Bright morning sunlight illuminated the kitchen and the forest outside the window, but Ben paid little attention to it. He took three coffee mugs out of the cupboard, grabbed the coffee pot and joined Pat and Aaron at the kitchen table. At the moment, they were frowning over Mike Thompson’s suicide note, so he poured for them. He sat back, sipped his coffee, and listened to their discussion.
“So, June is pretty sure this isn’t Mike’s handwriting?” Aaron asked.
“She’s been grading his papers for four years,” Pat said. “Heard anything about the second print on the gun yet?”
“No match.”
“What’s the ruling on his death?” Ben asked.
“Everyone seems inclined to believe it’s a suicide. Am I looking for something that isn’t there because seeing him with a hole in his chest reminded me of what happened to Erica?”
“I don’t think so,” Pat said with a shake of his head. “You’re an intuitive cop, Aaron, with good instincts.”
“Thanks, Pat.”
“Mike was shot in the chest—a little unusual, in my experience—and there’s the issue that the gun appeared to have been hastily cleaned after it was discharged. Factor in the second print, and you have enough to make me doubt that it’s a suicide… without taking into account that Mike was not remotely suicidal.”
“Hard be anything but excited when you’re going to play for the Griz and earn a fully-paid degree in the process.”
“May I see the note again?” Ben asked. Aaron slid the copy to him—the real note was at the sheriff’s department in Devyn—and he read it again. “Here’s what I don’t get. Luke said Carol told him Mike broke up with her that morning, but in the letter, he says—someone says—that he couldn’t live without her and would always love her.”
“Seems a little contradictory,” Pat observed. “And, honestly, it’s a little melodramatic for a boy who—more than once, according to several people who knew him—put football before his girlfriends.”
“The only thing that rings remotely true is the line blaming Luke for tearing Mike and Carol apart, and even that…. Carol asked Luke out twice before he said yes, and he only agreed after Mike said he was okay with it. I know it’s circumstantial—most of this is—but I have no reason to doubt Luke.”
“Neither do we,” Aaron said.
The gentle tone of the other man’s voice made Ben aware that his own had become noticeably defensive. He stood and paced the kitchen, though he didn’t expect the physical movement would actually do anything to relieve the nagging sense of helplessness. Somehow, Mike’s death was tied to JP’s yet-undisclosed plot. Was it honestly that big a leap to think it? No matter how flawed JP’s beliefs about Luke were, he wanted the teenager to suffer. Ben mulled over the two days since Mike had been found dead behind the wheel of his parked truck with a suspicious suicide note lying beside him on the passenger seat.
June, who had taught Mike for four years, was naturally stunned by his death. She couldn’t believe a kid with so much going for him would end his life over a broken relationship. Frankly, no one could believe it. She tried to keep her emotions under control for Luke’s sake, but Ben had heard her crying softly at night when she thought he was asleep. He’d pulled her into his arms and held her, wishing there was something he could do to make it all go away.
Luke was a different story. The shock of his teammate’s death had settled over him like a shroud of silence. The teenager had barely spoken since Aaron had delivered the news, and he walked around with a perpetually distant expression. It hurt to see the frequent shine of tears in his eyes, to know that he was suffering exactly as JP wanted.
“What did the sheriff say about this crap with JP?” Pat inquired.
Ben was relieved to know he wasn’t the only one thinking there was a link, though he didn’t say it.
“He thinks a connection between Mike’s death—if it is a homicide—and the calls and letters June received is far-fetched. He of course said June should take precautions to protect herself and Luke, but otherwise, he doesn’t seem too concerned that someone is being threatened.” Aaron leaned back in his chair and dragged his hands down over his face. “Sorry. It pisses me off.”
Pat chuckled. “You’re in good company there, Aaron.”
“So I am.” He glanced at his watch. “I should probably go so I’m not late for work.”
Ben and Pat walked to the front door with him.
