“Cass and I do not see eye-to-eye,” the older woman said stiffly, staring straight ahead. “And I do not exactly live here. My home is in thecity.”
“And the townspeople are beneath your notice? Not smart, if so. Then we probably have nothing else to say to each other.You may continue living in ignorance. I don’t mean to disturb your narrow world.” Well, she did, apparently, or she would never have said anything. Unreasonably, it rankled that the Kennedys had never acknowledged Cass and her birth father, even if she’d just learned aboutit.
Carmen shot her a glare that should have killed. “You’re a stranger who knows nothing about us. You cannot comein here and pretend to be family. I will not give up what I’ve fought so hard tokeep.”
“Isn’t it just a little dangerous not to tell your sons they have relations they don’t know about?” Sam said, with only the slightestmalice.
Malice! She might occasionally be defiant but she’d never been mean. But even knowing she was behaving abnormally, she couldn’t stop. “Some day they mightneed an organ match or know about an inherited disease or that they’re datingnieces. That’s all I’msaying.”
Carmen looked as if she’d swallowed a mouse, but she gathered her considerable resources to produce a withering tone. “They know Cass is a distant relation,” she replied as if it hurt to say the words. “Their father’s family was small, and the rest have passed on. My sons have bettertaste than to date women not of their social circle. Are we letting you out here?” she asked with false politeness as the car slowed down intown.
Sam offered a tight smile. “Yes, please, it’s been lovely talking with you. And rest assured, I want no part of what is yours. Apparently your husband left my father well off, and the executors have taken better care of the money than anyonedid hisfamily.”
She got out in the parking lot without watching for Carmel’s reaction. She felt oddly drained and wondered what she had thought she was accomplishing. She had just told a potential murderer that she was a danger to her precious family. What on earth had possessedher?
Possessed—an ugly word with more than one meaning. Remembering the evil the Lucys kept preachingabout, Sam went around back to Dinah’s shed where she’d stored the few garden tools she’d gathered. Walker had made it clear that she knew nothing about fire-fighting, so she’d stay out of the way. In the meantime, she neededgrounding.
While men bulldozed a dirt boundary around town, she filled her meager watering can. A breeze off the ocean pushed the oily smoke east, back toward theridge where the fire had started. The flames were no longer visible, so the worst was under control. She could do nothing but watch helplessly, so she returned to the new flowers flourishing in Dinah’s planter. She supposed she could prepare sandwiches and drinks for the firefighters, but right now, she needed her fingers in earth, or she might ignite newfires.
She looked up a littlelater when Xavier’s shadow fell over her as she dug in leaf compost. The rental agent and his green blazer looked even grayer thanusual.
“Mr. Gump said you’d leave. Why are you still here?” he asked with what sounded likecuriosity.
Sam sat back on her heels and studied the man. Really, with his balding head and sagging jaws, he almost looked like a basset hound. She was still keyedup and not feeling cooperative. What the hell did Gump, the city man, have to do with anything? “Why do youask?”
His stooped shoulders lifted in what might have been a shrug. “It’s not safe here. I thought maybe you’d need a better place to stay now that Cass isback.”
That was an odd way of looking at things. Originally, she’d been planning on returning to the university, whereher knowledge was at least respected. But now that she knew she wasn’t in danger of starving, she felt as if she had unfinished business in Hillvale. She couldn’t tell if he wanted her to leave orstay.
“I’ll let you know if I need a place,” she said, reluctant to hurt the odd man’s feelings. He seemed like a strangely inarticulate person to hang around high-powered types like Kurt Kennedyand AlanGump.
Looking worried and confused, he nodded, and ambled off across the street. The odd encounter drained some of the tension fromher.
Mariah stuck her head out the café door. “If you’re done communing with nature, we need more hands on deck inhere.”
She couldn’t rely on her small trust fund to provide a living forever. Brushing off her hands, Sam saluted Mariahand carried her tools back to their storageplace.
Wiped,Walker strode into the café carrying Sam’s backpack and hoping to find a gallon of iced water to drown himself in. Half the town was there. Before he could even open his mouth, they bustled out of the kitchen with boxes of plastic wrapped sandwiches and ice coolers he hoped were filledwithdrinks.
“The landline at the lodge is dead, and we couldn’t phone to ask if it was safe to bring these to you,” Dinah called as she sliced tomatoes and fed them out on lettuce leaves in an assembly line on the counter. “Want us to send Aaron up while you cool off abit?”
Walker sought Sam in the crowd but didn’t see her. If he were really fortunate, someone had driven her outof town. But with his luck, Carmel had probably murdered her. The backpack hung like a heavy weight off his shoulder. He needed to returnit.
“Much appreciated,” he said with a nod, taking a glass handed to him. “They’re just looking for hot spots now. Send Aaron up. I need to report to thesheriff.”
“Any word on who burned the cross?” Mariah asked from behind the counter. She waswrapping the sandwiches Dinah prepared, while the antique dealer carried the boxes out to histruck.
“They have to wait until it cools, but out there on those rocks, they won’t find much. If anyone saw anything suspicious, you need to let us know.” He glared meaningfully at Mariah, who’d been the last person he’d seen flinging flamearound.
“Not us, I swear,” Mariah said, holdingout her hand palm up. “Crosses are the last thing we’dburn.”
“Come sit down over here, dear,” Cass called from one of the few booths. “The sheriff allows time toeat.”
Dinah handed him a sandwich and Tullah refilled his water glass. Figuring he’d find out more if he talked to the locals, Walker worked his way through the crowd to the back booth. Only when he got there did he seeSam.
“You’ve got Tullah doing your job?” he asked, then almost bit his tongue. Why the sarcasm? Especially after he’d dragged her off the mountain over his shoulder and then practically thrown her at Carmel. He’d be lucky she didn’t cut him off at thegroin.
She took the backpack he handed her and studied him warily. “It got you, too, didn’tit?”
