Page 38 of Whispers of the Lake

“Are you talking about Alex?”

“Alex is my nephew, yes. Damian and Rory are his adopted siblings.”

So why was he calling them Alex’s brother and sister? Why not call themhisnephew and niece too?

I tried hard not to think it, but maybe he was prejudiced. Perhaps he didn’t want to claim Black kids as his family. Alex was as white as a white boy could get with his blond hair and blue eyes.

“Have you personally met Alex?” he asked.

“I did. Earlier, actually. I asked if he’d spoken to or seen Eve in person.”

“Why would they have spoken in person?” he asked rather defensively. “They only communicate with their tenants online or by phone.”

“I don’t know. They could’ve seen her in passing. Eve is a wanderer. She likes looking around. Hiking. Taking pictures. One of the neighbors, Mrs. Abbot, said she bumped into her while she was here and she’s all the way on the other side of the lake.”

“You can’t trust anything Mrs. Abbot says,” he told me. “Her husband says her mind ain’t right. She forgets things. Imagines stuff.”

“She seemed perfectly fine to me.” I officially did not like Selma’s husband now, talking about his own wife to others, making her sound delusional. I didn’t get the impression that she was a woman out of her mind.

Reed blinked twice before asking, “What did my nephew say when you asked if he’d seen her?”

“That he hadn’t.”

“And Damian and Rory? Did you speak to them too?”

“Yes.”

His shoulders tensed up. “And what did they say?”

“They hadn’t seen her either.”

He seemed to relax a bit, the hardness melting from his shoulders.

“Sheriff Reed, is there something I should know about that cottage or even your nephews?”

“Like what?” He leaned back and folded his arms tightly across his chest.

“I’m not sure. Just seems like you all are being very careful with what you say to me.”

Sheriff Reed’s jaw ticked before settling. “Not sure what you’re implyin’ there, Mrs. Howard.”

“Call me Rose.” I scooted toward the edge of my chair, clearing my throat. “And I’ll break it down for you. Not even two hours ago, someone pounded on the door of their rental while I was there, and ran off. I don’t know what they wanted, but there is only one other house on my side of the lake, and it belongs to yournephews.” I made sure to put emphasis on thes.

The sheriff’s throat bobbed. He dropped his arms to pick up his pen and notepad. “Did someone threaten you?”

“No.” I wasn’t about to tell him I’d been given Eve’s purse, or that I suspected it was Rory who left it.

“Did you catch a description of the person?” he asked, pen still in hand, ready to scribble.

“I didn’t.”

He sighed and dropped the pen.

It was best to shift the focus before he became too frustrated. “The thing is, Eve was engaged once to a guy named Lincoln Fowler. I found out he was staying in the cottage with her.”

“So, how do you know she hasn’t just run off with him?”

“She wouldn’t. He abused her.Constantly.”

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