Page 141 of Our Little Secret

She thought of the missing panties and bras she’d never found. Of the cameras and burner phone she’d chucked into the waters of the marina.

Or the gun.

Neal’s pistol.

Her stomach turned to lead at the thought.

It had taken two weeks after she’d lost it in the dark water of Elliott Bay for Neal to ask about it. He’d been frantic, searching the house from top to bottom, accusing everyone. Brooke, Marilee, and Marilee’s visiting friends had been scrutinized as potential thieves. Nick Paszek’s name had come up more than once, to Marilee’s horror.

When Brooke had suggested that maybe he’d moved it, he’d asked her if she were crazy, reminding her that the firearm was not only dangerous but an heirloom of sorts and he would not forget moving it. Panicked, he’d vowed he was going to report the loss to the police.

But if he’d notified anyone in law enforcement, she didn’t know about it. No one from the department had phoned or stopped by and she’d let the subject drop.

He’d eventually quit mentioning it. End of story.

Yet she couldn’t stop worrying as she opened one of the bags of salad she’d brought from Seattle.

What if Gideon had found the pistol? It probably had landed somewhere near the bracelet on the bottom of the bay. She’d always assumed the gun, along with the cameras, burner phone, and bracelet were lying at the bottom of Elliott Bay, or possibly drifting into the deeper waters of Puget Sound.

She’d never expected any of it to surface again, but she had learned not to underestimate Gideon. She flashed on the wet suit she’d seen hanging on a closet hook on his boat, the diving gear nearby.

“Shit.” Her blood pressure was skyrocketing.Don’t go there, she told herself.

Gideon had left one item to make a point, to remind her, to have the last word. Only one point. And he hadn’t scraped the bracelet off the bottom of Elliott Bay, so the other items that had landed there were probably safe.

Probably.

She heard Shep barking and car doors closing as she tossed the salad, dumping the packet of dressing onto the greens.

Marilee breezed into the house. “Oh my God, it’s cold here!” She shivered and raced to the fire to warm the backs of her legs.

“It’s Christmas. Well, almost. It’s supposed to be cold.” Brooke couldn’t help but grin at the sight of her daughter. She’d missed everything about her, including Marilee’s sometimes caustic tongue and bad attitude.

“But not freezing!” Marilee protested. “And notinside.Dad says it’s gonna snow.” Marilee shot a worried look out the back window to the gray day beyond. “I didn’t think it ever snowed here.”

“Rarely but yeah. And wouldn’t that be great? A white Christmas?”

“Ugh!” Marilee bit her lip. “I can’t be trapped here. I told Wes I’d be back on the twenty-sixth.”

“You just got here.” Brooke walked into the living room and gave Marilee a hug while Shep was losing his mind, dancing and wiggling at her feet, crazy for her attention. “Don’t worry about leaving yet.”

“Says the woman who worries about everything.” Then, to the dog, “Didn’t I give you enough love in the car? Geez, Shep, chill!”

Brooke let out a short laugh and sniffed back emotional tears. “He’s missed you.” Then added, “I have too.”

Brooke braced herself for a snarky reply, but Marilee’s chin wobbled. “Me too,” she said, and tears welled in her eyes.

At their feet Shep whined. “Yeah, and of course you too!” Marilee let go of her mother to sit on the hearth and rub the dog’s shaggy coat. “Especially you!”

Brooke’s heart melted. “You could come home, you know.”

“Yeah,” she said, still petting the dog. “I know, Mom. I’ve thought about it.” She bit her lip. “I really wanted to when I first got there, was really homesick, you know? But I think . . . I think for now this is better.” She wiped away her tears and smiled. “Maybe next year. But can we talk about it later? I just got done with finals and then had to get to the airport. I just want to crash.”

“You’re not hungry?”

“Got something at the airport.”

“Did you get hold of Leah?”

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