Cole woke late. Sunrise had already been here and gone as he caught the stripe of yellow high on the wall of his room. It must be nearly noon. Quiet seeped cautiously into his soul. He stretched, sighed, and then stifled a yawn as he realized he had two whole days ahead of him with nothing to do but whatever he wanted.

Quiet! He suddenly realized it was too quiet. He rolled out of bed, pulled on a pair of red jogging shorts, gave his face a quick wash, and ran a comb through his hair.

A note hanging behind the Mutant Ninja Turtle magnet on the refrigerator told him why it was so quiet. According to Buddy’s sparse shorthand they were: Doctor—Shopping.

Looking around the spotless kitchen he sighed and allowed himself to wallow in something akin to pity. The first time in days that he’d had a chance to have a meal with the family and they were gone. He didn’t—wouldn’t—admit to himself that the real reason he was feeling sorry for himself was that Debbie was also absent.

A bowl of yellow and white daisies sitting on the windowsill told him she’d been here. The coffee maker was on warm, with the pot half full and his favorite mug sitting beside it, inviting him to partake. He poured and complied.

Like the detective he was, he followed the clues of Debbie’s presence from the cabinet where plates, bowls, and glasses rested in orderly fashion to the glass-covered cake stand holding a partially eaten coffee cake waiting for someone to finish it off.

And, like the good cop he was, he did his duty. The coffee cake went from plate to microwave to his mouth, and all the way down. Full and replete, he leaned back, closed his eyes, and listened. The house was just like it’d been before his father got hurt, before Debbie Randall came and turned his world upside down. It was clean, quiet, and lonesome as hell.

*  *  *

“Hey, Cole! We’re back!”

Tony Hillerman’s latest mystery went flying to the concrete as Cole came up and out of the lounger by the pool. He was inside the house in a heartbeat. His brother’s bellow told him something he’d been waiting impatiently to hear. Family, noise, and Debbie had all returned.