Page 81 of It Runs in the Family

His face paled. “Where?”

“The warehouse.”

We both stared at each other for several seconds before he pulled me into a tight hug. “Stay with Trinity today,” he said, his voice cracking. “I can’t lose you, Irie.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“I’ll get off around five,” he said as he started out the door. “I’ll pick you up from Trinity’s.” He bolted out of the house before I could respond.

I shut the door behind him and watched through the living room window as he got into his car. “Like hell I’m spending the day with Trinity,” I mumbled to myself. “I’d rather get shot.”

And I halfway meant it. Besides, I suspected I’d be safer on my own than with her.

Once he pulled out of the driveway, I texted our cousin Tim.

What’s going on in Chaffney right now?

If something big was going down, he would know. He saw conspiracies in everything and had his police scanner running twenty-four/seven.

You’ll have to be more specific. There are about ten different things going on in Mesquite County right now. If you’re asking about the ghost lights on Hook Line Road, I’m 87% sure they’re the ghosts of Farmer Miller and his wife.

Great.

I was thinking something more earthly. Something involving the sheriff’s department

Bubbles immediately appeared on my screen, and about twenty seconds later he sent:

Sheriff Brown is a member of the Illuminati, and my secret society is working to expose him before the next election. Do you want to join? We meet on Thursday nights. You’ll need to bring a savory dip and a candle. Don’t worry about the chips. We already have those.

I groaned in frustration. It was too damn early to be dealing with this nonsense. But at least I hadn’t had to use the dirt I had on him.

Garrett got called in early for his shift. What’s happening that would require extra deputies?

Oh. That. They found a woman dead on the side of Frontline Road. What kind of dip can I put you down for? French Onion is a crowd favorite

My stomach fell, and I was dizzy enough that I had to sit on the sofa.

I can have the Grand Master send you the secret password to get through the door.

Was Selena lying on the side of the road somewhere, and Garrett was too scared to tell me? Or maybe he just knew there was a dead woman, and they wanted him to identify her?

I texted Tim:

Do you know who the woman is?

OUR IDENTiTIES ARe SECERT, IRiS!!!!

Oh, that reminds me. You’ll need to bring $71.93 to pay for your robe. Cash only. Debit and credit cards are linked to the Illuminati. We can’t clue them into what we’re doing.

Why were my cousins so freaking frustrating?

Not your grand master. The murdered woman.

I never said she was murdered, Iris. All I know is she’s dead.

I paced the living room for about two minutes, ignoring the string of texts Tim continued to send.

I had to find out if the woman was Selena. I could call Garrett and tell him I knew a woman had been found dead and ask if it was our cousin, but he’d never tell me.