They were only a couple of blocks away.
“Did you think about keeping the house?” she asked, her voice tight. “I mean, living here?”
“Hell, no!”
Startled at Colin’s vehemence, she realized that his knuckles showed white. Maybe she had been wrong. His memories might be even worse than hers.
“When I left for college, I swore I’d never set foot in the place again,” he said after a minute. “Of course, I had to when the time came to put it on the market.” He paused. “I wouldn’t have kept it no matter what. You were entitled to half of the only estate he had to leave us.”
She nodded. “I almost told you I didn’t want it.”
He laughed. “I gave serious thought to burning the house down and being done with it.”
That made her mouth curve. “There were enough zeroes on the check, greed overcame me. It paid a lot of tuition.”
“I’m glad.” He smiled at her, warmth in those gray eyes. “It gave me a down payment. Something good came from his legacy.” He steered his SUV to the curb and set the emergency brake. “Here we are.”
Oh, boy.
Reluctantly, she turned her head, felt a momentary lurch in her chest followed by…relief.
She’d have recognized the house, of course she would have, but it had changed so much, too. Painted a sunny yellow with pale rust-and-white trim, the small rambler looked cheerful. Neither of their parents had been gardeners, but someone who lived there now was. A white-painted arch at the side of the house was covered with a rose that wasn’t yet in bloom and a blue-flowered clematis. A broad border brimming with perennials separated the small lawn from the sidewalk. A pink girl’s bike with handlebar ribbons lay on its side in the driveway.
Cait stared.
Colin hadn’t moved. “I also swore I’d never mow another lawn.”
“But you would if Nell wanted one, wouldn’t you?”
He gave a gruff laugh. “You’ve got me there. I might even enjoy it.”
Tears prickled in the backs of her eyes even as she found herself smiling as she gazed out the side window at a house that looked happy. What better illustration that life does move on?
“So,” her brother said, all business again. “Do we walk from here, or do we drive?”
* * *
ALEC RAYNOR DIDN’T invite Colin to sit down. After summoning him midmorning with a terse phone call, he kept him standing there like a disobedient kid in the principal’s office. All he did was sit behind that desk and survey Colin with scathing dark eyes.
“Tell me about this warrant.”
Shit. Colin didn’t even know how he’d heard. By nine-thirty that morning, Cait had led them all straight to the house. A search of records showed that Hegland had sold it ten years ago. Jane had gone for a warrant allowing them to look under the concrete patio in the backyard. Just before the phone call from Raynor, Colin had learned the warrant had come through.
“Are you aware that the gun used to fire the shots that killed Jerry Hegland was also used to attempt to kill my sister?” Colin asked.
“I was. Although not from you.” The bite wasn’t meant to be subtle.
It took a discernible moment for Colin to unclench his jaw. “We’ve been searching for a connection between Cait and Hegland. We’ve found one.”
“We.”
“Last I knew, Investigations is under my authority.”
“Under your authority is one thing. But this is your sister. It didn’t occur to you that it might be smart to keep some distance?”
“What if this was your sister?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Anyone you love.”
A nerve jumped in his cheek. The next moment, his eyebrows peaked. “You’re asking if I understand why you don’t feel like you can sit back and wait for someone else to figure out who is trying to kill your sister.”
“Yes.”
“I do understand. Will you understand when the D.A. declines to file charges because the investigator was biased?”
He’d have given any underling the same lecture. Fury still burned in his chest and rose like acid in his throat. Swallowing it, he couldn’t say a word without risking the wrong ones coming out.