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Chapter 91.

Anita finished her tale about Steve's questioning that afternoon. Everyone had ordered and Linda went into the kitchen to convey their requests to Mo. It was finally time.

Jess glanced at Wilson and then blurted, "I'm pregnant." That elicited a barrage of congratulations and questions about when the baby would be born and how she felt.

"Our child should arrive in May," Wilson said. "Jess and Cameron already listened to the heartbeat."

Cameron nodded.

"I'm literally going to have to eat for two, because she's too tiny." Jess patted her flat stomach.

"If you need anything, let us know," Jacobs said.

"Right now we need a bigger place." Jess smiled at the full plate of roast chicken, mixed veggies and potatoes Linda placed in front of her. "That looks good." She smiled.

Wilson twirled spaghetti onto his fork but before he put it in his mouth, he said, "After we eat we're going to look at a few houses Diane found for us."

"And we're meeting with our landlady to see if we can extend our lease, or rather, since our current lease goes for two more months, whether she'll let us stay at least one of those months." Jacobs looked at Simpson and Magnani. "Fingers crossed."

"Good luck." Hadley turned back to Jess. "Where are you looking? Here in Shelby?"

"Out near the harbor. That's where they're building new townhouses and homes."

"And, if we don't hurry up, we'll be late for our meeting with Diane." Wilson finished his food and stood. "Sorry to eat and run."

Jess slid out from the booth amid more congratulations and best wishes.


Wilson and Jessica drove out harbor road, past House and Cameron's lane. They met Diane near the entrance to the construction zone.

"There's a model house ready, and several started that won't take long to finish," she said.

"What about the townhouses?"

Diane nodded. "Two of those are finished as well. Those two down there." She pointed toward the harbor where three finished and six semi-finished attached homes stood overlooking the water.

"Let's look at those," he said.

Jess held back. "They're three stories, lots of stairs."

"We have stairs where we live now and you never objected."

"That was before I was pregnant."

"The model for the homes is back here," Diane said.

"Okay, we'll look at that first." Wilson hid his frown. Maybe a private home would be best, like House and Cameron had.

The one-story model sat ten yards back from the road. Diane sang its praises as they walked towards it. Four bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, living room, dinette and family room. A quarter of an acre.

"Will they build any of the house overlooking the water?" Wilson asked.

"No, only the townhouses." Diane quickly added, "But the unattached houses have lots more room for a garden and a backyard."

"We need a backyard for our dog," Jess said.

"He's not ours yet." Wilson weighed the advantages and disadvantages of the two types of homes, and decided he had to see the inside of each before he made a decision.

Diane took out a key and opened the door of the model. The layout wasn't too different from House and Cameron's house, but the rooms were smaller and weren't as nicely finished. No floor or ceiling moldings, no fireplaces, no interior garden.

"This could work," Jess said.

"It's within the price range you stated," Diane said. "At the high end."

Wilson just nodded and wandered through the rooms, noting the bathroom fixtures were basic, and so were the appliances in the kitchen. "This is pretty close to the road. It looked like there were a few set back?"

"Yes, they decided the model should be more visible that way, but there is one that's almost finished that's farther back. We can walk over and see it."

Wilson and Jess had seen enough of the model to get a good idea of how it might work for them. They followed Diane out and around a clump of low trees to a house that appeared finished on the outside. She let them in, and they saw what still needed to be done. A refrigerator sat in the middle of the kitchen, not yet installed. There was no dishwasher or oven yet.

"This could be finished in a couple of weeks."

"And then we'd have to deal with the dirt from the unpaved path and driveway," Wilson added.

"Only for a little while."

He turned to Jess. "What do you think?"

"I like it, but let's see the townhouses."

They drove down to the row.

"The end one is furnished to be the model, but if you like it, they can use the next one in line to show prospective buyers." She parked near the end of the line.

"How much property does the end unit have?"

"More than the others, since it's only semi-attached and is on the corner." Diane smiled. "I'll look it up for you. The unit itself is a good fifteen hundred square feet."

"Versus nineteen hundred for the house." He looked to the other side of the row. "Will they build behind this?"

"Someday, they may. But first they have to sell these." Diane climbed the step to the door.

The townhomes had two or three rooms on each of three floors. Steep steps led from the entry hall to two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Another flight brought them to two more bedrooms and a bathroom.

"One or two bedrooms can easily be used as offices," Diane said.

Jess rubbed her calves then descended all the way to the first floor. The kitchen in the back of the house was almost as large as Pamela's but much smaller than House and Cameron's with it's sunny breakfast nook. The living room contained a dining room table at one end and the third room boasted a fireplace with a simple surround.

"Except for the stairs, this might work, but I think I prefer the house," Jess said. "How 'bout you, Jim?"

He took a moment then sighed and nodded. "You may be right. We'll just have to talk price.


House was silent as he and Cameron rode home to their house. She glanced at him periodically, but all she saw was a stone face. The silence bothered her as much as if he'd exploded.

