“Rex. Okay. Would you care to elaborate?”
He snorted again. “I didn’t know Taylor got married. My invitation must have been lost in the mail.” He readjusted his stance. “I’m her brother.”
Annie knew that Chappaquiddick was known for being quiet. Away from the water, the few sounds anyone might hear after dark would be a couple of chipmunks scuttling through underbrush or a raccoon poking around in search of food. Skunks sort of wandered here and there, but mostly they stayed in the woods. And there were deer, though the only noise connected to them came during hunting season—and in the daytime—when gunshots were common and residents needed to remember to don neon outerwear when venturing outside. An owl or two hooted at night and bats did whatever bats did, but otherwise, there was quiet.
The silence that fell after the man’s last remark, however, landed with a thud that could have come from one of the World War II ordnance bombs that occasionally surfaced on East Beach. To date, as far as Annie knew, none had exploded accidentally, but the anticipation could be nerve-racking.
After more than a few seconds, Jonas got out of the Jeep and gently closed the door so that he wouldn’t disturb Bella.
“As far as I know,” he said, “I don’t have an uncle.”
The large man guffawed. “Well, I sure as hell didn’t know I had a nephew. Not one that would be here, anyway.”
Annie’s mind raced back to the clash of events when Jonas learned the truth about his heritage and was confronted by the evils of his grandparents. She held out an arm now as if to stop him from getting closer to the deck that he and Kevin had finished building last summer.
Then the man—Rex—jerked his chin toward the Jeep. “Who’s the girl? And who’s the kid in the back? More relatives no one told me about?”
Annie realized he had the advantage of enough light leaking from the house out into the driveway so that he could clearly see not only them but also inside the car. And though she could not see him well, she noticed that no other vehicle was in the driveway. It wasn’t exactly walking distance from theOn Timeto Taylor’s, so someone must have dropped him off.
“I need to see an ID,” Jonas suddenly said. “This is my house. I live here. With my mother.”
The big man scowled. “I should be asking for your ID, kid. Except that your red hair is a dead giveaway that you came from my sister. So what’s your pleasure? My driver’s license? Passport? Birth certificate?”
Jonas shrugged, his courage now slipping, thanks to his innate shyness. “Whatever you have.”
“I’ll go get it. You can come inside or wait out here in the pitch dark and the cold. Up to you.”
“We’ll wait here,” Annie said.
As soon as Rex lumbered back into the kitchen, Annie turned to Jonas. “Get in the car. Now. For all we know, he isn’t alone. And he could come back with a gun.” She supposed she’d been writing too many mysteries, but she knew that life could be surprising, even on peaceful Chappaquiddick.
They hurried into the Jeep. Annie started the engine, then deftly backed down the driveway while connecting to Bluetooth and directing it to “Call John.” After the usual struggle of Chappy’s cell service to wake up, John answered. Annie quickly filled him in.
“Bring the kids to my parents,” he said, his voice grave and insistent.
“But who’s Rex? Is he really Taylor’s brother?”
“Yeah. Probably. But it’s good that you left. I’ll take care of it. And I’ll meet you at your place later.” He disconnected abruptly, leaving Annie stumped.
“So, that guy’s for real?” Jonas asked.
“Apparently.”
“What a strange man,” Francine said.
Annie could have said, “No kidding,” but, once again, her better judgment told her to keep her skewed sense of impending conflict to herself.
* * *
“Hell and tarnation,” Earl commented when they piled into the Lyonses’ house and told him that a guy named Rex, claiming to be Taylor’s brother, was on the island.
Claire was now home—Annie deduced that the pies were finished. But after the woman waved her hands in what looked like a spasm of exasperation, she sputtered and disappeared into Earl’s study.
Their reactions, combined with John’s words, heightened Annie’s concern about the new man in town. “Can you give us some details?” she asked.
Earl huffed. “Sit down. Francine, take Bella in to Claire. No sense having the little one hear this.”
Annie doubted that the two-year-old would be able to grasp whatever Earl was about to say, but she took a chair at the table and did not challenge him.
