LITMIR.BIZ

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      “If you change your mind, just show up. You know we’ll have plenty of food,” Summer said, opening the back door.

      Her red van was parked in the alley next to a big garbage Dumpster. “My car is out front,” he said. “Swing around and I’ll follow you to Trish’s.”

      “She’s just a half mile west of town,” Summer said.

      Bray waited until Summer had unlocked her door and got in before jogging around the side of the building to his own car. As he turned the corner, his eye automatically scanned the area. The habit had saved his life more than once.

      Today, he didn’t see anything unusual. Nobody hanging by his car. Nobody across the street, watching the entrance of the café. Nobody...

      Wait. The building across the street was a redbrick three-story. On the first floor was an office. Frank Oswald, attorney at law. The windows were dark. Evidently no pressing legal matters to attend to on the afternoon before Thanksgiving.

      The second and third floors were apartments with four large arched windows spread across the face of the building. There it was. Second floor. Second window to the left. A shadow. A man had been standing at the window, watching the café. When Bray had rounded the corner, he’d moved fast, stepping aside, out of view.

      Why?

      He wanted to pound up the stairs and demand answers. But there was Summer’s van. So he ignored his instinct and let the person believe his surveillance had gone undetected.

      He got in his car, started it and pulled away from the curb. Summer drove three miles under the speed limit. He wasn’t sure if that was normal or whether she was trying to delay the conversation with her children.

      Three minutes later, a half mile out of the city limits, Summer put on her left turn signal. She pulled into a long lane that led up to a sprawling brick ranch with a side-load garage with the door up. There was no car.

      There was probably an acre of yard and several different gardens that were bare now but would likely be lush with flowers in the spring and summer.

      “Sure she’s home?” he asked, once he joined Summer at her van.

      “Yeah. Her car is in the shop. I’m going to take her to pick it up.”

      “Nice place.”

      “It’s too big for Trish, but it’s the house that she and Rafe bought together. I don’t think she can let go of it yet.”

      A big German shepherd raced around the corner of the house. He stopped short with a low growl when he saw Bray.

      The front door of the house opened and Trish stepped outside. Bray would have recognized her anywhere. She still wore her red hair to her waist, as both she and Summer had done in high school.

      “Duke,” she called. “Settle down. He’s a friend.” She came off the porch and hugged Bray.

      The dog stopped growling, but he looked at Bray with serious black eyes. Bray was confident that if he made one wrong move toward Trish or Summer, the dog would rip him apart.

      “It’s good to see you,” Trish said. “It’s been too long.”

      “I know,” he said simply. But because there was no need to dwell on the past, he didn’t. “Nice dog,” he said. “I hope,” he added with a wink.

      Trish smiled. “Don’t worry about Duke. He was a stray, just showed up one day. But from the minute I took him in, he’s been devoted to me. He was super easy to train. Summer’s kids adore him.”

      “How were they?” Summer asked.

      “Adie talked nonstop and I got a couple full sentences from Keagan, so I think, overall, it was a pretty great day.”

      “Good,” Summer said.

      Trish stared at her sister. “What’s wrong? Did something happen at the café?”

      Bray wasn’t surprised. Trish and Summer had always been in tune with each other. There really was truth to the notion that twins were able to sense things about each other.

      “Something weird is going on,” Summer said.

      Trish said nothing, but Bray could see by the set of her jaw that she was preparing herself for bad news. This was a woman who’d had a few blows already in her life.

      “Chief Poole came to see me today. Gary didn’t show up for work. And when Daniel Stone went to his house, there were signs that he abruptly left, and a small amount of blood was found at the scene.”

      “Oh my,” Trish said. “Weird and very creepy.” She looked over her shoulder as if to verify that the kids were still inside. “I guess it’s good that he thought to tell you.”

      “He was questioning me. I’m a suspect,” Summer said.

      Trish sucked in a breath. “Of all the stupid, idiotic, senseless—”

      “Stop,” Summer said.

      Bray wanted to smile. In addition to being able to practically read each other’s minds, these two were fiercely protective of each other. He remembered getting his car egged by Trish when she’d seen him with another woman once, not realizing it was a friend of the family he’d picked up from the airport.

      “Chief Poole said he might need to talk to the kids. I can’t let them get surprised by this.”

      “Of course not.” She turned and took a step toward the house. Then stopped. “What do you think happened to Gary?”

      “I have no idea. He’s been even more moody than normal lately. But this kind of stuff doesn’t happen in Ravesville. I’m scared.”

      “Did you try his cell phone?”

      “I did. Goes right to voice mail.”

      “He’s done this before,” Trish said.

      “I told Chief Poole that. But this seems different.” Summer squared her shoulders. “But I swear to you, if he’s somewhere warmer, with a fishing line in the water, I’m going to strangle him with it.”

      Trish smiled. “I hope you didn’t mention that to Chief Poole.”

      “No. But he probably knows enough about our situation that he wouldn’t be surprised.”

      Trish opened her front door and motioned for Summer and Bray to enter first. She followed them in, with the dog close to her side.

      “Hey, guys,” Summer said. “Mom’s here.”

      Again, Adie came running around the corner. Bray wondered if the little girl ever walked anywhere. She stopped fast, almost pitching forward, when she saw Bray. “You came back,” she said.

      He smiled at her. “I did. Remember my name?”

      “Bray-Neigh,” she said.

      “Close enough,” he said.

      Summer stuck her head around the corner. “Keagan, can I see you for a minute?”

      The kid ambled into the kitchen. He wore pajama pants and a faded green T-shirt. “Yeah,” he said, ignoring Bray.

      “Come here,” Summer said to her children. She led them over to the kitchen table and she sat down. She pointed for them to take chairs. “I have something to tell you,” she said. “I don’t want you to be worried or scared. I do want you to understand what’s happened.”

      “What, Mama?” Adie asked.

      “This is about your dad. He was expected at work this morning and he didn’t show up. Chief Poole is concerned about that.”

      “Maybe his alarm didn’t go off,” Keagan said.

      “He’s not at the house,” Summer said. “Do either of you

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