Page 26 of Trouble Comes in Threes

“Honestly, I’ve been feeling a bit frazzled since Joe’s gone back to the sheriff’s department, but we’ll work it out.” I rolled my eyes. “I mean, we aren’t the only family with two working parents.”

“If any two people can make it work, it’s you two,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to feel tired and frustrated. Just remember, there’s no shame in asking for help.”

My heart filled with warmth. “Thanks, Jonah.” He’d always had a knack for helping me feel better about things.

As I drove to the office, my dream hung at the back of my mind like a tiny splinter stuck under my skin. It was still coming in fractured bits, and I was hopelessly trying to piece them together. It felt important.

I arrived at work before Neely Kate, so before I went in, I headed to the coffee shop a few doors down. I ordered my usual latte but told the cashier, “I can’t remember Neely Kate’s latest order.”

“Got it here,” the barista said, holding up a laminated paper square that had black marker drawn through words and new things added. “She makes changes all the time, but we try to keep her most current iteration. Right now, she’s into a white chocolate mocha with three pumps of white mocha syrup and a pump of caramel made with almond milk.

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll take one of those. Only make it a decaf.”

“Neely Kate’s giving up caffeine?” the barista said, shaking her head. “Won’t she just fold up like a house of cards? She’s like the Energizer Bunny, and I have a bet with Sebastian that she’s fueled by caffeine and sugar.”

“You’re probably right,” I said with a laugh. I should have realized they’d notice. “That’s why I’m not telling her it’s decaf.”

He laughed and made the drinks, which I then carried to the office. Luck had it that Neely Kate had just arrived and was about to unlock the front door.

“Good morning,” she said with a bright smile.

“Did you make up with Jed?” I asked as she inserted the key and turned the knob.

“We’ve reached a truce,” she said with a smug expression, which I took to mean she’d told him how things were going to be, and he’d agreed to go along with it.

“I got a bit of design work done this morning before Liam woke up,” I said. “In anticipation of using part of the day to track down homeowners.”

“Good thinkin’,” she said as she pushed the door open before grabbing the coffee cup I offered. Her brow lifted.

“Decaf,” I said.

“How’d you explain that?”

“I told them you had too much energy, and I was trying to slow you down.”

She laughed, and I was thankful she was in a better mood today. “I hope you don’t mind, but last night, after we got Daisy to bed, I located the next homeowner on the list.”

“That’s great,” I said. “What did you find out?”

“Lauren Abernathy was wrong. They weren’t the Elgers. They were the Fredricksons. They currently live in a smaller home here in Henryetta. Bill works for the post office, and Margaret works at Walmart.”

“I could always use more diapers,” I said with a conspiratorial look.

“And I need more toilet paper. I’ve been peeing like every few hours.”

“We don’t know if she’s working,” I said. “Do you want to go by her house first?”

“Works for me.”

“Okay, it’s still early, so maybe we work for an hour or two, then we try to track down Margaret Fredrickson?”

“Deal.”

I didn’t realize Neely Kate had set a timer until it went off an hour and a half later. At least I’d finished the design I’d been working on that morning and started a new one.

By the time I got moving, Neely Kate had already shut down her computer and was grabbing her purse out of her desk drawer.

“I’m driving today,” she said. “No offense, but I suspect your car’s gonna smell like a locker room.”

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