“Thanks for your help, Aaron,” Ben said.
“Hey, it’s my job. But, more than that, June and Luke are my friends. If anything happens or if you notice anything suspicious, do me a favor and call it in.”
“We will.”
Aaron bid them farewell, and they stood on the front deck of June’s cabin to watch him drive away. Ben’s gaze roamed around the pine-covered ridges that sheltered the cabins and inhaled deeply of the fresh mountain air. Beneath the turmoil of the last two days—the past couple of weeks, really—and ignoring the raging, primal need to protect his family, Ben was surprisingly at ease.
“Someday soon,” Pat said, waving his hand in a sweeping gesture at the surrounding ridges, “all this will be yours.”
“That right there is an incredible thought. I couldn’t think of or hope for a more wonderful place to call home.”
“There is something truly special about Northstar, isn’t there?”
Ben glanced covertly at his friend. Pat might not be a Northstar native, but he belonged here every bit as much as Ben, June, and Aelissm. He tried to remember Pat as he’d been for much of their overlapping time with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department and found it difficult to recall the man with haunted eyes. Though Aelissm was mostly responsible for Pat’s recovery, Northstar itself had given Pat the peace necessary to begin rebuilding his heart.
Northstar had somehow healed them all. The breathtaking natural beauty and loving residents had calmed the restlessness in June by providing the home her compassionate heart needed, had helped Luke learn to trust and love, and had given Aelissm the courage to face her fears. Now, Northstar—and June’s patience and Luke’s forgiveness—had drawn Ben from his pit of shame and self-loathing.
“I feel… whole,” Ben said after a moment. “I didn’t know it was possible to feel so complete. May I ask you something, Pat?”
“Anything.”
“Do you ever miss being a detective?”
“Sometimes. It breaks my heart, what June and Luke are facing right now, and Mike Thompson’s death is tragic no matter how you look at it, but it does feel good to use that part of my brain again.”
“Do you ever regret your choice to give it up for Aelissm?”
“Never. It was the best choice I’ve ever made. I have the most incredible wife, and without her love, I might never have healed. I have two beautiful children. I have a home I treasure… and I have all this. No career is worth more than what I have with Aelissm.”
Pat settled his insightful gaze on Ben, narrowing his eyes briefly. “You’re not having second thoughts about asking June to marry you, are you?”
“Not one. But I keep wondering if I should have a few doubts. I’m not even worried that adopting Luke is a mistake after everything we’ve both been through.”
“You’re worried about not being worried?”
“More curious and amused than worried.”
Pat chuckled. “Then I’ll tell you what you should do. Thank God every day for what you have and don’t ever take it for granted because it is very special.”
“How are you doing?” June asked her son as he walked into the kitchen of the Ramshorn.
Luke leaned against the sink and folded his arms across his chest. He seemed to be dealing with his teammate’s death a little better today, but the shadows under his eyes were darker. June didn’t need that visible sign to know that he hadn’t been sleeping well. Neither she nor Ben had been sleeping any better.
“A little better, I guess,” he replied quietly.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take a couple days off?”
“I’m sure. I need something to do.” He met her eyes, and she winced to see the bright pain in his eyes. “Half the time, I can’t believe he’s dead.”
“Neither can I. Such a waste.”
“That’s two people now I knew—two friends—who’ve died this year.” Luke hesitantly took her hand and touched her ring with his thumb. “At least we all have something to look forward to.”
“Yes, we do.”
June kept that thought in her mind as she arranged lettuce, tomatoes, onion slices, and pickles on the plates for their last table of the afternoon. She and Ben hadn’t yet discussed a wedding date, and for now, it was enough to be engaged. Luke finished plating the burgers for her and took them out to the dining room.
Mary zipped into the kitchen like a whirlwind.
“Sorry I’m late, June,” she said. “I got caught up talking to Tracie at the post office. Sounds like the memorial for Mike Thompson will be next week. Are you and Luke going to attend the service?”
