AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Doesn’t matter. Pick one. I’m afraid they’re both just alike. We know confrontation doesn’t work anyway. I can tell him how I feel, but it's a losing battle when he’s like this. So once you get Dad in a better mood, or in this case, pour enough bourbon into him to mellow him out, give me a heads up. In the meantime, I’m going to try and track down the kid who owned that Huffy bike.”
“If you’re hiding in your workshop, don’t forget to look up Vollaway Holdings. And the prior owner who rented the house to the Dolworths, that Riley Cutler lady. And look up who owns the property where the barn is now.”
“I’m on it,” Lucien retorted as he unloaded the bike out of the SUV.
“Hey, don’t be in a bad mood with me, mister. I’m on your side, remember? While I watch Graeme drink himself silly, I’ll check the Internet to see if any news outlet mentions the suicide.”
Lucien stopped and pressed his lips to hers in a brief kiss. “How did we turn out so normal despite our parents?”
Brogan lifted a shoulder. “Between Maeve and Felicia, we practically raised ourselves. Never tell Maeve we raised ourselves, though. She thinks Mother’s Day was created just for her.”
“Same with Felicia,” Lucien added, remembering all the times the Irish cook had been more of a mom to him than his own mother. “Felicia knows me better than Kate.”
“Goes without saying.”
He winked at his wife. “You better go inside and make sure Dad’s not busting up Delia’s best Waterford crystal.”
She let out a discernible sigh. “I suppose it doesn’t matter to Graeme that those glasses have been in my family since my great-grandmother’s days.”
“Probably not. But rest assured, Graeme Sutter would replace every glass with a reasonable facsimile, all the while believing in his heart he’s a saint for doing so.”
Brogan studied the GMC Yukon and its driver, who stoically sat behind the wheel in his uniform. “I’ll introduce myself to the driver and ask him if he wants a coffee before dinner. Do you think Graeme will stay the night?”
“Who knows? I say we order a pizza and get it delivered. We don’t let him bully us into making a big meal just because he says so.”
“Whatever. The simpler, the better.”
But Graeme, intoxicatedor not, had other ideas for dinner.
Forty-five minutes later, Brogan placed a large order for pick up at Perry Altman’s restaurant in town. She ordered crab cakes for herself, pan-seared sea bass for Gavin Birken, the Yukon driver, and two eleven-ounce steak fillets for Lucien and Graeme. With extra side orders and a bottle of Perry’s best wine, the tab came to four hundred dollars with tip.
Eager to get out of the house, Brogan volunteered to do curbside pickup instead of asking Gavin.
Desperate for a few minutes of solitude, she practically ran to her car, taking refuge inside. She drove toward town at twenty miles an hour without turning on the radio. She didn’t need more noise. Instead, she opted to roll down the windows and listen to the gentle breeze wafting through the trees. She took her time, stopping once to let a squirrel dash across the road. Another mile passed before she braked to watch a deer dart into the woods. She even pulled her Range Rover to the side of the road near the marsh to listen to the evening chitchat from a nest of plovers.
By the time she reached the restaurant and pulled into the parking lot, her brain had mellowed somewhat. But when Kelly Ecklund knocked on the driver’s side door, Brogan jumped like a skittish rabbit.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Kelly said with a laugh. “It’s just that I’m surprised to see you. Lucien called Beckett not thirty minutes ago to discuss the ground penetrating radar. They’ve been exchanging texts ever since. Beckett and I are meeting here for dinner. The two of us have been texting back and forth about the Dolworth case.”
Brogan stared at the tall woman with honey-brown hair and dazzling pale blue eyes. It took her a few minutes for Kelly’s words to sink in and several more seconds to find her speech. “Oh, right, of course. Then you know about the missing boys?”
“Beckett and I are playing catch up. But we know the basics. I plan on researching the details later tonight. Maybe you and Lucien could join us for dinner?”
A peaceful meal without Graeme’s whining sounded heavenly. Brogan envisioned a simple glass of wine, the art of lingering over good food while chatting with friends. Then reality clicked in. She opened the door to the SUV and got out. “I wish I could. But I’m picking up an order for takeout. I’m afraid that I’ve been dawdling. As it is, three hungry people are waiting for me back at the house. Maybe we could eat out together another time.”
“Absolutely. I’ll look forward to it.”
They stepped inside the restaurant’s foyer together and started to go their separate ways when Brogan got an idea. “Why don’t you and Beckett drop by the house for coffee and dessert after you finish up here?”
“That would work. We’d love to.”
With the offer accepted, Brogan’s mind began to race. Hopefully, things with Graeme might settle down by then. With any luck, Lucien would have his father tucked into the guest house. Graeme would be fast asleep, preferably not oozing negative rants. Yes, she decided, having Kelly and Beckett over could work. Her mind whirled with dessert options. She remembered fresh strawberries in the fridge. She could throw together a quick sponge cake recipe that would bake faster in little cups. Then she could top the cake with fruit and real whipped cream to serve as a simple strawberry shortcake. Who didn’t love an end-of-summer strawberry shortcake?
Brogan realized Kelly was still talking. “Oh, sorry, what did you say? My mind is splintering into a thousand pieces. Family drama always does it.”
“You look like you have a lot going on. Are you sure you don’t want to do the dessert thing another time?”
“No. Tonight’s fine. The four of us can discuss the case and get you up to speed. We met Susan and Gerald Rescher today, the parents of Trey. Those two broke my heart. We’ll need a miracle to find out what happened to Trey and the toddler. If we’re right about that old barn, ground penetrating radar might provide Susan and Gerald with the answers that have alluded them for over twenty years. This case is important, Kelly.”
