Page 30 of Almost Dead (The Cahills 2)

Cissy doubted it. In fact, she knew better.

“God, Beej looks more like his dad every day.”

That much was true. Which wasn’t so horrible, Cissy supposed. Jack definitely was good-looking, which sometimes could be more of a curse than a blessing.

Sara squinted up at the sky, as if searching through the clouds for the sun. “Will it ever warm up?”

“It’s winter,” Cissy reminded her.

“I know. What I wouldn’t do for hot sand, warm water, and a cool margarita brought to me by a pool boy named Ramon.”

Cissy actually smiled. “Amen.”

“You know, Cissy, you could use a break. All that business about your mom? And now your grandmother? On top of the divorce?” Sara shook her head, and sassy, razor-cut red waves bounced around her face as she touched B.J.’s nose with a manicured finger. “Good thing she’s got you, though, huh, Beej? You’re the bright spot.”

He stared at her but clung to his mother.

Sara glanced over her shoulder, spying Jack’s Jeep negotiate a last corner and disappear from sight. “Sooo,” she said, gaze returning to Cissy. “Jack’s back?”

“Oh, no. He just stayed over last night. He gave me a ride back from my grandmother’s place. My car was blocked in by all the emergency vehicles.”

“Oh God, you were there?” Sara pulled a face. “That’s right. You always see her on Sunday. Don’t tell me you were the one to find her.” When Cissy’s jaw tightened and she nodded, Sara’s white skin paled even more. “How awful. Are you okay?” She rolled her expressive eyes. “Sorry. Dumb question. How could you be?”

“I’ll be fine,” she said and meant it. She had to be for Beej.

Sara’s mind was already going a mile a minute. “So. Wait a minute.” Her gaze swept the driveway. “What about your car? Is it still there?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you need a ride to pick it up or something?” She checked her watch as the wind caught in the fringe of her scarf. “I could take you over there.”

“Really? Don’t you have to go to work?”

“Working from home today.”

Cissy’s gaze skated down her friend’s outfit: maxiskirt, unbuttoned to the knee; expensive boots; big-necked sweater and suede jacket. And the scarf.

“You’re working at home dressed like that?”

Sara laughed. “Well, I do have appointments this afternoon, and once I shower, I just get dressed for the day. But I’m going to hang around here for a while. It’s one of the advantages of selling real estate and having a home office with Internet access. So if you want to pick the Acura up this morning, I’m available.”

“How about as soon as Tanya gets here? Around nine?”

“Perfect.” Sara flashed a grin that had probably sealed more than her share of deals. “Call me.” Gingerly, she picked her way back to her house. Cissy watched her, then looked down the street to where she thought she’d seen the figure standing in the dark. Curious, she packed Beej across the street and walked to the position where she’d thought the person had been lurking. The neighbor’s grass was a little mashed, and there was a cigarette butt in the gutter, but that didn’t mean anything…or did it? She stood in the spot and stared up at her house. From this very position she could see into the dormer of the master bedroom. With only a partial turn of her head, she had a full-blown view of Beej’s room.

Another gust of wind blew down the street, rattling the branches of the trees and chasing a chill as cold as death up her spine. Rain began to fall from the sky in a thick, icy mist.

It’s nothing, Cissy. You were imagining things.

But she held her son a little tighter as she dashed back across the street and entered the house to hear the phone blasting. A little breathless, she managed to scoop up the receiver before the phone went to voice mail.

“Hello?”

“Tell me it’s not true,” a woman’s thick voice said on the other end of the line. “Tell me Eugenia’s alive.” There was a loud sniff.

“Deborah?” Cissy guessed, thinking of her grandmother’s companion.

“I just got a call from the police, and then I saw on the morning news that she had an accident. Oh Lord, I should never have left her.”

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