Mendez got the picture out and opened it flat. Bruce Bordain, Darren Bordain, and his mother at a charity function.

“Look at them side by side,” he said. “If not for the age gap, they could be brother and sister. Twins, even.”

“The son dresses up in drag,” Hicks ventured. “Mom is on the masculine side. He’s on the feminine side. He pretends to be her and brings that box up here to mail it.”

“That would make a hell of a movie,” Mendez said, “but it doesn’t make any sense.”

Hicks threw his hands up. “What part of this lunatic family does?”

“I don’t know,” Mendez said, digging the car keys out of his pocket. “But we’re not going to figure it out standing here. Let’s try to find a pay phone and call the boss.”

Chapter 99

99

After the bright sunshine, the interior of the barn was so dark, it took Anne a moment to adjust her eyes.

The barn was cool and smelled of fresh hay and horses. Haley let go her hand and ran halfway down the center aisle then turned right. Anne followed. A door stood open to a feed room. A wide sliding door opened out onto a patch of shaded grass where two tiger-striped kittens were taking turns pouncing on a string of orange twine.

Haley dropped down on her knees in the grass and snatched at one end of the string. The kittens bounced into the air in surprise, dashed away, then came back in stalking mode.

Haley squealed and giggled in delight at the antics of the kittens. Anne stood in the doorway watching her, so happy to see her happy. She deserved to have some time to think nothing but little girl thoughts about kittens in the grass.

“Mommy Anne! Come and play with my kitties!”

Anne got down on the grass beside her and paid careful attention while Haley showed her what to do with the twine to make the kittens pounce on it.

“This one is Scat,” she said. “And the one with the white paws is Mittens.”

Scat bounced up on his toes with his back arched and his tail straight up in the air, then turned and dashed back into the barn. Haley ran after him, running smack into Milo Bordain’s legs.

She looked up at the tall woman whose face and hair seemed stark white against the black backdrop of the dark barn.

“Oops!” Anne said, laughing.

But Haley didn’t laugh, and Milo didn’t laugh.

Haley took a step back and then another, her eyes on Milo Bordain.

“Haley?” Anne said, puzzled by the expression on her face.

Bordain leaned over. “Haley? What’s the matter? You remember me. Auntie Milo.”

Haley’s lower lip began to tremble and tears welled in her eyes.

“B-b-b-bad,” she stammered.

“You didn’t mean to run into your auntie Milo,” Anne said. “It was an accident.”