“Mike’s parents asked us to. It’s nice to know they don’t believe the note, either. I wish everyone else felt the same. Luke wants to go, but I don’t know if it’s the best idea. I think he should go to say goodbye, but I’m worried someone might get it in their heads to attack Luke for what happened.” June felt the sting of tears and closed her eyes. Grief lodged in her throat, for the pain in her son’s eyes that she couldn’t erase and for the terrible loss of a bright, gifted young man. “Mike was one of the few seniors I had thought I would see again as he went on to bigger and better things. What the hell happened?”
“I don’t have any answers, either, June, but I know in my heart he didn’t kill himself, just like I know this business between him, Luke, and Carol is nothing more than typical teenaged turmoil that someone is twisting out of proportion. I just hope to God Mike didn’t die for this sick bastard’s pleasure.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. If his goal is to make Luke suffer, he’s doing a damned fine job of it.”
Mary laid a soothing hand on her cheek. “Shh. Don’t let this JP win. And you tell Luke not to let him win, either. Go home, kick back, and start planning your wedding and remember that if you need help with anything—anything—we’re here for you.”
“Thank you, Mary.”
June wrote down her time and Luke’s, grabbed their helmets, and led the way out to the dirt bikes. She imagined her worries drifting away on the wind as they rode home, though she doubted it would really be so easy. Thoughts of her impending wedding were a better distraction. She had really loved Pat and Aelissm’s outdoor autumn wedding, but that didn’t give much time to plan—barely more than two months—and besides, she didn’t want to copy her best friend. Summer was her next choice, but Ben and Luke didn’t want to wait that long because by next summer, there really wouldn’t be much point in the adoption. Which left spring or winter. Spring meant heavy, wet snow and mud. Winter, then. An image of the Northstar Mountains as a snow-covered backdrop bloomed in her mind’s eye. It would be nothing short of spectacular with either cloudless sapphire skies or soft, feathery flakes drifting down from pewter clouds.
“What do you think about a winter wedding?” she asked Luke after they’d parked the dirt bikes back at the cabin.
“I think it would be gorgeous. What are you thinking?”
“Having the ceremony on the deck of the Bedspread, if Pat and Aeli are willing.”
“You know they will be.”
June was rewarded with the first genuine smile from Luke in two days. If she’d had any doubts about his approval of her marrying Ben, that radiant grin in the midst of tragedy cured her of it. The promise of a family brought him as much peace and happiness as it brought June and Ben, and that was something to celebrate.
She stepped into her cabin to find Ben in the kitchen prepping for dinner and added the sight of him wielding a sharp knife against an onion to the growing list of things she wanted to get used to. Because he apparently hadn’t heard them come in, she tiptoed into the kitchen, slipped her arms around his waist, and laid her cheek on his back.
“I love you,” she murmured.
“I love you, too,” he replied. He set the knife down and turned to face her. His lips curved but not before she caught the frown of concern. He brushed his thumb across her cheek, and his eyes waxed remorseful. “It’s good to see you smile again.”
She sensed a ‘but’ behind his words. The regret in his eyes dampened the anticipation, and her smile slipped away, too quickly replaced by a frown. “What’s happened now?”
“Another letter,” he said quietly. “It came in the mail today.”
“Where is it?”
“Upstairs on your dresser. I thought you might want to read it before you decided whether or not to show it to Luke.”
“Whatever’s in it, he has a right to know.”
She pressed a kiss to his lips, very tempted to linger, but she needed to know what was in the letter. With a glance over her shoulder to see that Luke was occupied helping Ben with dinner, she went upstairs. Ben had already sealed the letter in a plastic Ziploc like the others and set it on top of June’s dresser. Her hands trembled a little as she picked it up, and she took a deep breath to steady herself before reading it.
