Page 7 of Sour Layer

“Oh. Well, I guess that’s a noble cause. Family is important, but if they’re missing, then how do you know they’re still living and didn’t just die out?” she asked and handed me a napkin to use for the cucumber sandwich plate she’d set out.

“We don’t know. Officially anyway, so that’s why I’m here. We traced her to this town.”

“How did you trace her to this town?” the keen woman asked.

That was an answer I couldn’t provide. My sisters and I didn’t share details about our family secrets and abilities. If the Bennetts were somehow still in town, I wasn’t going to be the one to oust them.

“I’m not totally sure. One of my sisters discovered a connection. That’s why I’m here.”

“You have sisters? Why didn’t they come along?”

“They’re preparing for my sister’s wedding. They had to stay and help.”

“Ah.” She smiled sweetly. “So, you’re either the expendable one, or you volunteered to get out of wedding duty.”

Yep, Dorothy was one smart cookie.

A smile was my only answer before I took a bite of the sandwich. I wasn’t expecting it to be delicious, and before I knew it, I had scarfed down three before coming up for air to find Dorothy leaning back in her seat watching me with a satisfied look on her face.

“Sorry,” I said, covering my mouth with my hand. “I grew up eating these, and yours are just as good as my grandmother’s.”

“I’m glad you like them. My kids hated them growing up. They’d rather go to bed without dinner than be forced to eat anything green.”

“They missed out,” I said and took another sip of my coffee to wash down the remnants. “So, have you lived around here long?”

Her eyes sparkled as if that question had made her day. It probably had. If this town didn’t get many visitors, I could only imagine it was a lonely place to live if everyone already knew everyone’s business.

“My family was among the first settlers in this valley.”

“Wow,” I said, setting my plate on the table. “Then maybe you know what happened to the Bennetts?”

“I do.” Dorothy rose. “To hear my momma tell it, they were an interesting lot that kept mostly to themselves back in the day. They lived up on the mountain and came down into town from time to time.”

My gaze turned to the window again, landing on the mound of snow packed among the boulders just beyond the shops across the street. “Any idea where I can find them?”

Dorothy’s eye twitched, and she took my plate. “It’s best to check the graveyard or with a historian, although I’m not sure how much they’ll be able to help.”

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important,” I said, rising and picking up both coffee cups and following behind Dorothy into the kitchen.

The kitchen had a restaurant-quality stove. The smell of apple pie drifted in the room. There were two sitting on the counter. She caught me looking at them and grinned.

“I cook everything else but the pies. I have them delivered daily. The baker down the street leaves them on my doorstep. Our community is close like that, and thank goodness, because I never mastered the art of desserts.”

“Why two? You don’t seem to have many guests staying here.”

She smiled. “Friends stop by to chat during the day knowing that I’ll share and the second pie we eat after dinner.”

She set the plate into the sink and took the coffee cups from me. “So, why is it so important you find the remaining Bennetts? Have you ever considered they don’t want to be found?”

This woman knew more than what she was telling me. I could feel it in my soul. My intuition was spot on and I could always feel a lie. There was something about the way someone lying spoke, what they said and what they didn’t.

“An FBI agent contacted my family with tales of a missing girl. When he showed us the picture, it looked just like our sister, Talia.”

“What does that have to do with the Bennetts up here?”

“My sister is dead. She died decades ago when she was just a kid. It wasn’t until we found out that two of the Bennetts were twins that we discovered there still might be a Bennett that needs our help. Look, we just want to find the missing part of our puzzle and offer assistance to the Bennett that may need our help.”

“Do you have a picture?” she asked.

I pulled out my phone and opened the pictures to show Dorothy. “This is the girl who would could be a twin to my dead sister. The FBI has been searching and is worried something might have happened to her, and frankly so are we.”

I spotted the recognition in the woman’s eyes. The way her lips turned down into a frown the second she saw the picture. There was a change in the air. The hesitation that hadn’t been there before now felt more like apprehension. “Why is the FBI worried and looking for her?”

“She was part of one of their programs and then just disappeared without a trace. It was out of character for her not to tell someone.”

Dorothy crossed her arm over her chest. “What if she just wanted to leave?”

I held up my hands. “I’m not here to talk her into going back. I’m just here to make sure she’s not in trouble. Regardless of whether she’s part of my Bennett line or not. I help people. It’s what my sisters and I do.”

“Prove it. Show me your ability,” Dorothy said, dropping her arms to her side and resting her fists on her hips.

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