Page 47 of Too Much Heat

She crossed to the porch. Sammy and Craig sat on opposite sides of a table. They were playing cards. She’d bought card holders a while ago but Sammy wouldn’t play anymore. This was good. Really good. “Hi, there.”

Sammy glanced over. “Hi. We’re playing Uno.”

“Are you having fun?”

Joe joined her at the door. “Who’s having fun?”

“We are.” Craig gave them a once over. “You two look dead on your feet. Rough shift?”

“Very.” Lara could hear the weariness in her voice.

“Go relax.”

Joe and Lara left them alone.

“Relax,” he said when they got to the kitchen. “How do you do that?”

“I can think of a way,” she teased, “But they’d know what we were doing.”

“So what?”

“I still worry about Sammy’s reaction to us.”

“He’s okay with it. He told me that he didn’t expect you to be a nun for the rest of your life.”

“Hmm.”

They changed and were coming downstairs when the doorbell rang.

Joe started for it.

Craig yelled, “Joe! Don’t open the door.”

Joe jerked back. “Jeez, I wasn’t thinking.”

Craig strode to the front and peered through something off to the side.

“What’s that?”

“A door camera I put in today.” He pressed the button. “Identify yourself.”

“I’m a process server from the state.”

“Show your credentials.”

Standing behind the guy, Will said, “I already asked for them. He’s who he says he is.”

Craig opened the door. “I’ll take it.”

The guy was small and wiry. He lifted his chin at the unusual circumstances. “I have to leave it in Lara Swanson’s hands.”

“That’s for me?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She stepped up to the door and Will let the man hand her the envelope. “Lara Swanson, you’ve been served.”

As soon as she took it, Will snatched it out of her hands. “Stay back, I have to check it.” He pulled a mask and gloves from his pocket and put them on.

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