My dearest June, there have been a few developments you need to be aware of. You have, I am sure, heard about Mike Thompson’s tragic suicide. I must implore you to open your eyes. Your golden boy, through his self-serving manipulations, tore a loving couple apart and drove one of this community’s brightest stars to end his life. Some good has come of this heartbreak. Carol has at last realized Luke is not worth any more tears. On the night Mike died, Carol wisely moved on to Shane McGuire, a boy I know will be far more careful with her heart than Luke has been. I can only hope your golden boy feels even a glimmer of the pain he has inflicted when he learns that Carol slept with Shane that night.
You tell Aaron Hammond and Pat O’Neil to keep their noses out of my business. If you do not comply, if you allow them to continue digging, you will not like the consequences. I know this hurts you, June, and I want you to know that the last thing I ever wanted to do was cause you pain. When this is all over, and you finally realize the truth, I will reveal myself to you, and you will be gratefully mine.
June sat hard on her bed and the letter fluttered to the floor. Nausea bubbled in her stomach, and her head spun. She lifted her shaking hands and stared at them for a moment. She couldn’t decipher the emotions flooding her brain, couldn’t begin to analyze the letter. The only thought that stood clearly in her mind was that she didn’t want Luke to see this. She still believed he had a right to know, but she wanted to protect him as best she could from further heartache. He’d already been through too much.
“Mom? Are you all right?”
She looked up to see him standing in the doorway of her bedroom with worried eyes.
“Another letter came.”
“May I see it?”
She almost said no. “We were finally starting to relax a little.”
“Well, that’s already ruined. What does it say?”
“He blames you for Mike’s death.”
“He already said that in Mike’s suicide note.”
It relieved her to know that Luke didn’t believe Mike had killed himself anymore than did anyone else who knew Mike.
“What else?”
Again, she hesitated. “He claims that Carol slept with Shane the night Mike died.”
Luke’s eyes slid closed, and he clenched his teeth. Without a word, he spun on his heal, walked into his room, and slammed the door. June flinched. Moments later, she heard his muffled bellow, and her vision wavered with the tears that swarmed to her eyes. Why was this happening to them? What had she or Luke ever done to deserve JP’s obsession? When she heard Luke’s door open again, she walked out to the balcony. He offered her a lop-sided smile, and though it didn’t reach his eyes, any smile at all was better than none.
“Sorry. I figured it would be better to get it out instead of trying to contain it. Would you mind if I chop some of that firewood we cut the other day?”
“Help yourself.”
She followed him downstairs and joined Ben at the kitchen sink. They watched Luke for a few minutes as the teenager took his frustration out on the firewood.
“We should have thought of that before now,” Ben remarked. “Maybe he’ll actually sleep tonight.”
“We can hope. I can hope, too, that JP is lying and that this won’t destroy his friendship with Shane. I could honestly kill this bastard and not regret it for even a moment. Luke has never done anything to anyone to deserve any of this.”
“I know, beloved.”
Ben tucked her against his side and kissed her cheek. Several minutes passed before the anger receded and she stopped trembling.
To distract herself, she helped Ben with dinner. She would’ve thought beef stroganoff would be too heavy a meal for such a warm day, but it was one of her favorite comfort foods. A little flirtation while they cooked did wonders to restore her sanity, and by the time Luke came in from his firewood-splitting therapy just as June drained the egg noodles, she was able to greet him with an honest smile. His lips curved in response, and his eyes warmed.
“I made a decision. He can’t screw with my head if I don’t let him. Even if it’s true….” He shrugged and stepped over to the sink to wash up for dinner. “So, Ben, Mom and I were talking about a winter wedding. What do you think?”
“That… sounds wonderful.”
Luke’s resolution lasted him through that evening and all the way through his eight-hour shift at the Ramshorn the next day. Each time he felt a thought of Mike or Carol or Shane tickling the edge of his thoughts, he ignored them, focusing instead on his job. It wasn’t hard. The cabins and lodge were all booked for another wedding, so there was plenty of cleaning and stocking to be done before the party arrived on the morrow. It wasn’t Luke’s ideal task, but the physicality provided a good outlet for nervous energy.
