Читать книгу Limb from Limb - George Hunter - Страница 13

Stephen returned home from the police station that frigid Wednesday afternoon to the family’s two-story Colonial in the Carriage Hills subdivision. With its taupe bricks, gray siding, green shutters, and general 1980s tract house design, the $242,000 property wasn’t the fanciest setup in elite Washington Township. But the sweeping, snow-covered lawn was unbroken by any sidewalk and the rear lot was scenic with full-grown trees. The house also featured granite-topped kitchen counters, a fireplace-warmed den, and a wine cellar in the basement.

Washington Township, a onetime farming village, was on the northern fringe of Metropolitan Detroit’s more prosperous suburbs. Nearby Romeo is the hometown of Bob Ritchie, a Ford dealer’s son who gained fame as rapper Kid Rock; while a few miles to the west, Rochester Hills preened itself as the teen-years home of international pop icon Madonna.

Median household income in Washington Township was last figured in 2000 at a hefty $71,823. Its population had more than doubled since 1990 as professionals and executives became increasingly willing to trade longer commutes for a more pastoral home life. Unlike the grid-style layouts of Detroit’s older suburbs, this ex-urban enclave was noteworthy for large lots, curvy roads, and the camouflage provided by mature trees and shrubs.

One of the community’s greatest assets was nearby Stony Creek Metropark, a forty-four-hundred-acre nature preserve forever protected from developers. Residents and visitors enjoy hiking, skiing, and boating in the park, which is maintained by the Huron-Clinton Metroparks, a consortium of thirteen communities located along the namesake Huron and Clinton Rivers in southeastern Michigan.

It was a peaceful suburban existence that seemed farther than it really was from the crowds, crime, and decay of larger nearby cities. Tara and Stephen Grant had purchased their home on Westridge Street for $48,400 down and a $193,600 loan in 2001. It was their second house.

Now, on February 14, his errand at the police station finished, Stephen wheeled his Jeep Commander up the long driveway and into the two-car garage. Verena, the au pair, was home with Ian. Lindsey, a first grader, was still in school.