Page 13 of Lake House Killer

“Wow.” Riley takes a seat on Fallon’s side of the booth and Buddy happily pops up between them. “So who did it? I heard there was another couple there. A man and a woman. The man was shot in the foot and the woman took off. I bet she’s guilty.”

“The man was shot in the hand,” I tell her. “And we’re going off the premise the woman was kidnapped, although the thought of her taking off isn’t off the table either.”

“Don’t worry.” Fallon sighs at her sister. “Things are coming together pretty quickly for us in that area. So where’s Mom?” She cranes her head toward the kitchen and my gaze drifts to her neck.

Fallon Baxter has the perfect neck. It’s an odd thought, I know, but I’ve made my way around my fair share of necks and she’s got a good one. And a good everything else to go along with it.

I frown at the thought.

“At the bank,” Riley says. “And then I think she mentioned she has an appointment.” She looks my way. “Between her beauty and doctors’ appointments, she’s got a full-time job. It’s a wonder she shows up at this place at all.”

“Good.” Fallon turns to face her fully. “There’s something I want to tell you, but I don’t want you to say anything to Mom. I don’t want to get her hopes up just yet.”

“Is this about Erin?” Riley’s expression quickly turns somber at the mention of their missing sister.

Erin Baxter was a child prodigy with an IQ that could rival Einstein’s. She was close to her family, loving, and looking to make her way in this world when it all up and unraveled out-of-the-blue. But I have a feeling Fallon knows exactly what that out-of-the-blue event was.

I’m not sure why she’s not sharing it with Nikki or me, but that’s her business. I know all too well how complicated families can be. I am certainly not judging anyone else because of it.

“It is about Erin,” Fallon says, dropping her voice an octave.

Riley slaps a hand on the table and leans toward her sister. “Tell me everything.”

Fallon and I exchange a glance.

We both know too much knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

8

Special Agent Jack Stone

“Nikki and Jack did some digging for me,” Fallon tells her sister as we sit at a booth near the window in their mother’s diner. “After that cult disbanded, she took off toward Clearwater Springs. She was spotted in a grocery store with an older man. They caught them on the security footage in a parking lot where he was giving her money. They scanned his features. The guy is linked to the mob.”

Riley’s face goes white.

The man’s name is Marco Rossi. He’s a known heavy for the Moretti crime family that has a hub right here in Denver.

Smart on Fallon’s part for leaving out the details. The last thing we need is her sister going off unhinged, trying to chase down the bad guys herself. The best way to protect her from herself is to limit what she knows.

I glance up just as Jet appears looming over us. Jet is my older brother, older by a year, and has turned going off unhinged into an all-out sport. He’s lanky and far too pale for most to believe that he has any blood pumping through him.

He’s an alcoholic, who by the world’s standards seems to be on the road to recovery, but by mine, he’s one second away from finding the nearest bottle of hairspray and shooting it into his mouth, simply for the alcohol content. He’s done it before.

“Fallon, nice to see you.” He sheds a toothy grin, showing off some discolored and a few missing teeth in the process. But I’ll admit, it’s nice to see him smile. “Jack.” He swats me on the back. “What’s going on?”

Riley ticks her head to the side. “My sister thinks she can pull a fast one on me by leaving out critical information about my missing sister.”

Fallon scoffs at the thought. “I just gave you critical information.”

“Oh yeah?” Riley’s voice is laced with attitude. “So what’s this guy’s name? The one Erin was seen with? The one with the mob ties?”

“This just got good.” Jet takes a seat next to me and I grunt.

“Do not do it,” I say, shaking my head at Fallon.

Riley’s eyes all but launch out of her head before she turns to her sister.

“Are you going to let some dude tell you what you can and can’t say? Just FYI, that is one of the many reasons I dumped Ryan.”

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