“Look who’s up.” I perched at his side and leaned over to kiss his cheek. Dale Gracey was a handsome man, with a full head of silver hair, tanned cheeks from hours at the golf course with clients, and eyes as dark as my own. Today, though, he looked pale and tired, with circles under his eyes and a new worry line in his forehead. I tried to remember how many times I’d seen him in pajamas. He had always been up and ready to start his day before six.

He seemed pleased to see me. “It’s great to see you, doodlebug.”

I took and squeezed his hand. “I hope you call me that until I’m ninety.”

“If I’m around when you’re ninety, I’ll be a medical miracle.”

I showed him the books, and as he rifled through them, he pretended interest. “I can’t wait to read these.”

“Until your heart is stronger, start with the least terrifying.”

He asked about Out in the Cold. I asked about his surgery, how he felt this morning and whether I could do anything for him other than visit every day.

We chatted some more, but he finally graduated to what was obviously most important. “I hear you’ve got the girls with you.”

My smile felt forced. “I took them to school this morning and met their teacher. They’re doing well.”

“When is Wendy coming back?”

I glanced up at Mom, who gave a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. “I’ll let Mom tell you the whole story. But I’ve talked to her. She’s fine, just busy. She’ll get here when she can. Meanwhile I get to spend some time with my nieces.”

He looked too tired to question me further. He nodded, and I knew that was my signal to leave. After another quick kiss I left them together and headed for my car.

I’d bought myself a few days with my latest escalation of the Wendy story, but I knew that soon, I’d have to tell my mother the truth. If Wendy truly was a suspect in a murder case, then the authorities would, at the least, be calling my parents, if not showing up at their door. And what would they say?

I had very little time to figure out what was really going on. It was time to step up my game.

CHAPTER SIX

The grocery store closest to Wendy’s was huge, and by the time I’d filled my shopping cart, I was so hungry, I stopped in their café for a fast-food breakfast sandwich. I ate by a window, making lists on my smartphone of what to do next.

While my thumbs were flying I received a text from Sophie. Arizona’s a wash. Working on California. I rewarded her with a thumbs-up emoji, the adult version of smiling bunny stickers.

At the town house, putting groceries away was simple, since there was nothing to rearrange. I slid my purchases onto empty shelves, leaving chicken breasts at the front of the refrigerator, along with a bag of fresh green beans. Those belonged to tonight’s dinner, along with roasted new potatoes I’d stowed in the cupboard. No fool, I’d also bought bread and sliced cheese, in case of a munchkin riot.