Wait. Back up. That could be it.

Kayla stopped, reached back to remember the time in the kitchen when she came upon Emma looking at a news story on her computer about the anniversary of some murders, and how she reacted like she’d been caught at something.

The only words Kayla saw in the headline were anniversary and killers.

Hmm. Let’s add some new search terms.

Kayla began searching with a few new words. A headline came up and her eyes widened as she began reading.

It was such an awful story. But there was nothing connecting Emma to it. Her name wasn’t mentioned. Besides, it happened in Canada, and she was from Maryland. Maybe it was about a relative…

I can’t stand this.

With Tug in tow, Kayla went to the kitchen to get a drink from the fridge.

Emma was at the counter, wearing her glasses, looking at her laptop. Kayla glimpsed something about Manitoba on the screen.

If that isn’t a sign, Kayla thought.

“Emma, can we talk?”

Emma sat up, removed her glasses. “Sure.”

“You said I could ask you anything, right?”

Emma’s face tightened a little as if bracing, as she nodded.

“I was just curious why you got all, I don’t know, like shy and embarrassed about being on TV during the book sale, then again with the story about saving your student?”

“Guess I’m just not comfortable with the attention.”

“But you knew my dad was a famous guy when you dated and got married, that media stuff sort of comes with the territory.”

“That’s true. But I married him because I love him. I knew he guarded his privacy. A lot of famous people keep their family lives private.”

Kayla pondered the label of the drink she was sipping.

“Do you have any family or friends in Manitoba?”

“What? No. Why in the world would you ask me that?”

Kayla nodded to Emma’s screen. Emma followed her focus.

“That? Well, it’s because that’s where your Dad is. I was looking it up.”

“How come you seemed so upset at dinner when Dad first told us he was going to write about a murder in Eternity?”

Emma’s face flushed.

“I don’t think it was about—” Kayla used air quotes “—‘swallowing something the wrong way.’ Actually, to me, it seemed like you really didn’t want him to do that story.”

Emma was silent.

“And—” Kayla sipped her drink “—you seemed surprised when I glimpsed that headline you were looking at a while back right here in the kitchen, before Dad ever even said he was going to write about that case.”

Kayla set down the bottle, pulled her phone from her pocket, typed a few commands, then held the screen out to Emma, showing her the headline and op-ed story.

Anniversary Of Murders Nears; Where Are The Killers Now?