Leah assured her that she'd set aside a separate plate.
Grilled chicken.
Plain vegetables.
And a serving prepared without the heavy sauces used for the rest of the cookout.
Eleanor thanked her.
Then promised to bring homemade lemonade.
Neither of us considered that conversation important.
But somehow, Vivian would learn about the separate meal.
And she would make it the center of her plan.
On Friday evening, the day before the cookout, Leah noticed someone near our side gate.
She was washing dishes when she saw movement through the kitchen window.
At first, she thought it was a landscaper.
The HOA had arranged maintenance along the common fence line earlier in the week.
Then she saw a woman with blonde hair moving away from the gate.
Leah stepped outside.
"Hello?"
The woman didn't turn.
She walked quickly toward the sidewalk.
By the time Leah reached the gate, nobody was there.
She returned inside and told me.
I checked the exterior camera recording.
A woman in a pale jacket appeared briefly near the edge of the frame.
Her face wasn't clear.
But her build and hair resembled Vivian's.
I didn't want to assume it was her without better evidence.
So I saved the clip and checked the gate latch.
It worked.
But I noticed the gate hadn't been closed completely after the landscaping crew finished.
I secured it.
Then returned to the house.
For a moment, Leah looked worried.
"Do you think somebody's watching us?"
I hesitated.
"I don't know."
She looked toward Jasmine, who was sitting at the kitchen table drawing decorations for the cookout.
Then lowered her voice.
"I don't like this."
Neither did I.
But we had no reason yet to expect anyone would tamper with our food.
The worst I anticipated was another HOA complaint about noise, guests, or unauthorized backyard activities.
I was wrong.
Saturday began beautifully.
The sky was clear.
A gentle breeze moved through the trees.
And by ten in the morning, our backyard smelled of fresh herbs, grilled meat, and the bread Leah was warming in the oven.
Jasmine helped arrange the table.
She placed blue ceramic plates beside red plastic cups.
Folded napkins into triangles.
And insisted that every place setting include a small paper flower she'd made herself.
Leah prepared the salads and side dishes.
I cleaned the grill.
Then began cooking.
We had plenty of time before the guests arrived.
Eleanor wasn't expected until one-thirty.
The other families planned to arrive shortly afterward.