Page 81 of Sinister Secrets

As his eyebrows rise, almost meeting his hairline, I remember what he said about softening my approach.

“I appreciate the offer, sir.” I smile, thinking about the little pygmy goat, now restored to full health, as evidenced by this morning’s round of mischief when he’d jumped in with the pigs and tried to steal some of their food, inciting squeals of outrage, so the expression is genuine. “But I’m fine.”

Somehow, it’s the truth. Learning the real reason behind what happened to my grandfather has absolved me of a lot of guilt I hadn’t realized I was harboring. All this time a part of me felt that if I had been here watching over him, protecting him, that he’d still be alive today. But his death wasn’t random—it was part of Chelsea’s plan. If my little sister was half as stubborn as I am, she would have found a way to make it happen regardless of whether I was here or not.

“I’m not going to claim to not have my moments of grief and frustration,” I say. “But I figure that’s normal.” Have been assured that it is, actually, by Dr. Evangeline, or rather, Olivia, who’s much easier to listen to and take advice from now that I’m no longer her patient. “I’m looking forward to digging into my next investigation.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Director Lopez picks up a stack of papers from his desk and hands them to me. I look down, scanning the first page as he summarizes the case—almost a dozen people who’ve gone missing from the Naples area over the last decade and were believed dead until they made an error that revealed the new lives they were living elsewhere.

“Given that these people have all been discovered alive and well, the only crime is that their documents were forged. Someone is doing a very good job of helping these people disappear. I want to know who,” he says. “I have a feeling you’re going to have to immerse yourself in the methods used. I imagine it might be quite illuminating.”

I look up, meeting his eyes with surprise. Though he fights against the grin making the corners of his mouth twitch, he fails.

“This assignment will remain between us. It’s low priority, so you should consider it something to chip away at in your free time, along with your normal caseload, but like you said, you’re looking forward to getting back to work, and I’m afraid this is all I have for you right now.”

Blinking against my gathering tears, I nod. “Thank you, sir.”

His cheeks pinken and he looks away. “All right, then. Off you go. Get to work.”

I hurry out of my seat. Pause at the door, look back over my shoulder at my new boss, and smile. This time, I don’t have to think about a naughty goat to make it authentic. He earned the real thing all on his own.

CHAPTER 48

I would have thought that nothing could have put a damper on my good mood, but the battered old Subaru sitting in my driveway when I arrive home does the trick. I stare warily through my windshield at the woman sitting on my doorstep as I pull up and park beside it. Brace myself before opening the car door, a wave of sweltering heat immediately sweeping inside, snatching at my breath.

“Cassidy,” she says, her calm, even voice singing my name. She wipes at the sweat that drips down her face. Self-consciously plucks her damp shirt away from her skin. I wonder how long she’s been sitting out here, waiting to talk to me when she could have just called. But would I have answered? Probably not.

“I wanted to say thank you again for watching Jeffery for me the other night.” Lucy Cypress stares down at the shapes she’s drawing in the dirt with the toe of her shoe instead of meeting my eyes. “And also to say that I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Butch never told you?”

I shake my head.

“He was a good man,” she says. “The best. If it hadn’t been for him…”

She draws a deep breath, and I wonder what she’s getting at. If it hadn’t been for him, then what? She would have burned the barn down, and all the animals inside of it?

“… my sister would probably be dead right now.”

Wait. “What?”

She nods, finally meeting my gaze though her hands twist each other violently. “I don’t know if you remember the way Sally was that last summer we were together?”

I do. At fourteen, her sister had gone from being a sweet and loving girl who occasionally played our third wheel to a sullen young woman who wanted nothing to do with us.

“She’d been having issues. A few of the older boys in the neighborhood were…” She clears her throat. Though she doesn’t say the words, her eyes speak them clearly. “When I found out, I tried telling our parents since she wouldn’t, but they wouldn’t believe me. Refused to even talk to them to try to make them stop. So I told Butch what was going on.”

Suddenly, something clicks into place. My former best friend had loved the animals at the sanctuary every bit as much as I did. It didn’t make sense that she would put them at risk by starting a fire, and I know that I took every precaution to keep that from happening as well.

“He tried to help. He spoke with my parents, and the boys’ parents, but it didn’t stop. It only got worse, so bad that Sally took some pills… If I hadn’t come home when I did… I knew that I needed to find a way to put an end to it.”

“So Butch said you started the fire.”

“Yes. He arranged with a friend of his to make sure we’d have to move away because of it.”