His Brother's Bride

She offered them a cup of coffee and the three of them settled at the kitchen table.

She didn’t have much information for them in the Byrd case.

“He wasn’t at the B and B when I was there on Saturday afternoon,” she said. “I was the only one in the house—everyone else was at the barbecue.”

“You’re sure his car wasn’t in the drive?” Scott asked, his notebook out.

“Positive,” she said. “I pulled my truck all the way around back. I didn’t want anyone to know where I was and ask me to do any more jobs that were going to keep me from getting to the barbecue—and there were no other cars back there.” She frowned. “Why?”

“He’s missing,” Laurel gently told the other woman.

Bonnie instantly stilled, lowering the half-raised cup she held back to its saucer. “Missing?” she repeated.

Scott and Laurel nodded.

“He hasn’t been seen since Saturday morning,” Scott said.

“That’s two days ago!”

A twinge of fear shot through Laurel, a reaction to the concern she read in the other woman’s expressive eyes.

They were going to find William Byrd. Alive. She was certain of it.

But she would feel a whole lot better if she knew the older man hadn’t been the victim of foul play.

If someone had hurt him...

Since there was nothing more Bonnie could tell them, Scott directed the conversation back to Bonnie’s specialty—restoration plumbing. She was the best source in the area for authentic hardware and vintage fixtures.

“How’d you get into plumbing?” Laurel asked Bonnie as the three walked out a few minutes later. “All you ever talked about was teaching at Theodore Cooper Elementary.”

Bonnie chuckled. “I had a bit of an idealized vision of being a teacher. I mean, look at Cooper Elementary—it’s so picturesque it could be on a postcard. I always imagined wearing horn-rimmed glasses and plaid outfits, and having dozens of little darlings bringing me apples.”

“So what happened?”

“Teaching my first class.”

Laurel laughed out loud at the look of chagrin on Bonnie’s face.

“Too hot for you to handle, eh, Bonnie?” Scott asked with a grin.

“Bite me, Hunter.”

Laurel envied the easy grin the two of them shared, and their relaxed way with each other, almost as though they were brother and sister.

That’s what living in a small town could do, she remembered. Give you the illusion that you really did have a family to call your own.

“So you chose plumbing because it was the furthest thing from teaching?” Laurel asked, charmed as always, by the younger woman. Bonnie liked plain food, plain talk and country music. Laurel had expected her to be married with babies by now, not traipsing off in overalls fixing people’s toilets.

“No,” Bonnie chuckled. “During high school I learned to do simple installations while helping Dad out at the store. It was a good way to earn some extra money. And it didn’t take me long to figure out that the more I knew, the more money I made. I registered as an apprentice when I went to college and worked my way through a bachelor’s degree.”

“She’s damn good,” Scott told Laurel. “Makes quite a name for herself helping the city people who move to the area and want to build period homes.”

“I’m actually still working to be a journeyman,” Bonnie admitted. “But I think I’ve found my niche with the restoration stuff. Nothing like finding just the right ball cock.”

“What?” Laurel choked.

“You know, ball...cock. Think about it.” Scott sent her a grin he shouldn’t be sending. One that made Laurel’s cheeks burn and her heart beat faster.