Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 108849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
“You can drive anytime you want,” he said.
Laurel looked at him beneath her lashes. “You always try to drive.”
He shrugged. “I’m a good driver.”
“More like a control freak,” she muttered. Yet it was true. His reflexes were seconds faster than hers, and he was more accustomed to driving on the winter roads.
Plus, while she might not admit it, she did like to relax and think through her cases without having to concentrate on the road. But still, she had purchased the new Nissan, and she should drive it more. Right now might be a better time to focus on him, however. “How are you feeling?” she asked gingerly.
“Feeling? Fine.”
Perhaps she had asked the wrong question. “You have recently discovered that your mother, who abandoned you when you were a baby, was found dead in your own backyard. I wonder if that fact pattern raised certain feelings within you.”
He barked out a laugh. “‘That fact pattern’?”
“Yes.” She truly lacked the ability to do this. “I’m concerned about your welfare.”
He reached over and took her hand. “I appreciate your concern. I really do. But I never considered Delta to be family. She had me, she left. Dad was my family.”
“Still, I felt the lack of a father growing up,” she said, although she had truly been better off without him, considering Zeke Caine had turned out to be her father. “So, you must have felt the absence of a mother.”
He shrugged. “Sure. There were other moms who volunteered at the school, and I had friends whose moms would cut off the crust of their sandwiches when I was young. Then in high school when I played football, there was the night everybody gave their away jersey to their mom to wear. So, yeah, I guess I missed having a mom, but Dad and I did all right. So did you and your mom.”
Laurel nodded. Perhaps that was one of the qualities that drew them together. They had both grown up without one parent. “Yet it must feel odd that she’s dead.”
He looked out the window. It had finally stopped snowing, and the moon had already begun to climb into the sky.
“I guess. I didn’t know if she was alive or dead for thirty-two years. So, I suppose I am wishing she’d reached out while she was here, so we could’ve met.” His hands remained relaxed on the steering wheel as he capably maneuvered the country roads. “I think it’s odd that she was found here in my hometown. Why did she come back to Genesis Valley after all this time?”
“That question has been traversing my thoughts as well. Are you certain she didn’t try to contact you?”
He shook his head. “I suppose I get spam calls like everybody else, but I ignore them. If people don’t leave a message, then I pay little attention.”
“What about at the office?”
He took the turn down Birch Tree Road toward his cabin. “They have a deputy scouring through all of the call logs, but nothing so far. We’ll need to see if she had a cell phone and conduct a background check on her.”
Laurel took a deep breath. “There’s no we. You’ve been taken off the case, and I am probably next.”
She could maintain a professional distance from the emotions of the case and still investigate it. However, she didn’t want to do anything to put the case in jeopardy, and an apparent conflict of interest would do just that. “Special Agent Norrs informed me that he’s going to join the case as soon as he wraps up his three other ones.” So she had a little time to find Jason Abbott, whether or not he was their current killer.
Huck parked the truck near his sturdy metal shop. “I need to run with Aeneas for a while. He’s been cooped up all day. Why don’t you go inside and get warm?”
“I’d love to be warm.” She stepped out of the vehicle. “I’ll heat up stew. It’s in the freezer. My mom sent it over last week.”
“Sounds good. Come on, Aeneas.” He opened the back door to release the animal.
Laurel carefully picked her way across the still-icy ground and entered the cabin, removed her jacket and boots, and then started a fire. Once again, Huck had placed paper, kindling, and wood in a perfect formation, so all she had to do was light the match. Starting a fire was easy for her, because she could visualize the geometric proportions necessary, but it was nice that Huck took care of the preparations.
Her phone buzzed, and she lifted it to her ear, walking over to the sofa. “Agent Snow.”
“Hi, Agent Snow. It’s Dr. Ortega.”
“Hi.” She sat on the sofa and tucked one leg under her. “How are you?”
He coughed. “Tired. But I have the autopsy results for both of your recent victims.”