Page 88 of Trouble Comes in Threes

“Ash,” I said gently, “I know you’re upset with Uncle Joe right now, but I want you to know that grownups have arguments, especially married people.”

“But you and Uncle Joe don’t fight.”

“We do,” Joe said, “but we don’t argue very often, and when we have in the past, we’ve tried hard to make sure that you kids never saw or heard us. I got careless.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Why are you so mad at Aunt Rose?”

He gave me a questioning look, then turned back to face her. “It’s grown-up stuff that doesn’t have anything to do with you or any of the other kids.”

“Are you gonna get divorced?”

“What?” Joe asked in surprise. “No.”

“Definitely not,” I assured her. “Joe and I love each other very, very much. You love Mikey, but sometimes you fight, right?” When she nodded, I said, “See? It’s just like that. We’re not getting a divorce. We’re just disagreeing about a few things, but we’ll work it out.”

“Do you feel better?” Joe asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, but I still don’t like it when you yell.”

“I don’t like it when I yell either,” Joe said. “So I’ll try my hardest not to yell anymore.”

“Okay,” she said.

He turned to me. “My vote is French toast—same as Ashley. So now, it’s a tie.”

“I’ve already decided to make both,” I said. “So everyone wins. Now you better go get ready for work, or you’re gonna be late.”

He leaned over, kissed me, then stared into my eyes. “The luckiest day of my life was the day you married me.” I snorted, and he turned serious. “I’m sorry I’m leaving you with all of this.”

“We’ll be fine. Go save the world.”

He kissed me again, then got up and hugged Ashley, but as they walked out of the kitchen together, I couldn’t help feeling that I was on the brink of losing something dear to me. I just didn’t know what.

Chapter Eighteen

Jed, Neely Kate, and Daisy arrived at the soccer game ten minutes before it started. Hope hugged her cousin, acting like she hadn’t seen her for weeks. I’d texted Jed that morning, asking if he could arrange for me to talk to Austin. I was hoping he’d have news for me.

We set up our lawn chairs away from the other parents. Hope and Daisy started picking clover flowers about ten feet away, while Ashley tied them together to make bracelets, necklaces, and crowns. It was Liam’s naptime, so he sat on my lap and snuggled against me as he fought sleep.

Once we were settled, Neely Kate turned to me with an accusatory look. “Why didn’t you tell me there was another murder?”

I shook my head in confusion. “What are you talking about? You were there when Austin told us about it.”

Her eyes narrowed, then widened as she gasped. “Wait. You don’t know?”

My stomach twisted. “Know what?”

“Rose, there was another murder yesterday.”

My vision tunneled, and I held Liam tighter. “One that’s different than the one that Austin saw?”

Neely Kate nodded.

I felt like I was going to be sick. “Was it a woman?” Joe had told me it wasn’t, but what if he’d only said that to make me feel better? What if the dream had come to me as it happened?

“No, a man.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why did you ask if it was a woman?” Her eyes widened. “Oh. Your vision.”

I shot a look at Jed, but he didn’t look surprised, which meant Neely Kate must have told him. I’d tell them both about my dreams later. “How do you know it’s not the same murder as the one Austin saw? They could have moved the body if they found him somewhere other than Adkins.”

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