“It sucked. This morning’s victim was the niece of Congressman Holloway, Natalie Bowers. She went to a bachelorette party at a club in Elizabeth City last night and never made it home. Her friends said she met them there, and they didn’t see her leave with anyone, but the place was packed. She left around eleven because she was supposed to run in a five-K fundraiser for veterans today. Her car was found in the club’s lot this morning.”
He knew his Dan wouldn't repeat anything he was told about the case, so it was safe to give him some more details. “The ME estimated time of death between midnight and two. Her prints were already in the system from when her father served as ambassador to Belgium while she was a teenager. Her parents are in Hawaii, so they’re holding her name until morning to give them time to get back. The congressman called them a few hours ago.”
Even saying it out loud left a bitter taste in his mouth. Natalie had been twenty-three, engaged, and by all accounts excited about her upcoming wedding. Another life cut short because some twisted lunatic wanted to make a statement.
Sean rolled his shoulder and winced when the movement sent a protest through his neck. It had behaved for most of the day, but hours of stress and too much time hunched over evidence and reports had brought the stiffness roaring back. Grace had already promised another massage and a heating pad later, and he’d been looking forward to both.
“Anyway, enough about that. How was your day?”
“Good. Bonnie and I are going out to eat and then to see that new movie we were talking about the other night. Want to join us?”
He shook his head. “No, thanks. I just want to go home, kick off my shoes, and order takeout. I’d probably be asleep ten minutes into a movie.”
“I hear ya. So…”
Sean frowned when his uncle let the words trail off. The grin spreading across Dan’s face put him on alert. “What?”
Dan shrugged, looking far too pleased with himself. “Nothing. Just wondering how things are going for you and Grace.”
Sean pointed a finger at him. “Oh, no. Don’t start. At least let me close this case before you and Bonnie start planning our wedding.” He paused, eyeing the older man. “Speaking of which, you two have been spending a lot of time together lately. More so than usual.”
He lifted a brow. “Something you want to tell the rest of us?”
Dan’s smile widened. That answered that. “Well, since you asked, I’ve started courting Bonnie.”
A laugh burst from Sean’s chest, surprising him with how good it felt. It was the first genuine laugh he’d managed since joking around with Grace that morning.
“Courting? Do people still do that nowadays?”
Dan gave him a look that made Sean feel about sixteen again. “I don’t care what other people call it or do nowadays. I courted Annie, although it didn’t last long. We were married two months after we met.”
Sean knew the story by heart. He’d grown up hearing about how Dan had met Aunt Annie and fallen fast enough to make everyone around him dizzy. Even so, the idea of going from strangers to marriage in eight weeks still made Sean’s head spin.
Then again, KC and Moriah had managed something close to that. Apparently, fast-moving romance ran in the family. His parents hadn’t exactly dragged their feet either. Three and a half months of dating before getting engaged, then six months before the church wedding.
Still, Dan and Bonnie surprised him.
“Well, good for you. I’m happy for both of you. But why now, after all this time? Annie’s been gone almost thirty years, and you and Bonnie have been close forever.”
Dan’s expression softened as he glanced toward the hardware store, as though the answer might be written somewhere across the familiar storefront. “I don’t know, to tell you the truth. Things just changed for the better between us, and I guess the time was right.”
Sean nodded, understanding more than he might have a few months ago. Sometimes life shifted without warning. Sometimes, the right person stepped into your world and made everything that came before feel like the waiting room before the real show began.
Thinking of Grace, Sean looked toward the clinic doors, ready to leave the ugliness of the day behind and spend whatever time he could with the woman waiting inside.
“So when’s the wedding?” he teased.
Dan gave him a pointed look. “Don’t you turn the tables on me, boy. I’m getting all three of you married off before I can relax and settle down. You’re not getting any younger, you know.”
Sean snorted. “That’s calling the kettle black, old man.”
Pushing off the Mustang’s hood, he clapped his uncle on the back. For the first time all day, the knot of tension riding his shoulders had loosened a fraction. This was what he needed—normal conversation, harmless teasing, a few quiet minutes before he disappeared into an evening with Grace and tried to forget the horrors waiting for him back at the sheriff’s department tomorrow.
“Anyway, you and Bonnie have fun. Let me go get Grace and find out what she wants for dinner tonight.”
“I’m right behind you. She called a little while ago and asked me to bring over a wrench after I closed.” Dan pulled the tool from his back pocket. “The hose for the washing machine is dripping a little.”
Sean held the clinic door open, and Jinx trotted past him with eager purpose as he went in search of one of his favorite people. Grace’s receptionist had left at the end of her shift at 4:00 p.m., so the front desk was empty.
