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“Find him first, and I’ll teach him,” Cicely said with an easy chuckle, because Carlos’s sexual orientation had never been an issue with either Carlos’s or Xavier’s parents. “Have a good evening, boys. And thank you. My garden looks so nice now. Carlos, when it’s time to harvest, I want you to take some of the tomatoes and zucchini to your mother. She makes the best zucchini bread, and we have a lot to share.”
“Will do, Mrs. M. You have a good time at that book club.”
“Oh, we will,” she said with a suggestive waggle of her brows. “We’re reading one of the Fifty Shades books.”
“Mama,” Xavier whined, his cheeks heating. “I don’t need to know that.”
Cicely laughed again. “I know. And we’re really reading a book about bees. I just wanted to tease you.” She backed away, waving. “See you tomorrow. You staying over, Carlos?”
“Yes’m. Xavier and I are planning weekend trips to Philly and New York.”
“Good.” Her smile faltered just a smidge before she gamely forced it back to her face. “Lord, I’m gonna miss you two. But it’s high time you get outta my house, Xavier Morrow,” she added lightly. “My son, the doctor. It has a nice ring to it.”
“You can always send us cookies,” Carlos said hopefully.
“Every two weeks,” she promised. “Bye, now.”
When she was gone, Xavier turned to Carlos. “You’re staying over? Why?”
Carlos gave him a duh look. “Because you’re still freaked out. Don’t tell me you’re not.”
He couldn’t deny it, because it was true. All day he’d felt... odd. He’d taken a bag of yard waste to the curb a few hours before and had sworn there was a guy in a blue car on the curb, watching him. But when he’d blinked the sweat from his eyes, the car was empty. I should have checked it out. But part of him didn’t want to know. Sometimes real estate agents came to show the house for sale next door, right? “It’s just my imagination.”
Carlos shook his head stubbornly. “I’ll stay. No arguments.”
“I won’t argue. But it’s gonna be boring. I was going to read a few chapters out of one of my anatomy books. I want to walk into my first class ahead of the game.”
Carlos shrugged. “I have a physics book in my backpack. We can read, play some Call of Duty, maybe get the group online for some D&D. And then order pizza.”
“Mom made a casserole.”
“Which we will annihilate, because I am starving. After we annihilate these cookies.” Carlos shook the bag. “Feels heavy. Your ma is a cookie wizard.”
Xavier’s lips curved. “She really is.” Damn, he’d miss her. But she was so proud of him. So he’d go to Philly and ace med school and make her even prouder.
Carlos gathered up the garden tools and started for the shed in the back. “Hurry up, hermano. I’m starving to death here.”
Chancing a look over his shoulder, Xavier froze. The blue car was back. The one with the guy who’d been watching him before. Get in the house. Run into the house.
He shook himself. He was being stupid. Nobody was out for his hide. Nobody was watching him. He hustled himself to the shed to help Carlos put the tools away.
He was going to chill the hell out and memorize all the bones in the hand. And eat cookies. And casserole. And pizza. And stop worrying.
He blew out a breath, knowing he’d continue worrying. “Four out of five’s not bad, at least,” he muttered.
The Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana
MONDAY, JULY 25, 5:05 P.M.
Molly’s attention was yanked from the police report she’d been reading by three things simultaneously: her stomach growling, the sublime aroma of the dish being placed next to her keyboard, and Gabe’s gasp.
“Oh my God,” he whispered, horrified.
Molly realized too late what he’d seen on her screen and closed her laptop abruptly. This was why she hadn’t wanted to read Rocky Hebert’s reports in public. The photo hadn’t depicted a particularly gruesome crime scene—Molly had seen far worse—but the victim had been a child and that was always harder. She’d had to psych herself up to open the file. She’d been able to maintain her composure until Gabe had interrupted. Now the reality of what she’d been reading rushed in, and she felt unsteady, too.
Gabe Hebert was pale, his skin a little green. She stood and pushed him into her chair, taking another big bowl of food from his hands. Which were shaking.
“Why—” He swallowed. “Why were you looking at that?”
