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“It’s not your fault, Lucien. We learned a long time ago that we weren’t responsible for anything our parents did. Times are different than they used to be. DNA makes headlines somewhere every day. People find out all kinds of secrets that no one ever divulges. They get curious about finding out about their family tree. Graeme should understand that.”
“Sounds reasonable enough. But you’re forgetting one thing. When has Graeme Sutter ever been reasonable?”
24
Word got out that the Sutters were giving away free pumpkins. It meant jack-o-lanterns were popping up all over town. By Halloween, pumpkins of every size lined the school entryway and the library’s main foyer. Throughout neighborhoods, their pumpkins adorned porches and doorsteps.
Brogan couldn’t keep the gourds on the farm cart for more than a few hours before they were gone. Even the minis she set out disappeared within hours.
“They’re calling you the pumpkin queen at Murphy’s Market,” Lucien informed her as he puttered around the garden, weeding and getting the soil ready for planting the next batch of pumpkin seeds. Taking his time, he made his way over to where Brogan had set up a painting station for their last gourd of the season, a small, misshapen oval, and the only one left on the farm cart that no one wanted.
“Pumpkin queen,” she repeated. “I don’t mind that nickname so much. Pumpkins are a happy fruit.”
“Not that one. It looks more like it belongs next to Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree.”
“Don’t disparage our last pumpkin. It has the starring role at the Halloween party tonight. It’s the main centerpiece.”
“That thing? I’d use the punch bowl to block it from view. Or at least the sandwich platter.”
Brogan stood back to eye her work. She’d painted the entire pumpkin olive green, added big spooky eyes with eyelashes, turned it on its flatter side so the brownish stem could be used as the witch’s nose, and underneath that, given her a wide, frowny mouth. “By the time I’m finished adding the wig and a black hat, she’ll look like a junior version of The Wicked Witch of the West fromThe Wizard of Oz.”
“I’m not sure I see your vision, but I’m willing to give you an A for effort. Are we done decorating the house?”
“I should probably put out a few more lanterns on the driveway. Did you finish stuffing the scarecrow on the porch?”
“Done and done,” Lucien muttered. Every room in the house already had a black and orange theme, with purple thrown in for good measure. Their entire home was beginning to resemble one big gaudy Halloween display. Although it had never been his favorite holiday of the year, he knew Brogan got a kick out of decorating and dressing up.
“You don’t think the skeletons will scare the toddlers, do you? I actually considered taking them down.”
“They’ll be fine. They aren’t life-size.”
“No, just the size of a small child.” She made a face. “I feel like it might be too ghoulish, a little over the top, after the kind of month we’ve had.”
Even with the afternoon sun beating down, a cold chill hit him. He shoved the memories away of exhumations and cemeteries. Ignoring her pre-party jitters, he looked at his watch. “Okay, there’s still time. I’ll take them down. How many people are we expecting at this shindig?”
“I’m not sure exactly. The entire town might turn out.”
Lucien stopped digging, leaned on his spade, and wiped the sweat from his brow. “That’s a scary thought. At least we’ll get to meet the new cop in town.”
“I doubt it. Brent told me it’s all hands on deck, watching out for all the kiddos trick or treating. Everyone’s working double shifts, and that includes Theo Windsong. Eastlyn promised me she’d try to drop by between calls, though. And Colt said Naomi would bring the kids by after trick or treating.”
“I forgot to tell you that Sam Brownlee emailed me this morning. He took out a second mortgage on his house. He’s transferring the twenty grand into my account when he gets the money.”
“Wow. You were right to trust him. I was sure you’d never see a dime of that loan.”
“At the time, it was the only way to go.”
“Is your dad coming?”
“Yep. Got a text message that he was on his way and bringing his new girlfriend. He said there’s something he needs to talk to me about.”
“Oh, jeez, that sounds ominous. Well, it should make for an interesting evening. You’re planning on telling him about Evan, right?”
“We’ll see how that goes. If Dad’s in a good mood, I’ll drag him aside and tell him I know about my half-brother. That sounds downright weird saying it out loud.” He realized then he was dreading the entire evening, especially wearing a silly costume and an orange wig. The Mad Hatter paired with Alice in Wonderland hadn’t been his idea. He’d balked at first, giving in two days ago because he got tired of the discussion. He also knew that Brogan had her heart set on wearing an Alice outfit. “When do you want me to start getting ready? The makeup alone will take at least thirty minutes, maybe longer. Couldn’t I wear the get-up without the grease paint all over my face? You know it’s not fair. Alice’s costume is little more than a simple blue dress. While The Hatter’s is a heavy silk embroidered suit with a frilly ascot-slash-tie thing going on.”
Feeling sorry for him, she angled away from the green pumpkin she’d painted and planted a kiss on his mouth. “But you look so cute in the whole ensemble.”
“See? You called it an ensemble. I don’t care how cute it is—”
