“No kidding.”
His lips twitched as if he wanted to smile. But he didn’t give in to the urge.
“I’ll try to make this as quick as I can,” she said. “My family is a blended one. My mom, Theresa, was Cuban, along with my bio dad, Carlos. We immigrated to America when I was ten and my two brothers were in high school. My dad died of a heart attack a few years later, and Mom did what she could to put food on the table. We had a wonderful life together, still do, except that my mother… Theresa…passed away a few years ago. Cancer.”
“I’m sorry for the loss of your parents. I heard you and your mother, especially, were very close—”
“Youheard? What do you police do, sit around talking about my family when you’re bored?”
This time he did smile. “In a way. There are bulletins shared between agencies about ongoing investigations or potentially dangerous situations. It can’t be a surprise that some of those bulletins refer to your family.”
She grimaced. “I suppose not. But I hate that details like my family’s relationships are fodder for the police.”
“I can imagine it’s not a great feeling. Maybe I can spare you some discomfort and speed this along by telling you what I know about your family’s background.”
She crossed her arms. “Okay. Let’s see what part you get right. Or wrong.”
“Fair enough. I believe your mother was working as an exotic dancer when she met your stepfather, Michael Covington.”
She stiffened, not sure whether she detected censure in his voice or not. “She did what she could to pay the bills, to feed her kids. It was an honest living, even if people don’t approve.”
“No judgment here. Just telling you the facts, at least what I’ve been told. Michael Covington ended up marrying her. It was his third marriage, her second. He had four sons already and adopted you and your two brothers, Esteban and Rafael.”
“We don’t use thesteptitle in my family. Michael is myfather.And his sons—Thomas, Vincent, Anthony, Charles—they all welcomed us into their home and family as if we were blood-related. They’re my brothers and I’m their sister, period.”
He crossed his arms on top of the island. “As touchy as you seem about your family, I’ll skip all the legal issues your father, and brothers, have been caught up in through the years. Let’s get to the part that matters right now. You said you came here because my life, and others’ lives, are in danger. Why do you think that? What’s going on?”
“To answer, I need to add something else about my family. In addition to being close, we’re also extremely private. We try to avoid being in the public eye as much as possible, mainly to avoid harassment by law enforcement. Which is why you might be surprised to learn that my oldest brother, Esteban, died quite some time ago.”
His eyes widened. “Thatisa surprise. Last I’d heard he was in Europe managing the family’s international crime interests.”
“Internationalbusiness.”
“Semantics. But let’s not get into that. My condolences, again, on another terrible loss for you and your family. That’s a lot to have endured.”
She nodded her thanks, surprised at the sincerity in his expression, his tone. That wasn’t what she’d ever expect from a cop.
“And you’re right,” he continued. “I had no idea that your brother had died. Are you trying to say his death is the reason that you feel others are in danger?”
“Yes.”
“But he lives, lived, in Memphis with the rest of your family, right?”
“All of us live there, within a few miles of my father’s home.”
“Then what does his death have to do with people being in danger here in Mystic Lake, nearly six hours away? That’s what you’re saying, right? That his death is somehow tied up with the danger you mentioned?”
She clenched her fists in her lap. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
He shook his head. “I’m lost, unless…how did Esteban die? I’m guessing it wasn’t natural causes or you wouldn’t have brought it up.”
“He drowned. In the lake not far from this very mountain.”
“Esteban died in Mystic Lake?”
“Yes.”
He slowly shook his head in denial. “Impossible. As the chief of police, I’m aware of every death in town, natural or otherwise. There’s no way your brother could have drowned without me being told and my team investigating his death.”
