain when we get to your house."
    "Fine, keep me
in suspense," he said, his voice light, but it did nothing to brighten Laura's
mood.
    "You can follow
me," he said, climbing into a Lexus parked on the curb in front of her
well-used Cherokee.
    As she drove,
Laura made a quick call to tell Tammy she was going to be even later than
expected. Evan, Tammy said, was fine. Tammy had gotten a Nintendo Game Cube as
an early present from her aunt, and she and Laura's son were playing Mario
Sunshine. Evan had two messages for his mother. The first was, "I love you."
The second was, "Don't rush home."
    Laura noticed as
she snapped her phone shut that the year's first snowfall had begun. Just a
dusting was forecasted, but she knew in the morning Evan would scrape together
what he could and thrill himself with the first tiny snowball of the season.
    As she sped
along after Max Greenway's car, she noticed the Christmas lights were beginning
to come on in the windows of the houses she passed. It was supposed to be the
most wonderful time of the year, and she felt miserable. Now she was at the
mercy of Max Greenway, who would determine how much worse things would get.
     

Chapter
Three
     
     
    Max Greenway's
house was further back in The Gables than the Tighlman's was, taking up two huge lots on Egret Road. It was a large, two-story Dutch
colonial covered in old brick, with slate shingles. A pea-gravel circular drive
cut through the well-manicured lawn, upon which sat a sign reading, "Protected
by Greenway Security Systems."
    Tiny snowflakes
were swirling in the air as she and Max Greenway unpacked the bags and boxes
from the back of her vehicle and carried them into the house.
    The interior
suited him. The walls were covered in heart pine paneling. The furnishings were
sturdy and sensible.
    "We'll just take
everything in here," he said, as she followed him from the foyer into a great
room. Carefully, she knelt on the floor and arranged the bags carefully on the oriental rug.
    For the next
hour, she watched him examine next gift, biting her lip in anticipation and
breathing a sigh of relief with each positive comment. He was especially
impressed with the book Laura had picked out for his mother.
    "I've known for
years she loved to read. Audubon, the Petersons - she's quoted them like they
were Christ. And now here are their names. She's going to be absolutely
ecstatic." He smiled. "You, young lady, deserve a bonus. Hiring you was one of
the best things I've ever done.
    "You probably
won't feel that way after you hear what I have to say," she said.
    "Well, have a
seat and let's talk then," said Max,