It had been devastating when the resting places of the birds had been discovered over on Snowblood Peak, but perhaps that had been God’s will.
Now brilliant Laurel was involved. Such a lovely girl. It was as if she was a gift, and someday she’d be completely unwrapped.
After Laurel would come another challenge.
The container was already prepared for the next bird, with the blanket and lantern with enough fuel to last at least twelve more hours.
Leaving the birds in the dark would be too cruel, and cruelty wasn’t the point.
Not really.
Perhaps this time the stun gun would be necessary. Maybe the new bird would be a fighter and require a good stunning.
Life was good. It truly was.
* * *
Laurel walked up her mom’s steps and opened the front door before kicking off her boots. It had started snowing again, and her hair was wet. Her head hurt, her body ached, and she was just done.
“Hi.” Deidre leaned back to look at her through the archway to the kitchen. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Laurel dropped her coat and went to her mom, hugging her tightly. “I’m so sorry about everything.”
Deidre hugged her back. “Sweetheart, don’t worry about it. I was so stressed last night, it made me think of a new tea. I’m calling it ‘A Calming Breeze.’ Isn’t that a great name?”
Tears pricked the back of Laurel’s eyes. “I love you, Mom. So much.” Who knew who Laurel would be without Deidre as a constant in her life? Even when she’d gone off to college, Deidre had packed up and gone with her, working any job she could get while Laurel studied. “I don’t know if I have a right to be upset about your keeping this secret, but if I do, I forgive you.”
Deidre’s hug tightened, and her ever-present scent of sugar cookies and tea surrounded Laurel with the smell of home. Of love. Of everything. “Come inside, let me make you dinner, and let’s talk. I have the feeling that you really need to talk.” She kissed the top of Laurel’s head and drew her into the warm, already fragrant kitchen.
Laurel sat and within a minute, her mom had placed a cup of tea in front of her.
“It’s called ‘Soothing the Soul.’ Drink it all,” Deidre said, returning to the stove. “I’m making a comfy breakfast for dinner. We’re doing toast and scrambled eggs with too much cheese. Do you want mild or hot salsa?”
“Mild.” Laurel cupped her tea and then took a deep drink. “Oh, that’s good. Is that white tea?”
Her mom flashed a smile over her shoulder. “Good catch. Yes. We’re offering that one in the December subscription boxes along with a holiday gift list. It’s a fantastic package this month.” She cracked the eggs and mixed them up in the bowl. “What’s going on?”
Laurel sat back and told her mom about the entire situation with Abigail. “I don’t know what to do with her, but I need to keep this part of my life safe.” Every instinct and brain cell that Laurel had told her that Abigail was about to get as involved as possible in her life. “I don’t trust her, and the whole situation is confusing.”
Deidre cooked the eggs, adding too much cheese, as promised. “Maybe she’s just lonely and needs family. I get that.”
“She’s a sociopath, Mom. At the very least, she’s a narcissist with a personality disorder, lonely or not.” Laurel sipped more of the delicious tea, feeling healthier already. “Before I forget, the flu is going around.”
Deidre dished up two plates. “I know. I have two workers out right now.” She turned and set the plates on the table. “Are you feeling sick?”
“No. Just tired and frustrated because I can’t solve this case.” Laurel stood and fetched utensils and napkins from the drawer before retaking her seat. “How about you?”
“I don’t get sick. There’s too much healthy tea in my system.” She sat down and unfolded her paper napkin on her lap. “I forgot the salsa.” She began to stand.
Laurel waved her down. “I’ve got it. You deserve to relax.” As she moved to the fridge, the stitches in her shoulder pulled, but she hid a wince as she fetched the freshly made salsa. “I wish I’d inherited your talent for cooking and baking.” The entire fridge was full of home-cooked food and so many goodies she could just crawl inside and eat for a week. She turned and put the pot of salsa on the table.
“You don’t have the patience,” Deidre said. “Yet, anyway. I’m sure you’ll attack cooking someday like you have everything else, and you’ll end up a master chef or baker.” She spooned salsa onto her eggs.
Laurel’s phone buzzed in her back pocket and she drew it out to read the screen before answering. “Hi, Huck.”
“Hi. We can’t find your uncle. Where’s Carl?” Huck said without preamble.
Laurel ducked her head. “Mom? Do you know where Carl is? Huck wants to talk to him about a missing truck.”