He stepped out of the small, very rustic Moose cabin and locked the door. Ben stepped out of the cabin right next to the Moose.
“Last ones,” he said.
“Perfect timing,” Luke replied. “Only fifteen minutes left on our shift.”
“If we take our time walking back to the lodge….”
“I don’t feel like crawling. How ‘bout I race you back?”
“Like this old dog stands a chance.”
Ben took off at a sprint along the trail through the forest, and Luke scrambled after him. They pounded across the bridge over the gurgling Ramshorn Creek and bounded up the earthen steps to the main driveway with Luke trailing a few steps behind Ben. Even though Ben had only a couple seconds’ head start, Luke didn’t catch him until they were only ten yards from the lodge and tagged the railing of the stairs only a breath before his opponent. Ben doubled over for a moment, but when he straightened, he grinned. They were both panting.
“That was fun,” he said. “I needed that.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t trip and break something,” Luke remarked. “Coach Wells would be after you like flies on stink for jeopardizing his starting quarterback.”
“My football coach would’ve said the same—”
“Excuse us.”
Luke glanced up to see Jake and Pete descending the stairs, and his heart began pounding in a way that had nothing to do with his brief spurt of physical exertion. They nodded briefly to Ben as they passed, but both ignored Luke as if he hadn’t moments ago been blocking their path. A shiver of dread coursed down his spine. He could be looking at Mike’s killer, the man who had, for a couple of weeks that felt more like an eternity, been playing destructive mind games with him.
“That was cold,” Ben murmured. He frowned as he watched the brothers walk toward the pools where Pete’s truck was parked.
“Yeah, but even in the off chance neither of them is JP, they both knew Mike well. Jake, at least, liked Mike better than me, and if they know what Mike’s note said…. Well, a cold shoulder is the least I would expect. Especially from Jake.”
“You okay, kid?”
“Surprisingly so. Like I’ve been told by all the people who matter, I know who I am. I know I’m not what JP says.”
Ben clapped him on the back. “I can’t tell you how proud it makes me to know that JP is an idiot to think he can break you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“You know, I really like that.”
“I know you do.”
They climbed the stairs, and Ben took the brunt of June’s questions about their eventless run-in with the two main JP suspects while Luke spent the last ten minutes of his shift sweeping the porch. He stubbornly refused to think about anything but his task and how much he loved the sigh of the wind through the boughs of the pines and the sweet, damp scent of impending rain. Peeking out from under the porch roof, he noted the thickening clouds. The forecast said a slow-moving cold front would be pushing through the area, which meant a few thunderstorms were possible tonight and tomorrow, but the weather was supposed to settle again in time for the guests’ wedding.
A low grumble of distant thunder momentarily drowned out the swish of his broom, and he paused to listen.
“Yeah, I love this place,” he whispered to himself.
A familiar car rolled up the driveway, and he leaned on the porch railing to watch his copper-haired ex-girlfriend park and climb out. She lifted her gaze and flinched when she saw him watching her.
“Hi, Luke,” she said shyly.
“Hi.”
“Can we talk?”
He shrugged, so she crossed the driveway and crested the stairs. He turned around and leaned on the railing with his arms folded and his ankles crossed. She took one sweeping look at his defensive posture, and instead of trying to hug him again, she took a chair at the nearest table. For several long moments, she didn’t try to talk, just sat there, wringing her hands and fidgeting in her seat. Her vibrant green eyes were red-rimmed, and Luke briefly wondered how many hours in the last three days she’d spent crying. Part of him ached at her obvious grief, but a larger part of him coldly knew she’d brought a lot of it on herself. Not Mike’s death—even if he hated her with every ounce of his heart, he would never believe either of them was responsible for that.
“This is such a mess,” she mumbled at last.
