“This is serious.My God, you need to call the police.”
Rowan shrugged.She couldn’t tell Hilary why she wouldn’t call the cops—they might find out what she was.She’d avoided trouble all her life, flown under the radar, and wasn’t about to break cover now.“I doubt they’ll be able to help.”
“But what if this guy snatches someone else?”Hilary persisted.“You could have valuable information.”
“I didn’t seeanything, Hil.One minute I was getting in the car, the next minute he had me halfway across the parking lot.It happened sofast.If that other guy hadn’t come along…” Rowan shivered.
Hil must have just come from work.Her gray wool skirt hit just above the knee, and her jacket was unbuttoned.Her usually sleek hair was mussed as if she’d run her fingers back through it once too often.“I guess so,” she said darkly, “but what if the guy that rescued you was in on it?”
“Oh, not another conspiracy,” Rowan moaned.“For God’s sake, Hilary, talk about something else!What happened at work today?”
“Oh, two murders and an ongoing arson investigation.Hot copy all the way around.”Hilary threw herself down on the bed again, narrowly missing Rowan’s feet.She kicked her heels off and stretched, sighing a little.It was a familiar gesture, they’d spent half their teenage years sitting on each other’s beds, gossiping and giggling.“I came over as soon as your dad called.I was really worried about you.”
“I’m fine.I just won’t go to the Shop’N’Save alone anytime soon.”Rowan combed her fingers back through her hair, wincing as she found tangles.Her mouth tasted like foul copper—all that adrenaline, sleeping during the day, and bile.Her stomach flipped, settled again.“Really, I’m okay.”
“I don’t think so.”Hil’s square-jawed face was too striking to be called pretty.The shadow of crimson lipstick still hung on her full lips, and her tastefully-arched eyebrows raised a little as she examined Rowan’s face.“You’ve got that pale starey look.You been hearing things again?”
“I’m not crazy, Hil.”Rowan slid her feet off the bed.Making it to her feet, she decided she wasn’t going to fall over.She made it across the room and started digging for a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.The only thing worse than sleeping in jeans wasrunningin jeans.
“I never said you were.You might want to comb your hair, though.”Mischief bubbled just under the surface of her tone.“You’ve got a guest.”
Rowan froze.
“Nice-looking guy,” Hilary continued.“I don’t go for the clean-cut ones, but he’s very polite.Showed up at seven sharp with a handful of flowers and a bottle of very unpretentious domestic wine.He’s even now making small talk in the kitchen with Henry.”It sounded like she was restraining laughter only by sheer force of will.“Trust you to meet a hero in a parking lot, sweets.”
Rowan cursed.Not very inventively, but it got the job done.She rested her forehead against her top dresser drawer, leaning over and taking deep breaths all the way down to her stomach.“Christ,” she whispered.“Why now?And what happened to being suspicious?”
“Oh, for God’s sake, that was ajoke.You haven’t had a date in aeons.Loosen up a little, willya?”Hilary swung her legs easily, holding her arms up and admiring her red-lacquered fingernails.
“You just finished reminding me that I was attacked in a parking lot, asked me if this guy was perhaps a part of it, and now you want me to loosen up?”
“Well,” Hilary remarked practically, “you said you were feeling fine.”When Rowan glared at her, she said, “There, there’s the Ro I remember.Welcome back, sweetie.You were looking kind of dazed there for a minute.”
“I wonder why.”Rowan rescued another pair of jeans and a black sweater from the dresser’s depths.“I’m being interrogated by the Herald’s star crime reporter.”
“You’re not going to wearthat, are you?”
“Yes, I am.”
“At least comb your hair.”
“Shut up.”
“A little bit of lip gloss wouldn’t hurt either.”
“Hilary, I’mwarningyou?—”
Hilary bounced to her feet.Rowan was in the process of struggling into the sweater, her back turned to the bed, but she heard the bedsprings creak.
“You really scared me.Henry sounded dire.I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.”Rowan finished pulling the sweater down and turned, freeing her hair from the collar with a few practiced yanks.Hilary stood, her hands on her hips, and shook her head.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you,” she said mournfully.“There’s a hunk downstairs, and you won’t even put on any lip gloss.”
“I’m not on the market.Why are you and Dad so determined to marry me off?”
“Oh, so we can shack up as secret lovers,” Hilary said breezily, as Rowan slid into clean jeans and tossed her old ones in the laundry basket.“You know he’s the only man I’ve ever really loved.Tragic, isn’t it.”As usual, Hil only sounded halfway teasing.
