He stared.
He did it well.
I cracked. “I was looking for something.”
“What kind of something? Does this have to do with Ebenezer’s death?”
Did it?
“I don’t know.”
I started the engine, turned toward home.
“I bet Dad would want to know what you were doing in that closet.”
I shot him a
He gave me an
177
“Go ahead and tell him.”
That took him by surprise. Little did he know I had a greater fear of being blackmailed by him than facing Kevin.
I wondered now if he’d said it as a ploy. That he knew I’d been in the closet and it was his way of telling me he knew I was in there.
Because it was just so out of character.
And . . . familial.
As I turned toward home, I decided not to ask. Too des -
perate.
“Well, did you find it?”
“No.”
But I’d found something else. Those letters. I hoped they were worth the pain. My legs were still cramping.
“Why’d it take you so long to come get me?” I asked.
“I figured you’d come out when Bill left.”
“I didn’t know for certain if Bill had left! One minute he’s on the phone making plans for a delivery tonight, and the next thing I know it’s quiet. Is he doing paperwork? Napping? I couldn’t just come out.”
“A delivery tonight?”
“That’s what I heard. Why?”
“We only get deliveries in the morning. That’s strange.”
That was strange.
These last few days had been strange.
“Maybe mushrooms?” I said. “It looked like there was a barrel missing from that closet.”
There was an odd look on Riley’s face. “Maybe.”
“What maybe? Do you know something?”
“Maybe.”
“Riley Michael.”
“Nina Colette.”
I growled.
178
Heather Webber
He glared.
This was getting us nowhere.
“You tell me what you were doing in that closet, and I’ll tell you what I think I might know.”
I said, “This isn’t
“That was a cool show—I watch it on the Game Show Network. I wish it were still on. I’d go as a banana.”
“Now you’re trying to distract me.”
“Maybe.”