“Yeah, it is.” He thought mess was a bit of an understatement, but he kept the comment to himself. He took a deep breath to quell his mounting irritation and vowed to be supportive because he wasn’t the only one hurting. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I don’t even know. I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Neither can I.”
They lapsed into silence again. He studied her as she stared blindly at the scarred tabletop and couldn’t make sense of his tangled emotions. Instinct told him he should comfort her, but the unproven possibility that—despite claiming she wanted Luke back—she had slept with Shane left a bitter taste in his mouth. It wasn’t the act itself that bothered him. It was the lie.
“May I ask you a question, Carol?”
She lifted her gaze and nodded hesitantly.
“Did you sleep with Shane the night Mike died?”
The answer was plain in her eyes, though she did not speak to either confirm or deny. Tears welled, making her green irises contrast more sharply against the red of her lids.
“You said you loved me, but how can I believe that now? How can I trust anything you say?”
The tears spilled over as she met his gaze. “I’m so sorry, Luke. For everything I’ve done to you and for everything I did to Mike. I don’t deserve either of you.” She tried unsuccessfully to choke back the sobs. “I’ll never be able to tell him that. I don’t understand it at all…. Why did he kill himself?”
“I don’t think he did,” Luke said matter-of-factly.
“What, you’re saying someone killed him? He left a goddamned note, Luke! Blaming us.”
No, blaming me, he thought.
“He said he only thought he loved me, but in the note—”
“The note’s a fake, Carol. He didn’t write it.”
“W-what?”
“Someone killed him and wrote the note to make it look like a suicide.”
“That’s insane. How can you even—”
“Would you rather believe Mike—star athlete with a full-ride scholarship to the school of his dreams—killed himself because of us?”
The color vanished from Carol’s face, leaving her skin sickly pale. “Oh, God.”
She was on her feet and running for her car too fast for Luke to react. By the time he recovered from her hasty departure, she was already racing away in her car. An inkling of something very out of place wormed its way into his brain. Why had she looked so terrified? Shaking his head to dispel questions to which he had no answers, he took the broom inside.
“Porch all swept?” Marvin asked. When Luke nodded, he said, “Thanks, Luke. I wish every kid your age was willing to work as hard as you do.”
“Thanks, Marvin.”
He joined June and Ben behind the bar to clock out.
“Was that Carol?” June asked.
He only nodded.
“She seemed upset.”
“JP wasn’t lying,” he said. “I know you’re both curious, so there you go.”
They stopped at the cabin only long enough to collect the dogs before setting off on the trail over to Pat and Aelissm’s. Luke tried to arrange the questions he wanted to ask Pat and to formulate his theories into something the former detective might be able to use. He waited until after dinner to broach the subject, partly because he didn’t want to disrupt the pleasant time with his family and partly because he was still putting pieces together.
Aelissm brought out the cards while Pat finished up the dishes.
“It has to be Jake or Pete,” Luke said.
“What has to…. Never mind.” Aelissm held up her hand. “Stupid question.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Who else would even care who Carol dated let alone know the details of what all has transpired between her, Mike, and me?” He hesitated before adding the fourth person to the list. “And now Shane. And who else besides her uncles would feel the right to approve or not approve her choice for a boyfriend?”
“I’m willing to agree, but what makes you so sure?” Pat inquired. He divvied up the chips for poker.
“Well, he knew why Carol broke up with me and knows she slept with Shane. There’s something else that’s been bugging me since the Hay Fever barbecue. Carol said Mike and ‘Unkie’ made her believe Becky and I were more than just friends so she would break up with me. She only mentioned ‘Unkie’ once, but it stuck in my head. Maybe because of the fight with Jake. I don’t know. Maybe I’m imagining it.”
“No, I think you’re on to something,” Pat said.
Luke dealt the cards. “She stopped by the Ramshorn to talk this afternoon just before we got off work. When I asked about Shane… she didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. I told her the suicide note was a fake, that someone killed Mike… she looked afraid. Like she’d just realized something and it scared her. She took off before I could stop her.”
