Page 208 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

She cast her mind back to try to remember her uncle. Her memories were dim, but she thought he’d been quite tall with the same long, thin build she had herself. But did that prove anything? It wasn’t uncommon for a niece of nephew to resemble an aunt or uncle.

A tap on the bedroom door interrupted her thoughts.

“Becca, can I come in?” Shayna’s voice sounded anxious.

“Come in,” Becca called.

The door opened and Shayna peeked in. “Are you all right? You ran off in such a hurry. No one meant to upset you.”

“How can you think I wouldn’t be upset to discover I might not be Becca Baxter?”

“You’d still be a Baxter.”

“That’s small comfort.” Becca could feel all safety she’d thought she had in her life dissipating like a sinking swirl of seaweed. A rising panic squeezed her chest. Would her brother and sister still love her if the truth was something none of them were prepared to face?

“You look ready to run,” Shayna remarked. She patted Becca on the shoulder. “This changes nothing.”

“You’re not the one living it,” Becca retorted.

“True. But we all have things in our lives we have to live with.” Shayna’s lips had a bitter twist, and Becca wondered what secrets hid behind the smooth beauty of Shayna’s face.

Shayne was staring at her with a strange expression on her face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was just wondering if you were right about your parents’ deaths. If someone really did kill them, then you would be even more a target if your father was your Uncle Will. You’d be the only child of the oldest heir. Gram might think you should have the lion’s share of the estate.”

“I don’t want any of it,” Becca said. “Everyone seems to think this is about Gram’s money, and I’m not here for that. I have anice life on the mainland. I’m eager to get back to my friends and my school.”

“I thought you were out of school.”

“I am, but I’m enrolled for the doctorate program next fall.” At school she felt safe. She knew what was expected of her, and the ivy-covered brick buildings gave her stability. All this uncertainty made her feel she was treading water over an unfathomably deep hole. She wanted to go back to paddling in the kiddy pool.

Shayna echoed Becca’s own thoughts. “Maybe you should think about heading back to the mainland. I like you, Becca. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Becca shook her head. “You have no idea how much I want to do just that. But I’m going to find out what happened to my parents.”

Shayna pressed her lips together. “Even if your father isn’t really your father?”

“He still loved me and cared for me just like he did Jake and Wynne. I loved him and I owe it to my parents to find out the truth.”

“Okay. I’ll help you if I can.”

“You will?” Becca searched Shayna’s face. She needed an ally, and the other woman’s offer was like a life raft in the middle of a nor’easter.

Shayna nodded. “Why not? It will liven up the boredom around here. How can I help?”

“Sit down.” Becca indicated the rocker by the window as she settled herself on the edge of the bed. “Who had the most to gain from getting rid of my parents?”

Shayna pursed her lips. “None of us were too excited to think about splitting the money another way. But we all knew we’d get our share eventually. I still think you’re not looking at it clearly.It really was an accident, Becca. I was here. I saw how upset everyone was when they died.”

“None of you came to the funeral.” That fact had bothered Becca more than she admitted. Not even Gram had come, and Becca resented that fact.

“Gram had a heart attack. She almost died, though she won’t admit it. She just says she swooned.” Shayna gave a wry grin. “She can put blinders on like no one else I know.”

“I hadn’t realized that’s when it happened.” The burden lifted a bit from Becca’s shoulders. “I thought no one cared enough to make the trip.”

“We were all hovered around Gram.”

Becca said nothing though the thought that they’d all gathered like vultures waiting for Gram to die made her shudder.

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