Page 60 of Fire Fight
“You love me.”
“God knows why.” He turned to go, then paused. “Give me a day or so and I’ll have a copy of everything we’ve got for you.”
I saluted him. “Take your time. See you at dinner tomorrow?”
“Considering Mom would kill me if I missed it? Yeah, baby bro. I’ll be there.”
The mention of our mother had some puzzle pieces clicking together in my head, and I said, “Hey…she and Dad were in school around the same time as Vicky and Roger, right? Have you ever asked her about them?”
Lane’s eyes widened in surprise. “Bring the girl to dinner. We’ll tug on Mom’s heartstrings a bit.”
With a chuckle, I waved goodbye, and we headed in our separate directions. My mom didn’t need any help in the emotionality department, but I could get on board with bringing Aspen to my ancestral home and introducing her to the whole family.
Inexplicably, the idea of Aspen meeting my mom and brothers didn’t feel like a one-off. It felt…momentous, like the start of something new and enduring.
The thought was pure insanity.
We barely knew each other.
She wasn’t staying.
And yet…
I couldn’t help hoping.
What a dangerous, silly emotion.
eighteen
. . .
ASPEN
Crew had been gonefor hours, and I was beginning to understand his worry and anxiety when I’d lost myself at the library the week before, because I was a bundle of stress by the time I heard the garage door open later that afternoon.
I was about to get up from the desk in his office to greet him when my laptop pinged with an incoming email.
FROM: [email protected]
SUBJECT: Can you help her?
The first is the key
Crowned the prom queen
Face forever locked in a scream
But who could the killer be?
A shiver sluiced down my spine as I stared at thefour lines on my screen, the words blurring together as my mind tumbled over possible explanations.
What did they mean?
Who were they from?
Were they…a clue?
