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Frowning again, Ravinia shook her head. “No, Aunt Catherine thinks it’s one of my brothers.”
“One of your brothers?” he repeated.
“Yeah. There’s the good one and the bad one, and well, he’s the bad one.”
It was starting to sound a little far-fetched. Well, a lot far-fetched. And it must’ve registered on his face.
She said, “I told you it was a long story. Anyway, it’s my turn. Are you married?”
He hesitated, not wanting to give insight into his personal life, then said, “No.”
“Ever been married?”
“Yeah . . . once,” he admitted reluctantly.
“Doesn’t sound like it was good.”
“It was for a while.” Rex had no interest in continuing this line of questioning. He’d been married to Allison for six years before her infidelity came to light, and it was after he’d learned the truth that he left the LAPD. He’d been itching for a change for a while, but it took the impetus of Allison’s betrayal to finally get him to act. That and the fact that she’d taken up with one of his fellow officers whom she’d married almost before the ink was dry on the divorce decree. That was nine years ago, and Allison and Kurt had popped out two daughters in quick succession. He hadn’t even come close to marriage since the divorce and he kind of regretted the fact that he had no children, but life was full of twists and turns. He might not have much of a family life himself, but he’d become the go-to man for sorting through other peopl
e’s domestic chaos—cheating spouses, runaway kids, missing kin. Good ol’ Rex was your guy when it came to dysfunctional families.
“What happened?” Ravinia asked.
“We grew apart,” he said brusquely, cracking the window a little farther, allowing more of the late afternoon breeze to filter through the car. “So, tell me, why do you think your evil brother is after your cousin?”
“I don’t. My aunt does. It’s because he’s threatened us and he killed my mother.”
“He killed your mother? Truly?”
“That’s what Aunt Catherine thinks.”
“And he got away with it?” Rex confirmed, realizing that Bonnie was right. This girl was certifiable.
“It’s true!” she said as if reading his thoughts.
“So now he’s on the loose and after your cousin?”
“He’s after all of us. It’s the nature of who we are.” She slid down in the seat, her voice growing softer. “My turn.”
“No, wait. All of you? Your . . . family?”
“My sisters and I live with our aunt in a lodge. We’re kind of well known around Deception Bay. They all think we’re crazy.”
“Yeah?” Rex half-smiled. This was bizarre. “I assume the police know all this. That if this is true—”
“It is!”
“There’s a warrant out for this guy’s arrest. By the way, does he have a name? And the other one, the good brother. What’s his name? How does he figure into all of this?” Even as he asked the questions, Rex realized it was all for naught. She was spinning fantasies.
“My turn,” she insisted, her eyes narrowing as if she expected him to lie. “How many cases have you solved?”
“Wait a sec. We were talking about the bad brother who killed—”
“How many?” she demanded.
“Oh, for the love of God.” He shrugged. “I don’t know and I’m not sure I’d even call them cases.” He stared through the binoculars again, adjusting the focus. “Sometimes I’m just searching for kids who’ve run away from their parents and it ends up that they were really just away for the weekend, staying with a friend, not bothering to tell their folks. Sometimes it’s a lot more and takes some time. Like what we’re doing now.” He pulled the glasses away for a sec. “So how many sisters and brothers do you have?”
Ravinia shrugged.
