Page 49 of What We May Be

Chapter Thirteen

Charlie leaned a hip against her desk, making a quick call to Annie while Abel gathered everyone in the conference room.

After four rings, she was about to hang up and try again when Annie finally answered. “Hey, sis. Sorry about that.” She sounded out of breath, and the background noises weren’t the usual library ones.

“Everything okay there?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I was just in the laundromat. Dryer’s busted at home again, and of course the only machines open here were the top ones. Why God denied me the extra few inches you got, I’ll never know.”

Charlie chuckled. “Not how you wanted to spend your afternoon, I’m sure.”

“Honestly, it’s better than the slower than slow library today.” She dragged out the second slow, and Charlie’s chuckle became a full laugh. “Too nice out. The only folks who came in this morning were those who had to, and they made quick work of it.” A door opened and closed in the background and Annie excused herself, probably stepping out of the way. “How’s Trevor?” she asked once it quieted again. “He texted he was back, but we’ve been playing phone tag since.”

“Safe and sound.”

“Oh, thank god.” Annie’s relief carried over the line as did her concern. “How’d he take the news about Julian?”

“Not well. He’s worried about Tracy.”

“I was dropping a book off for a patient at the hospital and swung by to check on her. You were right. She didn’t want to talk to me.”

Charlie wished there was a way to ease the hurt apparent in her sister’s voice. No matter her own opinion of Tracy, she didn’t want Annie to lose a friend. They’d lost enough lately, and it would be a shame for that friendship to have survived Tracy and Trevor’s divorce only to end now. “I’m sorry, Annie. I know you two are close.”

“She didn’t look good, Charlie. I heard her say the funeral is Thursday. Are you going?”

“I’ll watch from a squad car. You?”

“I’m going to try to make it.”

Charlie wasn’t surprised. Her sister was fiercely loyal that way. “I’ll be your backup,” she teased, hoping to lighten the mood but also wanting Annie to know she was more than ready to come to her defense if Tracy caused a scene.

“Thank you,” Annie said, and Charlie was glad to hear the relief again. “Was there something else you needed?”

“I was hoping you could swing by Trevor’s place and pack him an overnight bag.” He’d had a change of clothes leftover from the trip to Apex, but she couldn’t be sure he had another, and she knew Annie had a key to his place, same as her.

“Why?”

“We’re keeping him in protective custody.”

“Why?” her sister repeated.

“We’re taking precautions since he’s connected to both victims.”

“Isn’t that kind of extreme?”

Charlie cringed, then ran a hand down her face to wipe it away. This was not a conversation she wanted to have over the phone, especially from the station. It wasn’t a conversation she ever wanted to have with Annie, but she had to. Her sister didn’t know the truth about their mother’s death, and finding the right time to share it was proving impossible. Things had been so strained after the funeral that Charlie hadn’t wanted to throw another log onto the fire. Hell, at the time, she was still processing the letter—the confession—herself. Annie’s mood had improved since, and so had things between them, and Charlie hadn’t wanted to disrupt that. And now with the move and the potential job, things between them were more like a roller coaster. Conversations like the one now were pleasant; the one the other night at Annie’s, not so much. She was having a harder time than usual getting a read on her sister, but would there ever be a good time to have this conversation? Annie deserved the truth, and Charlie would rather she hear it from her than anyone else. “I’ll explain everything, I promise, but for right now, I need to focus on keeping Trevor safe.”

“Of course. You love him.”

“I do,” she said. A year ago she would have qualified that with as family, as a friend, but after the past month, all her caveats where Trevor was concerned were on shakier ground. Only one reason for that.

As if hearing her thoughts, Annie asked, “Is this about Sean?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “He’s back, and things are different.”

“But also the same?”

“I think his being here is reminding us both how we felt all those years ago.”

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