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“So, then, who wrote this?” asked Connor as he passed the card to Keefe, who was seated beside him.
“And how did it get inside your house?” Simon asked.
“We don’t know.”
Keefe and Sophie turned pale as they both read the card. They shared a look and Keefe spoke. “We took it inside. It was sitting on your doorstep yesterday morning. We came to deliver your mail to Aunt Nan and there it was. It hadn’t been sitting there long. It rained early that morning but the gift was dry,” Keefe explained.
Sophie continued. “We figured it was a harmless wedding present, so I put it on your table inside. If we’d had any idea…”
“I know that, love. It’s all right.”
“All right? All right? You can’t be serious! None of this is all right! What does it mean?” Sondra demanded.
“Well, if I’m right, then it means Darcie has a sister out there somewhere,” said Shamus, looking at Darcie, searching for a sign that she wasn’t about to crumble.
“And who delivered the gift?” asked Henry.
“I imagine Cian had made arrangements for the painting before he died. He would have done something like that,” Shamus answered. Cian was many things: a crook, a thief, a killer. But he was also a devoted friend and father who always tried to make the few people he loved happy.
Everyone grew silent.
Connor gathered Darcie against him, whispering comforting words in her ear. So far, she was holding it together.
Darcie, with her head buried on Connor’s shoulder, considered everything. They knew nothing about this person. Was she even alive or who Shamus thought she was? And if she was, was she like Cian? Did she know about Darcie? If she knew about her, what did that mean? Was she dangerous? She didn’t look dangerous in the photograph. Then again, neither did Cian. And look how he turned out. There were simply too many unanswered questions.
Darcie lifted her head, then shared a look with Connor, and nodded before speaking. “Let’s not talk anymore about it tonight. Is that okay? We’ve enjoyed a beautiful dinner and Nan and Shamus just got home and Mom made a triple chocolate cake that I don’t want to be ruined. We can talk more about it later.”
Sylvia could see that her son and daughter-in-law had decided and wanted to enjoy what was left of their family dinner. So that’s what they would do. Sophie and Sondra gathered the dishes while Sylvia went to the kitchen to slice the cake.
The men all looked at each other. They’d faced enough threats to last a lifetime. The last thing they needed was another criminal in the mix. This mystery girl could be anyone and anything. They would honor Darcie’s wish, but soon all bets were off.
Chapter5
Sophie stumbled into the kitchen,rubbing her head. She hadn’t slept well at all and had a headache. She made her way to the coffeepot, got a mug out from the cupboard, then grabbed hold of the pot only to then realize that it was empty.
Keefe came into the kitchen. “No time for coffee, Soph.”
“What? But why not?” she whined.
Keefe took a good look at his sister or whatever it was standing in the kitchen holding the empty coffeepot. Whatever it was, it looked rough. “Because I’ve got someone coming to the pub in less than an hour. You feel okay?”
“I’ll be fine once I’ve had my coffee and a couple of aspirin. What about breakfast?” She sniffed the yeasty aroma in the air. “Do I smell baking?”
Keefe reached inside the fridge and pulled out an already packed bag. “I made your favorite bagels and I‘ve got cream cheese and smoked salmon and everything else we need in here. I’ll make you a whole pot of coffee and breakfast once we get there, I promise. But we have to get a move on, so hurry up.”
Sophie rolled her eyes and placed the coffeepot down. She was much too tired to argue. If Keefe said they needed to get a move on then so be it. “Who’s coming? Is it about the roof?”
Keefe couldn’t look her in the eye when he said “yes.” If he told her the truth about who was coming, she’d skin him alive.
He’d distracted her and hustled her out the door with the promise of food. Sophie was always starving in the morning, so he knew he was taking a gamble—trading an overly cranky, hungry Sophie for keeping his aunt’s house in one piece.
But more than that, he needed to get her out before she noticed his guilt. Or his fear.
This one was going to hurt.
Really hurt.
* * *