“Did you ask who she told about Shane?” Ben questioned.
Luke hung his head. “I didn’t even think about it.”
“Why don’t you call her, and Shane, too? If we can find out who they told, that will really help us narrow it down.”
Luke stood and grabbed the cordless. As he dialed Shane’s number, he walked out onto the back steps.
“Hello?”
“Shane? It’s Luke.”
“Oh, hey, Luke. What’s up?”
“I need to ask you something. And please, just give me a straight, simple answer.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“Who did you tell about you and Carol?”
“Ah, Jesus, Luke.” The regret was thick in Shane’s voice. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I wish it hadn’t. After she left the barbecue crying, I went to talk to her, because she’s my friend, too. Then Jake stopped by to say Mike had killed himself, and she started crying again, and one thing led—”
“Shane. I don’t want the details. Who did you tell?”
“No one.”
“Well, someone found out.”
“I swear to God, Luke, I didn’t tell anyone. Not even my dad.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. Luke, I really am sorry. How can I—”
“I gotta go.”
“Luke, wait!”
He ended the call before the obscenities and accusations came spilling out of his mouth. Without giving himself time to dwell on his brief conversation with Shane, he called Pete Landers. The sound of Pete’s voice sent a wave of cold through him. He would need to be very careful about what he said.
“Pete, it’s Luke. Is Carol there?”
“No, she’s not. I haven’t seen her since this morning, and she was supposed to eat dinner with me before heading back into Devyn.”
“Well, if you see her, will you tell her to call me?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Luke. She’s having a really hard time right now.”
“I know she is. Look, when you see her, will you tell her something for me?”
There was a pause and for a moment, Luke wondered if Pete was still on the other end of the line.
“What do you want me to tell her?”
“That I’m sorry, too. And that it isn’t her fault. She’ll know what I mean.”
“If I see her, I’ll tell her.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Next, Luke tried Jake’s number. There was no answer. Lastly, he tried Pete’s mother in Devyn, praying Carol had ditched dinner with Pete and gone straight home to Tammy’s. When the answering machine picked up, Luke asked Carol to call him at Aelissm’s in the next couple of hours or at home if she didn’t get the message before then. He disconnected the call and stared at the cordless for a while before turning around and heading back inside.
“Couldn’t get hold of Carol?” June asked.
He shook his head. “And Shane says he didn’t tell anyone.”
“Who would Carol tell?” Ben asked.
“Her uncles, maybe Pete’s mom. Probably Nikki, but she won’t be back from Hawaii until next week.”
“So, Jake or Pete.” Pat leaned back in his chair. “Pretty much what we’ve been thinking since the first letter arrived. Still…. Because so much of this is speculation, I want you both to continue to take precautions. Keep a gun handy when you can and keep your eyes and ears open.”
“And somehow try to get on with our lives in the process,” June added.
“Well, planning a wedding should help with that,” Aelissm remarked. “So, have you set a date yet?”
“What did you do to her, Pat?” Ben asked. “Weddings and kids and barbecues. Wow. I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Ben, do not make me embarrass you in front of your fiancée.”
“She’s known me for twenty-some years, and she’s seen me naked. Do your worst, Aeli.”
“You aren’t supposed to call my bluff.” Aelissm turned to June. “I guess this means we have our Ben back.”
“We do, indeed.” June took Ben by the chin and kissed him. “Shall we tell her the date, or shall we make her guess?”
“December eighteenth, on the deck of the Bedspread,” Luke said. “Now, before this conversation takes the usual detour into territory I really don’t want to know about, may we please play our cards instead of staring at them?”
His comment was met with laughter. So long as he had his family, he promised himself he would make it through whatever JP threw at him. In the years before June had adopted him, he had never known this kind of love, and now that he had it, he would not let a delusional nutcase ruin it.