LITMIR.BIZ

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slipped under the tape and breathed a sigh of relief. Most of the neighbors had retreated to their houses, and the few that were still hugging the tape didn’t see me as I circled around behind them. I trudged up the street, punched the garage door button, and padded through the house. The clean towels still overflowed the basket in the laundry room, but the dryer was clicking away. The kitchen, dining room, and living room were dark, so I went back to the bedroom, walking carefully since toys on the floor seemed to be the staple of our interior decorating theme these days.

      When I stepped into the bedroom, Mitch had the phone to his ear. “Oh, wait. She just walked in. Looks like we’ll be fine. Okay. Sure.” He punched a button on the phone and tossed it down on the duvet beside him.

      “Kids go down okay?” I asked as I softly shut the door.

      “Yeah. Well, Livvy had to have two drinks of water and she just couldn’t get her eyes to close.”

      “I’ve heard that one before.” I smiled and dropped onto the bed. “I’m so glad to be out of there.” I looked down at my hands. In the soft light from the lamps, I could see dirt encrusted in my cuticles.

      “What happened?”

      “They asked the basic questions.” I focused on my hand, rubbing at the dirt. “Waraday looks like he’s slightly older than Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. He told me the cemetery belonged to a family named Chauncey and they used to own all this land. Then I got out of there.”

      His hand covered mine. “Ellie,” he said, and then his voice trailed off.

      I knew what he was going to say. I gripped his hand. “It’s okay. I’m not going to get caught up in this.” It came out in a rush. “After what happened last time.” I closed my eyes and swallowed. “I can’t.”

      An Everything In Its Place Tip for an Organized Party

      Cost-cutting Tips

       Use computer software to create your own invitations.

       The easiest way to cut costs for large events, like wedding receptions, is to limit the number of guests.

       The more casual the event, the easier it is to reduce costs. A buffet is less expensive than a formal dinner. A children’s birthday party at a local park will cost less than a party for the same number of kids at a popular children’s party venue.

       Keep decorations simple. To save money, look around your house or scour dollar stores for ideas. Use what you have before purchasing a centerpiece. Flowers from your garden can be just as lovely as store-bought bouquets. If you’re serving Mexican food, a sombrero could be the perfect centerpiece.

       Party trays are easy to assemble. If you have the time, you can save money by doing it yourself. Purchase fresh vegetables and cut them yourself for veggie trays. Cold cuts, cheeses, and croissants, with condiments on the side, make a great sandwich bar.

       Purchase in bulk. Warehouse stores are your best bet for finding large quantities of everything from napkins to food and drinks.

       Borrow from friends and family instead of renting.

      Chapter Three

      The next morning I was in what I’d begun to think of as the box room—I refused to call it a storage room. I’d worked my way through two boxes and was taking a break to change Nathan’s diaper when the doorbell rang.

      It was too early in the morning for Geneva, Livvy’s playmate from down the street. Geneva’s mom, Bridget, had a strict schedule for her daughters. I knew Geneva was listening to Mozart until ten o’clock; then they were off to Gym-boree.

      A petite woman of about fifty with short, curly blond hair stood on the porch. I opened the door and pushed the heavy glass screen door open a few inches.

      The woman said, “I’m Nita Lockworth. I’d like to talk to you about what you found last night.”

      She wore a sweatshirt embroidered with pumpkins, neat jeans, and Keds tennis shoes. I glanced over her shoulder at the end of the street. The gridlock of official cars had cleared out. Only one sheriff’s car remained. I couldn’t see the entrance to the path, but I could see the taut line of yellow tape tied to the stop sign.

      She waited with her hands clasped together at her waist and her head tilted slightly, her dark eyes on me. She reminded me of a bird as she stared patiently. I fumbled for a reply. Waraday hadn’t specifically asked me not to say anything, but he probably wouldn’t want me to talk about what I’d seen. And there hadn’t been anything in the paper this morning about the discovery. How had she found out about it?

      Sensing my hesitation, she tilted her head to the other side and said, “Dorthea told me you’d found the bones. I’ve already been to the sheriff’s department, but they’re not telling me anything until all the official tests are done.”

      “Well, I’m afraid that I’m not going to know anything more. I don’t know anything about bones or skeletons.”

      “But you saw them and you’re as close as I can get right now.” She said it calmly, but there was an underlying persistence that indicated she wasn’t going to leave my porch any time soon. Nathan wiggled in my arms and I shifted him to my other hip.

      “You don’t recognize my name, do you?”

      “No, I’m afraid not.”

      “I’m Nita Lockworth. Jodi’s mother.” She pulled her practical brown purse forward so that I could see the small button with a picture clipped to the strap. The same picture dotted the town on billboards and flyers. I’d completely missed her last name when she introduced herself earlier.

      Nathan squirmed again, pulled his thumb out of his mouth, and let out that whiny whimper that meant he wanted down. I twisted the screen door handle. She was wondering if the remains I saw last night were her daughter. Even though I wouldn’t be able to tell her anything, I couldn’t turn her away. With Nathan’s pudgy body shifting impatiently in my arms, I thought how horrific it would be for your child to disappear, even if that child was an adult.

      I pushed the door open and said, “Come in. I need to change a diaper. Then I can talk.” I gestured at the dining room table and said, “Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll be right back?”

      I glanced down the hall as I went into Nathan’s room. She’d pulled out a chair and was sitting primly with her hands in her lap. The pile of clean clothes at the other end of the table almost hid her diminutive frame. I’m pretty speedy when it comes to changing diapers, so I was done and back out of Nathan’s room in under a minute, with him again riding my hip, but much happier now.

      Livvy met me in the hall. “Can I finger-paint?”

      Ah, finger-painting, the ultimate messy activity. “Not right now, but I’ll let you and Nathan watch Tom and Jerry.”

      Her eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

      I normally didn’t let the kids watch television in the morning. I saved it for the afternoon or evening when everything always seemed to fall to pieces. Typically, it was right around the time I was trying to cook dinner, so that’s when I usually parked the kids in front of the TV for thirty minutes, but they didn’t need to hear the conversation I was going to have with Nita Lockworth.

      I arranged them in the living room, clicked on the show, and put a stack of plastic blocks and books beside them. Our house had an open floor plan. No walls separated the living room, dining room, and kitchen, so I’d be able to keep an eye on them.

      I went to the dining room and paused with my hands on the back of a chair. “Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea? Water? I could make some coffee.” I didn’t drink it, but my friend Abby did and I kept a supply for her.

      “That’s kind of you, but no.”

      “All right.”

      I

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