Looking up, she found Leon was watching her. His expression was hard to read. It could have been concern. There might even have been a hint of sympathy in the troubled depths of his eyes. If that was the case, it meant the Stillwater gossips had been hard at work and he knew her story.
“It never gets any easier, does it?” The gentle note in his voice put her off balance. It was as if he really did understand what she was going through. Flora was grateful for the warmth and understanding she saw in his eyes. At the same time, she saw a reflection of her own pain in his gaze.
“It’s always hard when a patient dies and we ask ourselves if we could have done more.” Flora searched for the right words of comfort for both of them. “But loss is harder for those of us who are already experiencing feelings of bereavement. It’s piling fresh hurt on top of existing pain.”
Leon’s eyelids fluttered briefly, telling her she had struck a chord within him. It was clear that he had as many emotional burdens to carry as she did. Flora wasn’t sure she wanted to know any more than that. What she wanted was to get on with her job and make a new home for herself and her boys. The thought served as a reminder...
“I have to make a call. I was expecting to be done here by now.” She reached into her pocket for her cell phone. “I need to call the daycare center to explain why I’ve been delayed.”
“Ah, yes,” Leon said. “I’ve heard about the new arrivals who’ve been taking Daisy’s Daycare by storm.”
Flora groaned. “Are you trying to tell me my boys already have a reputation?”
That slight twitching of Leon’s lips was more pronounced this time. It was almost as if his smile muscles didn’t get much use and they needed to warm up before going for the real thing. In another situation, it might have provoked her into wanting to make him use them more often. But Leon was the one who’d drawn up the professional battle lines. He was the one who’d made it clear they were on opposing sides. Flora had no idea why, particularly as the trustees of the Ryerson Center had offered his boss a lucrative partnership.
Before he could respond, Detective Joe Nolan, who had come out onto the porch without her hearing him, laughed. “Two little whirlwinds, that’s what they were when I came out to your place to investigate your break-in. How old are they?”
“Almost three.”
Joe shook his head. “Mine are eight and six. I don’t know how you do it with two of them so small. And you all on your own—” He broke off, his expression becoming a mask of confusion. Clearly, he had heard her story and didn’t know how to react.
“I’ve never known it any other way.” Flora had never quite gotten the hang of this widowhood thing and how to spare other people second-hand embarrassment over mentioning her dead husband.
She saved either of them need for further comment by making her call to Daisy Cain at the daycare center, explaining the situation. Finding Daisy’s Daycare had taken away one of the biggest headaches involved in making the move to a new town. And she liked Daisy. It was too soon to say she was becoming a friend, but Flora felt comfortable with her.
“Not a problem. My staff and I have a few other late pick-ups today,” Daisy assured her. “Everything’s fine.”
“Is that fine as in ‘fine,’ or fine as in ‘that’s what we tell the anxious parents’?” Flora asked.
Daisy laughed. “I’ve dealt with twins before, but I’ve never seen anything like the way your two work as a tag team. While one gets your attention, the other one is behind your back stirring up something else.”
“Welcome to my world,” Flora sighed. “I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”
Laurie emerged from the house as Flora ended her call. “Bad news. Dr. Lamb has just been called out to attend an unexpected death and his assistant is on vacation. We could be here for a while.”
As she spoke, tires crunched on the track outside. The vehicle that came into view was a coroner’s wagon with the West County Medical Examiner logo on its side. When it halted, the man who climbed out of the passenger seat walked straight toward the house.
“Chief Delaney.” Dr. William Lamb was tall and gray-haired with a stern attitude. Flora recognized him, having driven over to Elmville to introduce herself to him in her first week in the job. “I came as soon as I could.”
Laurie regarded him with a bemused expression. “Dr. Lamb. I just finished calling your office.” Elmville was over an hour’s drive from Stillwater. “But they told me you were out dealing with another case.”
He frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. When you and I spoke earlier, I put everything else on hold, so I could meet you here as you requested.”
Laurie looked even more confused. “Dr. Lamb, I haven’t spoken to you in person today.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets, glaring down at her with an expression that Flora imagined would send any other police officer running for the hills. “Of course you have. You called me and gave me this address. Told me you had a stabbing case and asked me to come right over.”
“I’m going to get some lunch.” Leon paused in the act of picking up his jacket from the coat hook behind the door. The look on Tegan Jackson’s face told its own story. “I’m not going to get some lunch?”
The receptionist shook her head. “I just got off the phone with Daisy at the daycare center. She’s got a kid with his arm stuck under the outdoor play equipment.”
“Sounds like a job for the fire
