Page 91 of Day Break

“Yes.” I closed my eyes. “Chloe was with me all day in Seattle.”

My mother was quiet for a moment. “We’ll be there in half an hour. You can fill us in on everything.”

My mother didn’t even wait for a goodbye before hanging up.

“Your family?” Chloe asked beside me.

“Yeah, they’ll be here in half an hour.” I glanced at my watch and groaned. “No doubt expecting lunch.”

Chloe tossed off the covers and got up. “I’ll shower and make something.” She disappeared into the bathroom before I could tell her it wasn’t needed. My family could go hungry for all I cared right now. But I realized Chloe was just doing what she thought was best.

By the time my family stepped through the front door, there was a feast waiting for them.

Seeing my parents stroll in made me realize that I was still in denial. I was still under the illusion that my grandfather’s murder had been random.

Yet, watching my family act as if this was just another day opened my eyes.

My cousin Tiffany was there. It was the first time I’d seen her in almost a year, and I was both grateful and a little surprised. I had thought that her relationship with her husband Mark was going well. After all, they’d only been married a few years. But I changed my mind as her husband strolled in with empty arms as he talked on the phone while Tiffany struggled with holding their young son, Johnny, in one arm and a huge baby bag in the other. Mark appeared annoyed at the fussy kid.

Tiffany was the only member of the group that took the time to hug me. I took the fussy boy and held him on my hip while I introduced Tiffany to Chloe, who immediately took the baby bag from Tiffany. No one else in my family had even offered.

“Here, we can put your things in the upstairs room,” Chloe said. “Does he need food? A nap?” she asked eagerly.

I watched how easily Chloe helped with the baby and thought of what she’d told me about her not being able to have kids.

Did she want any? She’d mentioned how thankful she was that she and Elliott hadn’t had any. But seeing the way she was with my cousin and the baby made me wonder.

The rest of my family went about eating lunch as if they were enjoying a buffet, chatting about everything other than the fact that I’d discovered my grandfather’s murdered body feet from where they ate.

Maybe they were all numb. Did they know any of the facts of the case? How my grandfather had been killed? Had the detective told them at least the basic details?

We’d been asked not to reveal anything to them until each of them could be questioned. The detective was on his way over now.

Somehow, my family had convinced the police to interview them here instead of down at the police station.

I wasn’t sure how they had achieved it, but I guessed that it was thanks to my family’s pull.

I tried to eat something, but my stomach tightened at the thought of eating so close to where I’d found my grandfather.

Instead, I used that time to watch each member of my family. They all appeared to be heartless. As if they were invincible themselves. Death wouldn’t dare touch them.

Was I as heartless as the rest of my family? Instead of feeling sad and mourning my grandfather, I was angry and desperately searching for clues as to who had done this to him. Was this normal?

When Sherry had been murdered, I’d felt pretty much the same way. The police, when they’d held and questioned me, had seen my anger as an admission of guilt. After that, I’d stayed angry for years to come. I’d never really gotten over her death or the betrayal of my family for not sticking up for me. I had never really been able to mourn my sister properly.

Maybe my family felt the same way I did and were only hiding it. Robinsons were very good at hiding their emotions, after all.

The more I watched them, the more I realized that hardly anyone spoke to one another.

It wasn’t until after the detective and Officer Whitlock had arrived at the house to question everyone that I finally saw several of my family members show emotion.

But was it just for show? They were all watching one another and feeding off each other’s energy.

There was an air of tension, something I’d never felt before. Not even when we’d found Sherry’s body or after her funeral.

Everyone was questioning whether the others had had anything to do with the murder. When Sherry had been discovered, there hadn’t been any question. Most everyone in my family blamed me. I’d seen it in their eyes.

Now, however, they weren’t just looking at me. They were scanning everyone else’s faces as well.