Lucky Break (Lucky 3)

Mike let out a slow whistle. “Any suspects?”

“Plenty of people with access. Nobody with motive.”

“If you need any help, don’t hesitate to give me a call,” his cop cousin offered.

“Now that you mention it,” Jason said, “if I give you a list of people, can you run simple checks for me? See if anyone had any connections to Lauren’s grandmother or sister? I’m looking for a motive. A reason for someone to want to sabotage this house.”

“Anything I can do,” Mike promised.

Jason slapped his cousin on the back. “Thanks.”

“Same for us,” Amber reminded Lauren. “If you change your mind and decide you need any help cleaning out the house, give us a ring.”

Goodbyes said, Mike and Derek ushered their wives out of the house, leaving Lauren with the impression they weren’t finished lecturing the two women. But despite the anger, there was plenty of love between these couples, as well.

Lauren envied them.

LAUREN HAD BEEN RIGHT about the police confiscating her grandmother’s papers for evidence, and since her sister had taken many of the notes, they’d kept things for a potential trial. Even the small cabinet in her grandmother’s closet had been emptied. Just when she’d given up finding anything helpful, Lauren had remembered that her grandmother’s night table drawer had a secret compartment. When she was a little girl, Mary used to leave surprise gifts for Lauren and Beth there. So many bad memories had taken place in recent years, she’d almost forgotten there had been any good ones.

Inside the secret compartment, Lauren found an old diary. The book was small, bound in tan leather with dog-eared pages. Since she probably wouldn’t find anything recent or relevant to her problems inside, Lauren placed the diary on her pillow to look through after she’d finished her work for the day.

Hours later, she finally curled up in bed with the diary. Jason eased in beside her. “Anything interesting in it?” he asked.

She flipped through, taking care with the thin, often cracked pages. “I’m not sure. I don’t even recognize the writing.”

He propped himself against the pillows and headboard and she scooted backward, curling into him so they could look together. As she scanned the pages, she realized that something liquid had spilled on the old pages. Although the paper had long since dried, it was yellowed and the writing had smudged.

What was clear, however, was that the entries had been made by one of Lauren’s ancestors.

“It looks like it’s written by another Mary Perkins,” Lauren said, excited. “Not my grandmother, but an earlier one.”

“Interesting,” he said, nuzzling her neck in a blatant attempt to distract her with sex.

And oh how she wanted to be distracted. In a few minutes. After she examined the diary a little longer.

He ran his tongue up and down her throat, but receiving no response, groaned, “I’ll wait.”

“Thanks. I’ll make it up to you.” And she had every intention of keeping her word.

She turned her attention back to the small book in her hand. The more she read, the more she wondered if the book belonged to the Mary Perkins, the woman who had placed the original curse on Jason’s family. Unfortunately the entries weren’t dated.

Lauren’s heart beat rapidly in her chest as she studied the fragile pages. The beginning was like a window into a woman’s thoughts and longings, making Lauren uncomfortable. She didn’t appreciate feeling like a voyeur, but before she could turn the page, something caught her eye.

The word curse had been written in capital letters at the end of the entry. “Jason, look!”

He leaned over her shoulder, his breath warm against her skin. “What does it say?”

“Before the smudging, the entry mentions an offering of some kind. After that the only clear word is curse. I think this book belonged to that Mary Perkins!”

He glanced at the diary warily. “If it did, I’m not sure I want to know.” He shuddered, then met her gaze, his turning heated. “Besides, do we really want to revisit our family history when the present is so much more interesting?” He slipped his hand under her nightshirt and settled his palm flat on her belly.

So much for his willingness to wait.

“But-”

“No buts. We can’t figure this out ourselves. Talk to Clara tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll know how to help you decipher it.” His gruff tone indicated his mind was on anything but ancient history.

“Hmm. That’s a good idea. And while she’s at it, maybe she can exorcise the demons from this place and make the whole project run smoother.”