Page 79 of Deeper Than the Dead

Too late. He was already out the back door, leaving it standing wide open. She stood on the porch and stared into the woods that surrounded the backyard. He was gone.

“What’s going on?”

The demand came from Eve, who now stood in the kitchen with her hands on her hips, glaring at Vera as if she’d put her out by insisting she come home straightaway.

A fresh wave of fury whipped through Vera. “Someone was in the house. He knocked me down the stairs getting away.” She gestured to the door. “Then disappeared.”

“Are you okay?” Eve surveyed her, from mussed blonde hair to worn sneakers, her frustration turning to concern.

Vera moved her shoulders and then flexed her feet, one at a time. “I’ll live. I don’t think he took anything—I didn’t see a bag or anything in his hands. But we need to be sure.”

Eve closed and locked the door, then the two of them walked back to the front hall and climbed the stairs, a hell of a lot more slowly this time. Vera noted an ache in her right hip and her chest. She was going to be sore. Damn it.

Vera’s and Eve’s rooms were undisturbed. Nothing appeared to be moved or missing in Luna’s either.

Their father’s room was a different story. The dresser drawers had been opened and items were slung onto the floor. The closet door stood open, and items that had been folded and stored on shelves now lay on the floor.

“What would anyone be looking for in here?” Eve asked, surveying the mess. “Daddy has been in Hillside for two years.”

“Who the hell knows?” Vera collapsed onto the bed. “We should call Bent.”

Eve sat down beside her. “Maybe he can find some prints.”

“The bastard had on gloves.”

“Oh.”

Vera hated to go down this path with Eve, but she had no choice. “Before we call ... Bent knows you backed into that deacon’s truck, and he knows you made up the story about being run off the road. I’m hoping there’s a reasonable explanation for why in the world you decided to fake the event.”

God, she was tired and frustrated and flat-out pissed off.

Eve huffed out a put-upon breath. “I never was very good at being sneaky.”

Vera’s whole body sagged with the new weight of her sister’s admission. She bit back the first thing that came to mind. “Why did you do it, Eve? Damn, don’t we have enough trouble without adding some stupid thing like this to the mix?”

“I thought I could make Bent believe someone was after us.” She shook her head. “That maybe it was the person who killed Sheree. If I was successful, maybe he wouldn’t be looking only at our family.” She stared at the floor. “I wanted you to believe too. I mean, that there was someone else.”

More of that load settled on Vera’s shoulders. This was exactly the reason people who might never have been caught after committing a crime often were for the most seemingly insignificant reasons. “I have told you a dozen times. All we have to do is stick with our story. This thing you did”—she shook her head at Eve—“is not going to help. And you should know me better than this. I would never not look at all the possibilities.”

“I’m sorry, Vee. I should have trusted you. Bent too. I’ll pay for the damages. Maybe Bent can arrange it where I can do it anonymously.”

Vera sighed. “So what’re you going to tell him to explain why you did this?”

“The truth, I guess.” Eve scrunched her face. “That I was worried they were going to try and blame Daddy and I wanted them to look further.”

Vera couldn’t argue her good intentions. “I suppose that’s as good an excuse as any.” She stretched her back and groaned, then another thought suddenly occurred to her. “Please tell me you didn’t put that message on the front door.” The mere thought irritated her. “And on my car at the cemetery.”

Eve leaned away. “I should take the Fifth.”

Vera’s jaw dropped. “And the text messages?”

Eve winced as if Vera had landed a blow. “Like I said, I had to be sure you were taking the possibility of other suspects seriously.”

Vera rubbed at her forehead. “No more. Got it? No more!”

Eve held up her hands in surrender. “I promise.”

Vera narrowed her gaze, anger stirring. “You didn’t have anything to do with this intruder, did you?”

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