“That’s one way to look at it,” Kate said, eyebrows raised. “I better go. I’m at work.”
“Oh, sure. Make a good impression. ’Bye.”
Kate stared at her phone for a moment. What a truly surprising response her mother had given. But then, her mother had been surprising her a lot lately. And when she thought about it, there hadn’t been one of her multiday depressions in months.
Next, she called Alastair, but she got voice mail. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you, but you may have heard that I’ve been busy. Today I’m fighting off reporters. I’ll try to call you this evening. Oh. This is Kate Medlar.”
At three, Tayla said that a security company had called and Kate was needed at home. By then everyone had given up trying to work. Kate slipped out the back way and ran to her car. She made two wrong turns, but she finally found Stewart Lane—and wasn’t surprised to see two armed guards at the entrance to the road. When the reporters sitting there saw her, they jumped up, but the guards waved her through.
The front door was unlocked and she saw Sara sitting outside in the shade of her screened-in area. Kate joined her. “How are you holding up?”
Sara put down her pen and notebook. “Not bad, considering. Help yourself.” She nodded to a pitcher of what looked to be iced green tea.
Kate poured herself a tall glass and sat down on one end of the couch. “Where’s Jack?”
“Getting dressed. He didn’t get back until six this morning, took a bath, then went straight to bed. I had to wake him up to tell him that the sheriff’s coming at four.”
Kate groaned. “Mind if I borrow your boxing gloves?”
Sara smiled. “He won’t be alone. Some big shot from the Broward County sheriff’s office is coming with him. It seems that they not only have information, they believe they have answers.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Wish I were.”
Kate sipped her tea and looked at the pool. It had a big spa at one end.
“Do you swim?” Sara asked.
“Not well,” Kate said. “What about you?”
“Not a stroke. When Jack isn’t on crutches, he does laps. Sometimes Gil and his son use the pool.”
“Gil?”
“Jack’s foreman. You’ll meet him soon. Everyone will want to meet you. What’s that look for?”
“I was thinking how normal all this sounds. Relatives, friends. Steps and halves.”
“Not what your life has been like?”
“Far from it,” Kate said but then smiled. “Except in college. Ilovedcollege.”
“Me, too!” Sara said. “I—” She broke off when Jack opened the door and came outside.
His hair was wet, his clothes clean, and he was frowning. “Tell me that isn’t your sour old green tea.”
“It isn’t my sour old green tea,” Sara said by rote.
Jack poured himself a glass, took a drink, made a face, then sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Kate. “You look tired.”
“Thanks,” she said. “Hard to believe I don’t look my best when the last two days have been so much fun.”
“You talk to anyone?” he asked, his eyes on his glass.
“Not really. I just told people about the necklace and how Cheryl wanted to be a newscaster and that your father stole the camera and maybe he killed her. Not much.”
Jack was blinking at her, eyes wide.
