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“You handled it well,” Bree said. “I’ll get out of here and let you gather the things you’re taking. You can leave Kylie with me when you’re ready to go to dinner. I’ll be praying it goes well.”
“I think we’ll need all the prayer we can get,” Annie said. “Especially for Anu. How is the family doing?”
“It’s rough. Hilary is beyond devastated. I talked to her onthe phone for a while, and I’m heading there now. We haven’t told the kids yet. We decided it was better to wait until we know what we’re facing.”
“That’s wise,” Jon put in. “We’re all praying it’s benign.”
Bree’s eyes focused on him. “But you don’t really believe that, do you?”
“Ben sent me the ultrasound, and I took a look. Remember, I’m not an oncologist, just a humble orthopedic surgeon. But no, it looks likely to be ovarian cancer. But I’m hopeful it’s contained in that one ovary.”
“That’s our prayer.” Bree touched his arm. “Thank you for caring enough to pursue it.” She reached down and scratched Milo’s ears. “And many thanks to this guy too.”
***
Since they had Kylie, they took Annie’s Volkswagen pickup to town to talk to Sarah. Was it as hard for Annie to call Taylor Sarah as it was for Jon? And how easily would Taylor fall into using the name Sarah? She didn’t seem to want to meld into the family.
Annie hit the village limits of Rock Harbor and slowed the truck. Jon was in the passenger seat, and he spotted a large SUV maintaining an even distance behind them. Could it be the same one that had tried to run him down?
He was probably jumping to conclusions. “Hey, slow down a sec.”
Annie lifted a brow and glanced in the rearview mirror. Her face tightened, and the truck slowed. “The same guy?”
“I’m not sure. Let’s see if he goes around us. Maybe pull into Konkola Service Station like you’re going to get gas.”
She glanced at the dashboard. “I could use some gas anyway.”
She parked at the pump. Jon got out and stuck in his debit card. He kept an eye on the traffic moving past. The SUV was black, and it slowed as it passed. The tinted windows made it impossible to see inside, so he couldn’t tell if the driver was male or female. By the time he finished pumping gas, it cruised past the other way as if it was going out of town.
He hopped back inside. “Take a roundabout way to Bree’s and let’s see if the SUV follows.”
He glanced in the pickup’s back seat. Thankfully Kylie was busy catchingPokémonon her iPad. She hadn’t paid any attention to what he and Annie were doing.
She pulled out onto Houghton Street, then turned at the newspaper office onto Pepin Street. She took it to Pakala, then turned in front of Naomi and Donovan’s house on Cottage Avenue. No one was in the yard or Jon might have suggested they stop. He had Annie turn around in the hardware store’s parking lot and go back past Naomi’s house to turn onto Pakala again. She took it up to Kitchigami Street, then turned at the jail back onto Houghton.
Then Houghton curved and turned into Negaunee Street. “There he is again,” Annie whispered. “What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing. Just drive on out to the lighthouse, where the road ends. If he follows us there, he’ll be trapped and maybe I can get a look at him. Or get his license plate.”
She nodded and continued on past the Blue Bonnet Bed-and-Breakfast. The SUV maintained its distance behind them. Annie stopped at the curb in front of Bree’s lighthouse, and Jon was out in a flash and walking back toward the SUV.
The vehicle stopped in the middle of the road as if the driverhad just realized there was no continuing on past. Jon stared through the windshield into a familiar face.
Her gaze collided with his, and she backed away quickly. The SUV careened from side to side as it accelerated away. It reached the drive into the Blue Bonnet, then turned around and sped away. He noted the license number in his phone, but there was no need since he’d recognized the driver.
Why would she be following them?
He jogged back to the truck, and Annie got out with Kylie. “Anything?” she asked.
“It was Idoya Jones.” He spoke softly, but Kylie wasn’t paying attention anyway.
“What on earth?”
“It makes no sense,” he agreed. “We’d better pay her another visit. She knows I saw her, so she won’t be surprised when we stop by the shelter.”
Annie shielded her eyes with one hand and held a box in the other as she looked up at the lighthouse and the cottage just behind it. “Let’s get this done.” Her voice wobbled.
He took her hand and squeezed it. “You can do this. I’m here, and so is Kylie.”
