Page 68 of Three Steps Behind

He nodded but tracked her with his gaze.

She stepped to the bookcase, examining the photos. Looking for the frat one Susan mentioned. Bingo. A group of a half dozen guys, half bent in a Hulk-man pose in front of what had to be a frat house. A large red tapestry with white Greek letters hung on the house behind them.

“You see something?” Nick asked, startling her.

Turning, she nearly bumped into him. “I was just looking over pics of Taylor.”

“Really?”

Was he outright questioning her?

“Ready, honey?” Deck asked, swooping in by her side.

“You’re leaving?” Nick asked.

“Yeah . . .” She pushed the loose strands of hair that had escaped her messy bun back into the scrunchie. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“Sure is.” Although he looked like he was taking it in just fine. Not a tear shed, though he’d pinched his nose and sniffed a few times. “Well . . .” He shifted to hug her, but thankfully Deck intercepted him, sliding his arm around her waist and tugging her to him.

Nick’s eyes narrowed. Was he scrutinizing her and Deckard’s relationship? Whatever it was. She didn’t know herself.

Nick curled his index finger around his belt loop. “Don’t be a stranger, you hear?”

When Harper stepped outside, the brisk wind slapped her face with a waking chill—a focusing chill.

Creaking sounded around the side of the house, a sob echoing in the distance.

Harper gestured with her head, and Deck nodded. They followed the sounds and found Taylor’s cousin Anne on the porch swing. Steve leaned against the wooden frame.

“You okay?” Harper kept her voice soft.

“Yeah.” Anne clutched a balled tissue in her hand.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It was such a sudden death. While I hated seeing my dad suffer through cancer, at least it gave me more time with him. But Taylor . . . one minute she was on the phone with me. The next, I got the call from Nick. Completely unexpected.”

“Agreed.” Harper shuffled, then leaned in and lowered her voice, though it was just the four of them, and Deck was already deep in conversation with Steve. “Did you know about Taylor being unhappy with Nick?”

Anne’s brow furrowed. “No. Why? Did she tell you that?”

“She said it wasn’t what she hoped for.”

“I’m sure it was hard, struggling so much to have a baby.”

“Yep.” Anne either didn’t know about the affair, or she wasn’t bringing it up.

“You ready?” Deck said.

She turned to find him right behind her with Steve and Susan. “Yep.”

After giving Susan a hug and Steve a finger wave, she climbed into Deck’s truck and pulled the evidence bags out of her pocket.

He started the engine. “Where to?”

“My lab. We’re going to find out if these are human remains. If so, we have a way-deeper mystery going on.”

Twenty-Seven