Neighborhood Watch Read Online Free PDF Page B

done: the carpets had been steam cleaned, moldings repainted, windows washed, furniture polished, appliances tuned and cleaned, and the bulbs in lamps and outside fixtures replaced with new ones whether they needed them or not. Kristin even discovered relined drawers and cabinets.
    “I think they even removed their fingerprints,” she quipped.
    After they had settled in, Kristin decided they should do their supermarket shopping and see a little of the surrounding area. One of the things they had noted when they had first pulled up to the main entrance of the development was that the security guard at the gate had to open the gate to let them out.
    “I don’t understand this,” Kristin said. “Why worry about people leaving? They had to have checked them on the way in, right?”
    “I suppose.”
    The security guard came out of the booth with his clipboard.
    “Hello, Mr. Morris. Going to be gone long?”
    “Long as it takes to shop for food,” Teddy said smiling.
    “Why do you stop cars going out?” Kristin asked.
    “Prevent anyone from stealing your car, for one thing. Over at Whispering Pines some teenager breached the security gate and swiped a car just last week. People leave their keys in their vehicles in developments like this.”
    “But you knew it was us.”
    “So I will open the gate,” he said and stood back. “Have a good day,” he added.
    Teddy drove out, a shit-eating grin on his face.
    “I still don’t like it,” Kristin said. “It makes it feel a little like a prison.”
    “Are we in jail, Daddy?” Jennifer asked quickly.
    “No, honey,” Teddy said. “Mommy’s just kidding.” He turned to Kristin. “You heard
    him. In this day and age you can’t complain about having too much security,” he
    remarked.
    “I suppose, but sometimes it makes you more nervous. I mean, it gets you worrying too much.”
    “Sometimes worrying is good,” Teddy said. “It’s like good preventive medicine.”
    Kristin shrugged. She sat back and concentrated on the scenery.
    The roads leading to and from Emerald Lakes were all quite rural in character. There were no streetlights until they reached the business district of nearby Sandburg, a hamlet with a population of just over ten thousand. On the way they passed moderately priced homes, some old farmhouses, and much undeveloped land and uncleared forest. They
    pointed out the school to Jennifer, a sweet looking, old fashioned red-brick structure with immaculate grounds and a full playground in the rear.
    “You’re going to love going to school here, honey,” Kristin said, and for the first time, Jennifer did seem pleased.
    Sandburg’s business area wasn’t much different in character from its immediate
    surroundings. There were only two streetlights on the main thoroughfare and there were no parking meters or parking restrictions, other than not parking in front of driveways or hydrants. They found a space in the supermarket parking lot quickly. Inside, they divided the list and parted when Kristin sent Teddy and Jennifer to fetch some bread crumbs while she went after the dairy goods. Just as she made the turn to the refrigerated section, she paused.
    At first she thought the woman in the supermarket looked like someone she knew from Commack, but when Kristin saw her face fully, her heart began to pound.
    “Excuse me,” she said, stepping up to her, “but aren’t you Mrs. Feinberg?” Her
    skepticism stemmed from the fact that this woman was not pregnant.
    Elaine Feinberg turned slowly and gazed at Kristin with what Kristin thought were
    vacant eyes, the eyes of someone suffering amnesia.
    “Yes,” she said in a voice nearly void of expression, mechanical, uninterested.
    Kristin widened her smile.
    “I’m Kristin Morris. My husband and I bought your house. I know we met only for a few seconds, but—”
    “What do you want?” she demanded firmly, her eyes changing quickly to those of one
    terrified.
    “Nothing, I just . . . wanted to