Dead Silence (Stillwater Trilogy #1)(24)
Author: Brenda Novak

“Why do you think he’d go into such a dark cave?” she asked as they studied one of the illustrations.

“He’s curious, I guess,” Teddy said.

“You’d never go into a dark cave alone, would you?”

“No. I want him to do it, though. Don’t you?”

She laughed. “Spoken like a true boy. You already have a love of danger.”

“Do you think he’s going to get hurt?”

“Or lost,” she said. “Let’s see.” She turned the page and started reading again. She was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, but no shoes, and her shapely legs were crossed at the ankle beneath her chair.

Kennedy could hardly believe what he was seeing.

“He is getting into trouble,” Teddy breathed in obvious concern as the boy in the book slipped down a slope and fell through a hole into complete blackness. “Someone will come and help him, won’t they?”

“Maybe,” she said. “But you can’t expect others to save you. You have to save yourself. Always remember that.”

“Why won’t other people help you?”

She hesitated for a second. “Sometimes they can’t hear your cries.”

Kennedy got the funny feeling that she wasn’t talking about the story and experienced another twinge of guilt for all she’d suffered in high school. But he could tell that Teddy wasn’t in any danger. On the contrary, his son was getting a dose of the comfort and closeness he’d craved so badly since losing his mother.

Not wanting to interrupt, Kennedy backed out, closed the gate with a tiny click, and slipped away.

When he was in his car, he phoned his mother. “Teddy’s fine,” he said. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Is he coming home?”

He turned onto Main Street. “Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“He’s busy.”

“Is he still with her?”

Kennedy didn’t want to describe the tender scene he’d just witnessed. He was profoundly grateful that Grace could be so kind to Teddy, even though she didn’t like him. “He’s sweeping out her garage,” he lied, because he thought his practical mother would accept that answer more readily.

But he’d underestimated her dislike of Grace.

“What’s she planning to do, work him all day, then pay him a buck or two? Are you going to let her take advantage of him that way?”

“She’s not taking advantage of him,” he snapped. “I’ve got it handled.”

A surprised silence followed this outburst, and he struggled to restrain his emotions. Maybe there were things about his mother that grated on him, but her intentions were loving. And she was dealing with a lot right now—too much. He’d often thought of getting another babysitter for the boys, but he knew none of them would be any happier. His children wanted what they’d had before, when their mother was alive; Camille would take his defection as a sign that he believed she wasn’t doing an adequate job.

“I’ve already looked into it,” he said, softening his voice. “Everything’s fine. He’ll get home when he gets home.”

“You should’ve told him to come right away, like I asked you to.”

“Because you want to read to him?”

“What?”

“Never mind,” he said and hung up.

6

Country-western music poured out the open door of the pool hall adjacent to Jed’s Dependable Auto Repair. Grace, standing flat against the outside wall, knew that if she leaned forward just a little, she’d probably see half the men who lived in Stillwater throwing darts, playing pool or drinking beer. But approaching the back of the automotive shop from the direction of the pool hall was still their best option. Located on Main Street several blocks from Evonne’s, Jed’s shop wasn’t far from the busiest intersection in town. They couldn’t go in through the front. And Walt Eastman’s Tire Center on the other side had a big dog in the yard.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and jogging shorts, with her long hair tucked up inside a baseball cap, she pressed herself more tightly to the outer wall of the building.

“Tell me Jed doesn’t have a dog, too,” she whispered to Madeline, who was similarly dressed, except that she carried a backpack.

Her stepsister shook her head. “No. Walt’s the only one with a dog. And the juicy steak I brought will keep that boy busy.”

“Great. So all we have to worry about is getting caught and going to jail?”

Madeline brandished the chain cutters she’d removed from her backpack. “No one’s going to jail. You heard the police scanner. It’s coffee and doughnuts. Again.”

“You’re talking about the scanner back in the car, right?”

“I don’t want to carry it around, do you?”

Grace preferred to travel light, in case she needed to run like hell. “No.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“So what’s the plan now that we’ve come this far?”

Madeline finished zipping up her pack and stood. “Kirk scouted it out for us before he left. He said there’s a double gate at the back of the yard secured by a chain and padlock. We simply cut the chain with these, slip inside and take a look around. How hard can that be?”

Grace propped her hands on her hips. “Kirk told you how to break in to someone’s business?”

“Once he realized he couldn’t come along.”

“Why not wait for him?” If only Grace could stall for enough time to talk Clay into moving the reverend’s remains before Madeline drew any more attention.

“And let whatever’s in that file drawer disappear?”

“It could be gone already.”

“We have a better chance now than later.” Madeline slung the backpack over her shoulder again. “Besides, there’s no telling when Kirk might get back. His mother could be in the hospital for days, even weeks.”

When Grace didn’t appear convinced, Madeline’s eyebrows drew together in an expression of impatience. “We’re not going to steal anything, so quit worrying. This is no big deal.”

It was a big deal. It was such a big deal that Grace’s heart was beating faster than a hummingbird’s wings. And it didn’t help that she could see Kennedy Archer’s SUV in the lot and knew he was inside the pool hall with all his friends. If she and Madeline got caught, they’d have plenty of witnesses to their humiliation.