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“I hope it’s an accident, too,” Lucy said. “But we need to be prepared for it not to be.”
“I don’t want there to be a killer in our town,” Gail replied tearfully. “That would be too much for all of us.”
“There may not be a killer in our town,” Stuart said. “Maybe it was someone passing through. Like a student. They could be long gone.”
Lucy loved living in a university town. It always felt vibrant and alive, with a freshness that came every fall when the new students arrived. But there were downsides as well. One of them was that the full-time citizens often blamed things on the students.
A car crash on the edge of town? It must have been students.
Vandalism at the middle school? It must have been students.
A friend from high school was found dead? Students.
“We don’t know that any student was involved in this,” Lucy replied. “It could be anyone.”
“She probably had an older boyfriend at the university,” Gail said, getting into the spirit of student bashing. “Maybe she broke up with him and he didn’t take it well. This is why I never wanted you to date college boys when you were in high school.”
The reason her parents hadn’t wanted her to go out with older guys was because they were afraid she would have sex. That wasn’t a guess either because during the teen years Gail Gilbert had done everything but take out an ad in the local paper telling Lucy to stay away from penises.
“Mom, you may be watching too much Dateline.”
“Those shows are based on true stories.”
Lucy didn’t want to get into the odds of being offed by a serial killer.
“Did Zackary Winslow date Sarah?” Gail asked, her gaze wandering to where Zack was still chatting with a few attendees.
“I don’t think so. He was dating Angel through most of high school.”
“I think she’s here today,” Gail said, her gaze scanning the room. “They always made such a beautiful couple. I always wondered why they broke up.”
“They were just a couple of kids, Mom. Why are you so interested in Zack’s love life?”
Gail rarely even mentioned the Winslows, let alone Zack, who had been gone from town for years.
“Because of the way he’s looking at you, dear.”
Yes, he was still looking. She could feel the heat of his gaze even from this distance.
Normally, she would have looked away, blushed, and acted like she didn’t see it or that it was no big deal. But Zack Winslow was far from normal or every day. And the butterflies in her belly were something she hadn’t felt in a long time. This time she was going to do something completely out of character. Something she would usually never do.
She looked back at him, bold as brass, not caring if anyone was looking. Two could play at this game.
Zack might not be the kind of man a woman settled down and married, but he was just the type for a fun little fling.
It had been too long since she’d flung anything, and she was far past due.
8
So far, Zack had been unsuccessful in getting anywhere near Lucy. He’d take a few steps in her direction, and then someone would step into his path, starting a conversation. They all wanted to know how he’d been, when he’d arrived, and how long he was staying. They’d say it was a beautiful wedding, that he looked so much like his mom, and then their face would fall as they’d whisper that they were sorry to hear that it wasn’t Lily that had been found.
He didn’t know how much more he could take. Intellectually, he knew that they were just trying to be nice, but in his heart, it was like a stabbing pain every time his mother was brought up. Years ago, he’d been told that eventually it wouldn’t be as bad, it would dull with time. That person was a damn liar. If anything, it hurt far worse although it was less frequent. In New York, he’d kept himself so busy he didn’t have time to think about much of anything or anyone.
Is that why I worked so long at my soul-sucking job? So I wouldn’t think too much?
He couldn’t deny that it was a possibility.
They’d eaten dinner but the speeches and toasts had yet to be made. Zack didn’t really want to be around when his uncle would stand up and say gushing things about Joel and Kim. He didn’t want to toast to their happiness. He didn’t wish ill on them either - he wasn’t that petty - but he couldn’t pretend that all was right in their world.