"It'll be nice having Wilson and Jess down the road from us."

An annoyed grunt was the only response.

"I guess we started a trend to build out this way." She knew he wouldn't talk to her until he was ready, so she stopped trying.

Instead, she thought about the ramifications of Jessica's pregnancy, and the prospect of having Wilson and Jess as neighbors. Once he got used to the idea, House probably would like that. Wilson would make a good father, as long as he didn't treat his child the way he treated House, coddling him one minute and then laying down the law the next.

Finally, she grasped at a subject House wouldn't object to discussing. "How much longer do you think Anita will spend on her pursuit of the truth about Steve, and about Harve's murder?"

He looked at her as if she'd suddenly asked him what he'd pay for cheese from the moon.


At eight sharp, the team's landlady, Mrs. Blackwood, rang the bell. Simpson opened the door and stood aside so she could enter. They'd taken great efforts to clean and neaten the place, even had cookies baking in the oven to give off a calming scent.

They'd agreed Magnani should take the lead. Blackwood had always favored him.

"Mrs. Blackwood, have you found another tenant for the house?" he asked.

"No, and I won't start looking until you're out and I can make the necessary changes."

"Are you remodeling?" He swept an arm to indicate the entire place. "Because we've found the place to be perfect just as it is."

She gritted her teeth. "To be frank, with the current housing market, if I put on a fresh coat of paint and replace the old appliances with new ones, I can get double what you lot are paying."

They exchanged looks. At an imperceptible nod from the others, Magnani said, "We're willing to pay more. You wouldn't even have to change the appliances. And… and we'll help you paint, just tell us what color you want."

Blackwood shook her head. "I'm afraid you don't understand."

"Then enlighten us," Simpson said, a belligerent edge to his voice.

She didn't seem to take offense. "Periodically, we landlords have to update everything in our properties to increase their value compared to other houses nearby. The Thompson company is pouring thousands into the houses on either side of this one. I can't have it looking like a step child."

"Can we have a month? Allow the workmen to do whatever they have to while we still remain here?" Jacobs grasped for straws.

Blackwood narrowed her eyes. "You should be able to find a place to live in the two weeks I've given you per your lease."

Simpson tilted his head. "Uh, thing is, we found a place, but it probably won't be available for a month or so. That's why we wanted longer. And our lease has another two months to go."

"Oh, come now. What's so special about that place? There are plenty of rentals available."

"My sister and her boyfriend live there now, but they're looking for a bigger place. Even if they find one immediately, it'll take time for the mortgage approval and then the closing." Simpson frowned. Blackwood looked less than sympathetic.

Magnani took over again. "Do you really think you can get someone in here to renovate the place as soon as we move out? What if we do it for you, including painting and installing new appliances? Would that help you and us at the same time?"

Her determined frown softened a little.

"You won't have to pay us," Simpson said. "Just for the paint, dishwasher and whatever else you want."

She sighed. "You've been good tenants, but what do you know about that kind of work? You're doctors."

"And I worked on houses for Habitat for Humanity when I was an undergraduate," Simpson said.

Jacobs nodded. "I painted my grandmother's house when she needed it."

"We can do it, Mrs. Blackwood. I promise we'll do an excellent job."

"If you mess this up…"

"Trust us. You'll be amazed what we can do," Magnani said.

When she left, they were convinced she was considering their proposal, even though she never said so.

"Maybe if we started the work she'd see what we could do," Jacobs said.

"Like what?" Magnani asked. "If we paint the living room and she hates the color, that could be the end of our plan."

Simpson considered the off-white walls of the family room. "We can put a fresh coat on the outside of the house, either the same color or that pale gray they're using next door."

Jacobs nodded. "It's a start."


"Are you going back to D.C. tomorrow?" Hadley asked when she and Anita reached their apartment.

"Gotta keep at Steve as long as it takes. There are still facts he knows but isn't revealing. I wanted to keep questioning him while he was tired and less resistant to our interrogation, but Les vetoed it. He said his agent needed rest."

Hadley nodded. "And you're afraid tomorrow, when he's rested, he'll be stronger."

"Yeah." Anita's sneaky smile didn't bode well for Steve. "I may have an approach that'll catch him off-guard."

Hadley nodded, but didn't say anymore.

A few minutes later, Anita asked, "How do you feel about your team living in the same building?"

"It hasn't sunk in yet. Besides, it may not happen. House might have to rent to someone else." She stretched. "I think I'd rather have the team than an unknown quantity."

"Good point."

Their cat jumped onto the couch where they sat and settled between them, leaning against Anita.

"What have you been feeding her? She must weigh four or five pounds and she's growing like a balloon."

"Me? I give her the amount the bag says to give a kitten. More to the point, what are you feeding her?" Hadley gathered the tawny cat in her arms and nuzzled her.

Anita grinned. "It's good to have her. When our jobs get to be too much, she's always here to hug."

"Do you hear her?" Hadley asked the cat. "What am I, huh?"

Anita laughed and threw an arm around them both.