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Juliana said, “Like a cluster of grapefruits waiting to be picked.”

Jane said, “Please don’t take pictures, and if you must, don’t let anyone see them. I’d die if Allan ever saw me in this dress.”

The twins were caught between the more sophisticated, grown-up girls and the cute, silly little girls. They wisely decided to skip commentary.

Shawna stepped out of line, turned, and looked at her sisters. “I think we all look soooo beautiful. I am so excited about being in the wedding!”

That was all it took to shut down Juliana and Jane. If their little sister was this excited, they weren’t going to complain.

Mary Catherine said, “Is everyone happy with her dress? Do they all fit well?”

The girls all nodded or mumbled that they were satisfied. Mary Catherine clapped her hands and said, “Then go change and off to school, all of you.”

As the girls scampered away, Mary Catherine turned to me. “Good morning. You seemed so exhausted, I would’ve bet you’d sleep right through till noon. At least you look better this morning.”

“Is it getting that bad?”

“This is the worst I’ve ever seen a case drain you. Anything new on it? I knew better than to ask you last night.”

“I spoke to a detective in Atlanta yesterday. It seems very likely our killer was there too, though about eight months ago. After committing five murders, he abruptly stopped killing there. Maybe we’ve heard the last of him here too.”

“You really think so?”

“No. No, I don’t.”

Mary Catherine looked around to make sure none of the kids was close by. “Can we talk about Brian for a minute?”

I felt a sudden flutter of panic. What has my oldest son done now? I gave a silent nod, steeling myself for what disturbing news might possibly follow that cold open.

“You know I’ve been curious about where Brian goes every day.”

“Curious, intrusively paranoid—they’re all just words.”

She punched me in the arm playfully. For the record, playfully doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

“I followed him yesterday morning.”

“You conducted surveillance on Brian?” My tone indicated exactly what I thought of the idea.

“I know, I know. It’s shady and shifty and I shouldn’t have done it. But I’m worried about him. God knows what he’s doing. Or who he’s meeting with.”

I hated that I had to ask. “So what did you find out?”

“I followed him to the subway. He got on the 1 train headed downtown.”

“You didn’t follow him to see where he was going?”

“I think he might have spotted me. I’m not sure, but I thought it’d be best if I didn’t continue.”

I let out a smile and said, “Brian was running countersurveillance. Interesting. You got burned and returned to HQ.”

Mary Catherine said, “That’s all you have to say? Interesting? Aren’t you worried about your son?”

“You know I am, but he’s not breaking any laws by hopping a train downtown. We’ve got to have some faith in him. On the basketball court the other day, a boy tried to pick a fight with him, but Brian wouldn’t engage. I saw how hard he’s trying to stick to his anger management program. I’d like to give him a little more of a chance. Let’s have breakfast.”

I put my arm around Mary Catherine as we walked from the living room into the kitchen. I saw the New York Daily News on the kitchen counter, stepped over and picked it up. It was still rolled with the rubber band the doorman used to make the papers easier to deliver.

Mary Catherine grabbed a cup of coffee and headed into the dining room. She took a seat at the end of the dining room table. I sat down next to her and unrolled the paper.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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