So well keep Wilmington for further questioning, right? Deb asks from behind a cloud of steam as she blows on her coffee.

For as long as we can. In the meantime Quincy is interrupted by his ringing cell phone again.

He pulls it out and flips it open with a glance at the caller ID window. Crime Scene Investigation Unit.

Yeah?

Without preamble, the efficient voice on the line informs him, We opened that gift-wrapped box, Hiles. Are you ready for this?

Ca.s.sie called a security company from her cell phone on her way back to Danbury from Brynns, and they promised to send someone over to her condo within a few hours.

True to their word, they sent a locksmith and an alarm installer, who are now both hard at work as Ca.s.sie sits on the couch and sips a cup of hot tea Alec forced on her.

Of course he and Ca.s.sies parents were here when she got home, along with Marcus and Reenie.

Their momentary relief at seeing her immediately gave way to a barrage of questions, but Ca.s.sie headed them off with the news about Tildy.

They were instantly somber. Her mother cried.

Somewhere in her own anguished fog, Ca.s.sie found herself wondering, mean-spiritedly, if Regina Ashfords tears were for Ca.s.siesand Tildys familysloss, or for her own. Now she wont be able to introduce Matilda Harrington to her const.i.tuents at the wedding.

Regina pulled herself together while Marcus and Reenie stepped out to use their cell phones, and Alec and Ca.s.sies father were in the next room notifying the police that Ca.s.sie had turned up safe and sound. Sniffling, wiping her eyes, Regina promptly started to ask questions again.

Mother, please, not now. I cant talk about anything right now. Ca.s.sies emotional exhaustion was genuine.

For once, Regina listened.

So Tildys death is, for Ca.s.sandra well, certainly not ablessing . But it has offered her a temporary reprieve from explaining why she really disappeared for twenty-four hours.

Her brother and his wife departed for their jobs in the city almost immediately, but her parents lingered, along with Alec.

Is there anything you need, honey? Ca.s.sies father wanted to know. Anything we can do to make this easier for you?

Yes,Ca.s.sie thought,you can leave and take Mom with you, because I just cant deal with having you here.

Unable to say it, and still riddled with guilt over what shes put them through, Ca.s.sie sent her parents on a series of errands designed to keep them away for a little while. Actually, she suggested that Alec go, too, but they wouldnt hear of leaving her alone.

Mrs. Ashford? the locksmith asks from the doorway of the living room, apparently a.s.suming Alec is her husband. The locks are all set. How many sets of keys do you want?

Two is fine.

Are you sure?

She nods.

We need three, actually, Alec speaks up. We should keep a spare set here in case one of us loses ours.

Oh. He a.s.sumed one of the two she mentioned would be for him.

Of course he did. Hes her fiance. Hes going to be living here full time in a matter of weeks.

Three, Ca.s.sie confirms with a reluctant nod, wishing she didnt feel so violated. She shouldwant Alec to be here with her, shouldnt she?

Especially after what happened to Tildy.

For some reason, though, she wants only to be left alone, in a fortress no outsider can possibly penetrate.

But Alec isnt an outsider, she reminds herself sternly.

She stands abruptly, and he looks up questioningly at her. Where are you going?

I need to go call Dr. Prevatt at the hospital.

Do you want me to call?

No. The word comes out b.i.t.c.hier than shed intended.

She opens her mouth to apologize for what?

I dont need him to make my phone calls for me. I dont need him here at all.

She closes her mouth and retreats to the phone in the bedroom, closing the door after her.

Dr. Prevatt takes the call.

Ca.s.sie apologizes for not showing up this morning, attributing the lapse to the sudden death of her best friend.

He is immediately sympathetic. Take as much time as you need, Ca.s.sandra. Im so sorry about your loss.

She hangs up.

Sitting on the bed, she looks around at her familiar belongings.

Those are my things,she tells herself, gazing from the books to the clothes draped over the doork.n.o.b to the framed photos on the bedside table.This is my life.

But it isnt sinking in. Shes been gone only twenty-four hours, but she feels like shes trespa.s.sing on unfamiliar turf.

She buries her head in her hands, her breaths coming fast and shallow.

Hold it together Youve got to hold it together.

Alec is knocking. The alarm guy needs to talk to you, Ca.s.sie.

Just handle it.

A pause.

Please, Alec. Her voice comes out in something close to a wail.

Okay.

She emerges a short time later, temporarily lucid again, to find Alec alone in the condo.

Where did they go? she asks him.

They finished. They left the keys and instructions for using the alarm. I chose the code word for you.

What?

You said to handle it, so I usedMarshmallow . Thats your usual pa.s.sword for everything anyway, right?

Right, but And I paid them. So youre all set.

He chose the code word.

He paid them.

This is my life But she had told him to handle it.

And he did.

Now he has the keys, the alarm code Of course he does. Heshould. Because this isnt my life. This is our life. This is what I signed up for when he proposed and I said yes.

And now Now you have to tell him you just cant go through with the wedding,she realizes with startling clarity.

With it comes a tide of relief.

She will. Sh.e.l.l break it off. She cant get married in a few weeks, on the heels of all this.

As soon as the dust settles, sh.e.l.l tell Alec.

What will you say?

Just that I cant marry him yet.

Yet?nudges a persistent voice.Or ever?

But Ca.s.sie, consumed by the monumental task of simply keeping herself upright and breathing, cant answer that question now.

Okay, thanks. Well come right down and take a look. Quincy disconnects the call and looks at Deb.

What was it? she asks, watching him over her coffee cup.

A piece of gray wool.

Wool?

You know knitted. They said it looks like it was cut from a scarf or a sweater or something.

Was that all?

That was all.

What do you think it means?

Who the h.e.l.l can tell? Quincy clicks on the turn signal, approaching an intersection.

No hunches? No gut instinct?

Not until I know more.

Did they say anything else at all?

Quincy rounds the corner, heading toward the lab, his brows furrowed.

Just that the forensic botanist ran some preliminary tests on it, he tells Deb, and found embedded particles of soil and pine needle fragments.

PART III.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR Ca.s.sIE.

CHAPTER 13.

First thing on the Wednesday morning after Tildys death, Brynn opens her eyes and bolts for the bathroom.

Crouched over the toilet, vomiting miserably, she thinks back over last nights dinner, wondering if its food poisoning or a stomach bug.

Shes been too stressed to cook so Garth picked up KFC on the way home, but the greasy chicken didnt appeal to her. She ate only plain mashed potatoes, which couldnt have made her this Oh.

Oh, G.o.d.

Oh, no.

Brynn stands on shaky legs, flushes, and rinses her mouth with cold water. Then she flips on the light switch to look at herself in the mirror over the sink.

Her face is pale and puffy, her eyes sunken into purplish trenches.

Good Lord, you havent looked this awful since Has sheever looked this awful?

Yes. After she lost her mother, there was a long stretch of sleepless nights and nightmarish days, just like this past week. She remembers her high school friendsand, yes, Suegently helping her to pull herself together, not just emotionally but physically.