Joker in the Pack (Romantic Suspense, Completed, Watty Winner)

Chapter 6

"It's exactly what I'm looking for."

The faint smell of fresh paint permeated throughout, and bits of fluff on the carpets suggested they'd only just been laid. The house even came with a tiny outdoor space, complete with wooden decking and a couple of potted plants. I opened the glass doors and stepped outside. Birdsong was audible over the faint hum of traffic, and we'd already checked the place wasn't near any busy roads or railway lines.

So peaceful. I could almost imagine being alone in the world out there.

"Cooee."

A voice came over the fence, but I couldn't see anyone.

"Hello?"

"Over here."

I hopped onto an upturned flower pot and peered into the next garden. A tiny grey-haired lady looked up at me, adjusting her glasses as I came into view.

"Are you going to be moving in?" she asked.

"I'm thinking about it." Although the answer was almost certainly going to be yes.

"Oh, that'll be nice. The house has been empty for far too long, and I've been lonely. You can come round for tea and a nice chat."

"Really? How long has it been empty?"

"Going on three months now."

Three months? But it was such a sweet little house. Why hadn't it been snapped up? Had I misread the price and missed off a zero? Or was it haunted?

"I don't suppose you know why it's been vacant so long?"

"Of course I do, dearie. I may be almost eighty, but not much gets past me. It's because of the shootings."

The what? I goggled at her. "Shootings?"

As in, plural?

"Yes, dearie, the drive-bys. They happen every so often. This is Acacia Road, and people keep getting it confused with Acacia Avenue." She dropped her voice to a whisper, even though there was no one else about. "Number fifteen Acacia Avenue has gang members living in it, or so I've heard."

"Someone shot at this house?" My voice came out as a squeak.

"Only four times. They did try a fifth, but the police came and there was a standoff. Like an episode of The Bill, it was, blue lights and one of those megaphones. But I looked in through the windows last week and the landlord's done an excellent job of patching up the bullet holes. You'd never even know they were there."

No, you wouldn't, would you? How nice of the agent to mention that the house was inadvertently in the middle of a gang war.

"Well, it was lovely to meet you." I glanced at my watch. "Ooh, is that the time? We're late for our next viewing."

I practically ran through the house, collecting Maddie on my way out the front door.

"It's a no."

"What? Why? Did you see the light-up mirror in the bathroom?"

"I don't care if it's a magical mirror that makes me look like a supermodel."

Once I'd explained the story, her mouth dropped open.

"I'm going to castrate that bloody agent. No wonder he didn't want to come to the viewing."

"Please don't. You know I hate the sight of blood, and I can't afford to bail you out."

"He deserves it."

"I'm just glad I found out before I moved in."

Back at the agency, Maddie threw the keys at the man who'd sent us into the danger zone. Hard.