If there was a link between the two deaths beyond the seedlike objects in the stomachs and the abnormalities in the gastric wall, she was missing it.

Leaning back in her chair, she sipped her daily splurge of Tazo mango iced tea and glanced out the kitchen window. The late-afternoon light had painted the distant woods a golden hue—which meant she’d once again worked most of a Saturday.

But it beat removing wallpaper or patching drywall or whatever Nate Cox was doing.

Truth be told, though, DIY projects might be palatable if they were done with a guy like that. And it would be a small price to pay for company on a Saturday night if the alternative was working or watching a chick flick alone.

She took another sip of her iced tea.

On a brighter note, she had tomorrow with her sisters to look forward to. With Eve just back from her Tuscan honeymoon and Cate finalizing the plans for her wedding next month, their get-together should be even more lively than usual.

It was also sweet of them to carve out time for her in the midst of their busy lives. While they’d characterized tomorrow’s lunch as a catch-up session, it was more than that. They wanted her to know that despite the new men in their lives, she—and the sisterly bond they shared—would always be important to them.

Grace finished off the iced tea and watched through the window as the deer and two fawns began their daily trek across the field, toward the woods.

Funny how life had played out. Eve and Cate had always been ambivalent about a walk down the aisle. Open to it but perfectly happy being single and focusing their energies on fulfilling careers. She’d been the one with stars in her eyes about finding a happily-ever-after.

Go figure.

If nothing else, Nate Cox’s sudden entrance into her orbit had proven her career wasn’t to blame for the lack of appealing men in her world.

Someday, that special man could appear.

Until then, she loved her job as much as her sisters loved theirs—and there was more to be done with Fred and Mavis.

Grace leaned toward the computer screen again. While a comparison of the autopsies and police reports hadn’t identified any commonalities, there were other areas that could overlap. It was possible the two of them shared traits or circumstances or pieces of background that would establish a link.

And with nothing more pleasant to do on the long Saturday evening stretching ahead, why not dive in and see what treasures she could unearth on Google?

Two hours later, stomach rumbling in protest and eyes bleary, Grace sat back and scanned the information she’d gleaned from a variety of sources, circling items common to Fred and Mavis.

Both had lived in the country—alone.

Neither had any close family. Fred had never married, and Mavis’s husband had died a decade ago after a marriage that produced no children.

Both were members of a church, and both had left the bulk of their estates to various charities. Fred’s contributions had been noted in his church bulletin, and Mavis had mentioned not long ago that what money she had would go to make the world a better place after she was gone.