Page 166 of Hidden Nature

“She was a good woman and a good neighbor. I’m glad to help.”

“And you did,” Sloan murmured when she hung up. “Celia Russell, end of September. Were you the first? Maybe, maybe not. But this makes four.”

She shoved at her hair, and her hand passed over the scar on her forehead before she got up to add notes to her wall.

Then she sat and began to look into October.

An hour later, she contacted O’Hara.

“I think I found two more.”

When she hung up this time, she rubbed at her stiff neck. She needed to get up, get outside. Too late in the day for that hike, she decided, but a long walk would do the job.

Clear her head, let it simmer.

But first she turned back to her board. Five on there now, she thought. Young, old, Black, white, male, female.

With one thing connecting them.

Each had been given life after death.

With Theo and Robo, Nash studied the empty space of the home office, and the paint samples stuck to the wall.

“I like the gray, the middle one. It’s kind of smoky.”

Nodding at Theo’s opinion, Nash continued to study.

“It’d look good,” Robo agreed. “So would that brown. Like a Hershey bar. It’s manly. Nothing wrong with that blue either. It’s—what’s the word?—muted like.”

Nash propped the walnut wood strip beside each choice.

“No wrong choice. The built-ins we’re doing work with all of these. I want to see how they all look tomorrow, morning light, early afternoon.”

His desk from his home office in New York remained in storage, but it would work, too.

“Boss?”

“Hmm?”

“I was wondering. I like painting just fine, and the other work you give me. The fact is, I’ve never liked a job like this one. I was wondering if maybe you could teach me some more. Like how you and Theo do the built-ins you got started in your shop, and how you figure how to lay tile so it works out perfect.”

“Angling for my job?” Theo gave him an elbow jab.

“Aw, come on.” Smiling, Robo hunched his shoulders. “If you don’t have time for it, that’s okay. I just wondered.”

“You come over at nine tomorrow,” Nash told him. “We’re finishing the first built-in. We’ll show you how it’s done.”

“For real?” He lit up like Christmas. “I’ll be here for sure.”

Someone knocked on the front door. Tic raced out to welcome them.

“That can’t be Drea yet. She said closer to six.”

He trooped out and opened the door to Sloan.

“Hey! Come on in.”

Tic blocked her entrance with wags and happy whines before he sat and held up a paw.

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