Kathleen Long - Silent Warning

“Let’s get out of here.” He snapped the box closed, grabbed her elbow and steered her abruptly toward the door.

The strength of his grip startled her, and she eased her arm free from his grasp. “Don’t you want to—”

“Outside.”

A few moments later, they sat in Dan’s car, staring at the box’s contents on their laps.

“What’s in the envelopes?” Kelly’s heart pounded. To think, just yesterday she’d thought her trip would involve nothing more than packing up Rachel’s life. Now she found herself growing obsessed with discovering exactly how that life had ended—and why. She might never have the chance to make amends with Rachel, but she could make amends with her memory.

“Looks like a bunch of junk. An electric bill, a book club ad, a postcard from the chamber of commerce. What’s this?” He turned an envelope in his hand. “State board of pharmacy?”

He ripped the end off the envelope and pulled out a note handwritten on professionally printed letterhead.

“Unable to reach you by phone,” Dan read out loud. “Didn’t want to leave a message. Call me. Think I found what you needed. ‘S.’”

Excitement and hope rushed through Kelly.

Dan scowled. “‘S.’ How the hell am I going to find out who ‘S’ is?”

“What’s the chamber thing?” Kelly tapped the postcard, hoping for another clue.

Dan turned over the small piece. “Business After Hours.” He grimaced, meeting Kelly’s gaze. “It’s a business card exchange. Time of your life.” He shook his head and started to rip the card in two.

Kelly snatched it from his fingers. “Maybe I should go.”

His puzzled gaze captured hers and held. She steeled herself, refusing to be intimidated by his intensity. He narrowed his eyes without saying a word.

She spoke first. “Couldn’t hurt to meet some people. Don’t most of the local business owners attend?”

He nodded, still silent.

Kelly lifted one shoulder then let it drop. “What about the local pharmacist?”

“Don’t even think it.” Dan started the ignition then eased the car out of the space.

Annoyance flashed through her. “I need to know what really happened to Rachel.”

“That makes two of us.”

A muscle worked in his jaw as Kelly scrutinized his sharp profile. “Do you expect me to sit back and let you call the shots?”

“Wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Dan cast a sideways glance, one dark brow arching. “Or do you think he’ll take one look at you and explain the accounting method he uses for his illegal drug sales?”

Kelly crossed her arms over her chest, her annoyance morphing into anger. “What makes you any more qualified for this than me?”

His features softened momentarily, but he seemed to catch himself, restoring his carefully controlled expression. “I know the locals.”

Kelly pulled herself as tall as she could against the passenger seat. “From what I understand you spent most of your adult life up North. Didn’t you just come back recently?”

A smile played against his lips for a split second. “You checked me out?”

“I said I would.”

He turned to meet her gaze as if studying her face.

Kelly started at the heat sparking between them. “Just what is it you did up North?”

“Corporate development.” Dan spoke the words flatly, as if he hadn’t appreciated her asking.

“And now?”

He inhaled sharply. “And now I figure out what really happened to my sister…and Rachel.”

They rode in silence for several long seconds. Kelly turned to stare out the side window, her focus landing on a small cemetery tucked away along the side of the road.

“Diane would have celebrated her birthday later this week.” Dan’s voice broke the silence. “Instead she’s in there.”

Kelly’s heart squeezed. She turned, intending to reach for his hand, but catching herself before she made the far-too-intimate gesture. “I’m sorry.”

The fact she’d come so close to touching him shocked her. She hadn’t felt compelled to reach for any man since Brian had stomped all over her faith in the opposite sex, yet the raw emotion strangled inside Dan’s voice had registered deep inside her. She’d have to watch herself, and her reactions.

Silence beat between them yet again.

“I’m a graphic designer,” Kelly blurted out, suddenly uncomfortable with the tension squeezing the air out of the small car. “You don’t suppose a business owner like a pharmacist could use a new brochure every now and then to boost business, do you?”

She turned toward Dan in time to see the lines of his profile sharpen. “Might be worth a shot.” He jerked a thumb toward the colorful notebook still sitting on her lap. “Anything?”

Kelly flipped through the blank pages. “Not much. Just one word on the last page.” She fanned the sheets. “And it looks like several pages are missing.”

“What’s the word?”

“Shakespeare.”

“Shakespeare?” He grimaced, shooting a glance at Kelly. “Was she a big fan?”

“No.” Kelly shook her head. “She couldn’t stand him.”

She stared at the word then flipped the notebook closed. Disappointment eased through her. She’d hoped the notebook would hold more than one word. At least they had the pharmacy board lead.

“Do you think ‘S’ could be Shakespeare?” she asked.

“I’ll call and find out.” Dan pulled into the driveway of Rachel’s house and cut the engine. “I’ll meet you at the chamber at six. Miller shouldn’t see us together.”

Kelly gathered the mail and the notebook and hesitated as she climbed out of the small car. Tension still filled the space between them, but the fact he’d accepted her idea had shifted something intangible between them. “Thanks.”

He nodded, averting his gaze from her face. “I’ll see what I can find out about our friend Shakespeare.”

She climbed to the top of the steps, pausing to watch as his car pulled away. What had Rachel gotten herself into? Whatever it was, Kelly had a sinking feeling it had gotten her killed.

DAN SAT staring through the car windshield at the Sunset Assisted Living complex. Lilac mums lined the sidewalk and hunter-green shutters framed spotless windows. The sun reflected off the bright white vinyl siding.

The building looked so calm on the outside. Orderly and neat. Nothing like the inside where minds and bodies failed—some slowly, some quickly.

His mother had been a resident for almost a year, since her dementia had worsened to the point where she needed round-the-clock care. She seemed content here, though. As content as could be expected.

Dan sat for a moment, letting his thoughts trace back over his conversation with Kelly. He shouldn’t have mentioned Diane’s birthday when they passed the cemetery. He wasn’t a fan of sharing personal details, let alone details that hinted at weakness. Kelly and her questions had somehow burrowed beneath his skin like an itch he had no intention of scratching. He’d have to be more careful when he saw her again tonight.

Dan’s stomach tightened at the thought, but he shook it off, refocusing on the building waiting before him. He pulled the key from the ignition and climbed from the small car, slamming the door shut before heading for the entrance.

“How are you doing, Dolores?”

The strawberry-blonde sitting at the reception desk looked up, flashing a warm smile as Dan pushed through the glass doors. “Pretty good, Mr. Steele. How ’bout you?”

“Can’t complain.” Liar. “Is she down in activities?”

The young woman glanced at the clock on the wall. “Should be.”

“Thanks.”

A long walk later, he found his mother sitting in a wingback chair facing a window. The familiar ache pulled at his heart. She deserved so much more.