The old house waited for them at the other end of a gravel drive that had been rutted dirt the last time Harper had seen it.
“Well, are you ready to do this?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know.” Harper rubbed a tension knot in her neck.
Heath stood near them, watched and waited, but said nothing.
“At least we don’t have to ask a total stranger if we can come inside,” Emily said. “This is Uncle Jerry. Remember?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, I do. I met him once.”
“You’re forgetting that he and Mom were estranged. She thought he was dead. Or lied to us about that. Maybe he was dead to her. Whichever it is, there has to be a reason. I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“But you agree we need to try?” Emily asked.
Harper hung her head and shrugged. “I guess we do.” Being here gave her the creeps. A strange sensation had clung to her ever since Emily had mentioned visiting here months ago. She looked up and took in the house where she grew up, now dilapidated and in need of multiple coats of paint. Maybe a bulldozer was in order.
Emily started walking up the drive toward their childhood home.
Instead of joining her, Harper watched her go. Emily, the mystery writer, was looking for closure or story fodder. Which one, Harper wasn’t sure. Why had their mother insisted they had no other family? It was possible Mom hadn’t meant that literally. Maybe as kids they had completely misunderstood her. Still, Harper had been under the distinct impression that they had no living relatives left. She’d always assumed the house had been sold to a stranger.
“Oh, all right.” Harper didn’t want to do this, but she wouldn’t leave her sister to go it alone. She looked at Heath, who’d been watching her and their surroundings. “Are you coming?”
“You know I am,” he said. “And then when you’re done here, Harper, we’ll take Emily to the airport and you can say goodbye. I want to get you back to Lori’s where I know you’ll be safe. Unless, of course, you’ve changed your mind and you’re going home with Emily, which would be best. You’d be safer there.”
What happened to his earlier sentiments about wishing she didn’t have to leave when this was over? Those words had been spoken in the heat of a moment that never should have happened.
Sighing, she shook her head. She wouldn’t throw that back in his face. “Come on.”
She had to jog a little to catch up to Emily, who was almost to the house. With his long strides, Heath was right behind her. They passed an old red pickup parked close to the house.
Emily clomped up the porch. Up close, the old, rickety house was so much smaller than Harper remembered, as if baking in the sun for two decades had caused it to shrink. Harper made her way up the steps to stand at the door with Emily. Heath followed and remained close.
“I think a phone call first would have been better,” Harper said.
“I don’t have time for that. It’ll be a nice surprise. You wait and see.” Emily knocked.
Harper let her gaze roam the overgrown yard. The woods backed right up to the house. Memories of her young life flooded her.
Emily frowned and knocked again.
Finally, she shrugged. “I guess nobody’s home.”
“He could have another vehicle besides that old red pickup.”
They turned and took the steps down the porch. “Since nobody’s home, let’s look around a bit.”
“Emily, no.” Harper felt like she was an adult telling a young child to behave herself.
The door creaked open from behind them. A man stood in the doorway. Thin as though wasting away. A shiny, unnatural head of hair. That couldn’t be their uncle, could it?
“Can I help you?” His voice was raspy and weak to go with his wary eyes.
“Uncle Jerry?” Emily rushed forward. “I’m Emily Larrabee and this is Harper, your sister Leslie’s daughters. I met you once a long time ago. Remember us?”
Harper stepped forward and smiled.
He stared for a few long seconds. “My, you girls have grown up. What brings you by?” He stepped halfway out the door, still blocking the way. No invitation to come inside.
“Mind if we come in? We’d like to catch up on old times, that’s all. We won’t stay long, I promise,” Emily said. “I have a plane to catch this afternoon.”
Emily was trying hard to connect with a long-lost relative who didn’t seem to return the feeling. For what purpose, Harper wasn’t sure. After all, this guy didn’t rank high enough for Mom to stay in touch. That Harper knew of. Mom had wanted to forget the place where Dad had died. But she’d forgotten a lot more.
