‘What were you thinking?’ he said quietly.

‘I wasn’t,’ she admitted.

She knew he wanted to yell, but he didn’t. He reached for her shoulder and pulled her gently against him. She folded herself into his body and felt his strength. And his worry and relief, having her in his arms.

‘Don’t scare me like that,’ he said.

‘I’m sorry, but you realize that’s what I live with every day, don’t you?’ she murmured.

That caught him short, but he knew it was true. He didn’t let go.

‘This guy at the mall,’ she said. ‘He’s not nothing, Jonny.’

‘He hasn’t committed a crime,’ he reminded her.

‘That you know of.’

They were silent, and it could easily have disintegrated between them again. Him yelling. Her yelling. They both knew how to fight, but she didn’t want to. Not now. It wasn’t worth it.

‘Hey, I’ve been thinking,’ she said. ‘I got a flier from Bobbie at the travel agency. Last-minute cruise specials. How about we go to Alaska in June? We can do it cheap.’

Jonny separated himself from her and smiled. ‘A vacation? Me?’

‘Every couple of years, I get to drag you out of Duluth.’

‘I know, but why now?’

‘No reason,’ she said, which wasn’t really true. She felt strange. She felt shadows around her, and it made her want to combat them with happier things. ‘You know I’ve always wanted to do this.’

He looked as if he would protest, but this time, he gave in. ‘Okay.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. Book it. Sure.’

Cindy kissed him, and she didn’t believe in peck-on-the-cheek kisses. Their kisses were always hot and hard. She liked it that way. ‘Thanks, babe,’ she said. ‘That means a lot to me.’

He stood up and took her hand. ‘Come on, let’s go home.’

Cindy hesitated. ‘Janine was at the mall today, too. We were both at the clinic.’

‘You shouldn’t be talking to her.’

‘I know.’ Cindy stopped herself, but then she added: ‘She thinks you’re going to arrest her.’

Jonny didn’t comment. He shoved papers into a satchel. He didn’t say yes, and he didn’t say no, but she knew him well enough to realize that his silence was a yes. He was building a cage of evidence for her friend, and soon enough, he’d put her inside it.

Maybe that was the right thing to do. Cindy wasn’t naive. Janine was probably guilty of murder. Nothing else made sense. Even so, Cindy wanted to find another explanation. She wanted to believe that Janine was innocent.

‘That guy at the mall today really creeped me out,’ she told him.

Jonny stopped and looked at her. He didn’t chastise her again. ‘I know. I’m sorry.’