Laurie’s stabbing bursts of praise pierced his conscience. He wasn’t the oracle she claimed him to be.

Daniel ushered the couple down the corridor. He needed to keep his head in the game, and then, after he’d shown them the door, he would confront Simon.

*  *  *

Daniel closed the door on Mark and Laurie and picked up Gramps’s camera.

The engraving on its base flashed in the light. No matter what you think you might see, the camera never lies. Daniel’s fingers probed the lens, the trigger, the back of the camera . . . No one had tampered with it. He pulled the group photo from his satchel. Howard stood to the side of the group, clutching his manuscript. Guilt trumped Daniel’s sadness at seeing Howard.

It had to be Photoshop.

Daniel twisted the photo in the light, examining the edges of Howard’s figure for clues. But that just raised a more serious question: How did Simon know about Howard?

Daniel placed the envelope and camera in his satchel and threw it over his shoulder. Head down, he charged into the corridor . . . and into Peter.

“Daniel, do you have a moment?”

“If you’re quick.”

“Why won’t you show me the photo of Milly?”

Daniel slammed a door on the answer. He couldn’t afford to be analyzed by a mind as sharp as Peter’s.

“Obviously, I got my wires crossed. Don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so.” Peter stroked his chin, studying Daniel. “Actually, no. I don’t think I’ve ever seen your wires crossed before. What’s going on?”

Daniel didn’t know, but he was about to find out.

Twenty

The harsh chirp of the dial tone sliced through the thumping of the pulse in Kelly’s ear. She closed the doors to the house from the deck, the scene of her confrontation with the woman about to take her call.

“Hello. Welcome to Crossroads Counseling!” The spring in the receptionist’s voice almost pronounced her punctuation.

“Good morning, Monique. It’s Kelly. Kelly Whiteley.”

The spring uncoiled. “Oh, hi.”

“Is Daniel available?”

“He left the office about ten minutes ago.”

A light breeze flitted off the ocean. Kelly’s pulse thudded on. Time for a long shot. “I need your help.”

Monique’s silence was loud.

“Daniel has asked me to pick up his photos, but I didn’t write down the place he said I should go.”

“Maybe I should pick them up for Daniel.”

Kelly cringed at the way her husband’s name sounded coming out of her mouth. It stoked her anger into flame. “That’s fine, Monique. I can do it.”

“I’m happy to run errands for Daniel, if that’s what he needs.”

The flame flared higher. “Could you put me through to Anna?”