“Or we could sit here on your porch,” Emily offered.
With no chairs.
“I’m sick and not feeling like having company today. Could you come back tomorrow?”
Emily scrunched her nose. “Well, I’m heading out of town this afternoon.”
“I’m sorry.” He coughed. “Today isn’t possible. If you could come back tomorrow, that would be better.” He looked at Harper long and hard as if expecting her to reply instead of Emily, then he said, “You look like your father.”
Uncertain what to say to that, especially since she saw no warmth in his eyes, Harper shrugged. “Emily’s leaving, so tomorrow won’t be possible.”
“But you’re staying,” he said matter-of-factly.
She hesitated before her reply. “I don’t think I can make it.”
Pursing his lips, he nodded. “I hear my phone ringing. I’m sorry, but I have to go. Thanks for stopping by. If you change your mind, you’re welcome to come back.” He took one step inside and closed the door.
Well, that was weird. Totally weird. She had expected as much. Still, shame filled her that she hadn’t been willing to agree to see him tomorrow. What was wrong with her anyway? She was surprised Emily hadn’t pressed her into agreeing right then and there or changed her plans to leave. Staring at the closed door, Harper considered knocking again, but being here disturbed her too much. Besides, Uncle Jerry hadn’t been overly exuberant to see them. So that was that.
Harper walked with her sister down the drive toward the parked vehicles, Heath behind them. Next to Heath’s truck, Liam jammed his hands into his pockets.
She hugged her sister to her as they walked. “I’m sorry.”
“You were right to begin with. I thought since he was a relative it wouldn’t be awkward.”
“Seriously. For me, being at this house, in this yard, is weird.”
Emily chuckled through tears. “Listen, Lori is going to take me to the airport.”
“What? No. We can take you.”
“You know how I hate goodbyes.” Emily sniffled. “Lori is heading back to Jackson today anyway. It’s on her way. We already decided.”
“So you’re saying goodbye to me now, while we’re at the creepy old house?”
Emily grinned through her tears. “It’s the stuff of any good mystery novel.”
Harper smiled in return. Her sister was well on her way to recovering, and Harper was going to miss her. At Lori’s SUV, Harper hugged Emily good and long. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
Emily slowly released her, then opened the door and climbed into the vehicle. “You be careful.”
“I’ll be fine. I have this guy”—she gestured with her thumb at Heath—“and also maybe his brother to watch out for me. It’s you I’m worried about. Call me as soon as you’ve seen that neurologist, okay?”
“Okay.” Emily shut the door.
Lori had lowered her window. “Y’all don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her, I promise.”
Harper fought the guilt. She wanted to go with Emily. Her sister needed her, but Harper was a magnet for danger and Emily could get hurt worse than she already had been. A chill ran over her. Could the killer have followed them even to this house in the woods? She hoped he was on the run since law enforcement from every part of the state was after him.
“Come on,” she said to Heath. “Let’s get out of here.”
Lori’s Navigator headed away.
Heath and Liam were like sentinels around Harper. She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about that. It only meant both of them could be in danger. They climbed into Heath’s truck and Heath started it up, then steered down the road, not far behind the Navigator.
“Wait, stop,” Harper said.
Heath slowed and pulled the truck to the side of the road. “What’s wrong?”
She opened the door and stepped out before he could prevent her. Then she grabbed her camera bag from the back.
Heath bounded out of the truck and ran around to stand in her way. “Harper, what are you doing?”
Liam jumped out too.
She hefted the bag over her shoulder and hiked around Heath and into the woods. “I’m going to take pictures of the house. That way, if I ever get the crazy thought in my head that I want to see it again, or if Emily begs me to go with her, all I have to do is look at the pictures instead and then I’ll remember. She’ll remember.”
Emily had reopened the book on this part of her life with her request to stop by the old house. Harper was relieved the book was now closed for good.