Page 16 of Darkwater Lane

Kez hesitates, and I can feel her weighing how to respond.

“It will all work out,” I tell her. “I promise.”

“I’ll take your word for it. Every time one of these contractions hits, I ask myself what the hell I signed up for. Then I remember that this baby has to come out of me one way or another.” Shelaughs. “But as much as I love telling you my woes, I’m guessing that’s not why you called. What’s up?”

“It’s nothing,” I tell her. “I was hoping you might be able to give me some insight on a case, but there’s no way I’m asking a thing of you right now.”

“Oh, come on. It’s called false labor for a reason! I can’t go in to work, and I’ve been bored out of my mind sitting here all day. I would love nothing more than a project to take my mind off all this. So, what have you got?”

“Kez, you’re going to have a baby soon. You should be focused on nesting.”

She snorts. “When have you ever known me to be into anything as domestic as nesting? I’d rather be out in the field serving a search warrant than washing another batch of baby clothes. You called for my help. Please, let me help.”

I hesitate for another moment before letting out a breath. “It really only involves making some phone calls, and if at any point, you’re not feeling like doing?—”

“Gwen, seriously. Stop treating me like I’m fragile. I get enough of that from Javi. I’m a whole grown-ass woman and I’m absolutely capable of saying no when I need to. I’m not saying it now.”

One of the things I’ve always loved about Kez is that she’s a woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. “Okay, then. Here’s what I’ve got.” I tell her about the FBI visit this morning and Cooper Kuntz’s murder.

She’s just as horrified as I am. “What kind of person would do something like that? Go through all that effort to dig up Melvin’s body and then use his bones as…what? Some kind of weapon? And what does it have to do with you? They can’t possibly think you had anything to do with it.”

“They asked for my alibi,” I inform her. “Sam’s as well.”

“Seriously? Just because this Cooper Kuntz guy once sent youthreatening emails doesn’t mean you had anything to do with his murder.”

“That’s the thing. It wasn’t just Cooper Kuntz.” I tell her about going through my files and what I discovered about several of the other guys who’d sent threatening emails. “Something about it doesn’t sit right with me. On the surface, their deaths aren’t necessarily that suspicious and there’s nothing tying them together.”

“Except for you,” Kez points out.

I let out a breath. “Except for me,” I echo. “It has to be a coincidence, right? I mean, a drug deal gone wrong in Louisiana and a missing person in Nevada—those are two different deaths with different MOs.”

“Your gut is telling you there’s something there. You should listen to it.”

She’s right. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with my gut over the past year. I used to rely on it without second thought, but my confidence got shaken after my interaction with Jonathan Watson at Salah Point. It has taken me a while to get used to listening to it again.

“I tried calling the investigating officer for one of the cases, hoping to learn more so I could see if the deaths are related at all. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t interested in sharing any information. I was hoping that as a detective you might be able to get farther than I could if you asked?”

“I can give it a try. I’ve had success with that in the past when we were trying to track down Sheryl Lansdowne after she drowned her two kids. Email me the list of names and any other information you’ve got, and I’ll start making calls. Worst thing they can do is tell me no.”

I still feel a moment of hesitation. She’s so close to her due date. The last thing I need to do is involve her in my problems. “Are you sure, Kez?”

“Do you like it when other people tell you what you can and can’t do?” she asks with an edge to her voice.

She has a point. “You’re right.”

“I know I am.” I hear her grin through the phone.

I think about how long it’s been since I’ve seen her—almost four months. With Lanny’s school and Connor’s equine therapy, I haven’t had the time to leave town for a visit. I realize now that’s a terrible excuse. Sam is more than capable of handling the kids on his own.

Kez was there when I needed her the most, even risking her life to save mine in the lighthouse at Salah Point. I owe her everything. “Are you sure you don’t need me to come up there? Even for a day? I can take over laundry duty.”

“I appreciate the offer. I really do,” Kez says. “But save your time off for when the baby comes. Laundry, I know how to handle. A newborn will be trickier. It will be nice to have another mom around to help and answer questions. Deal?”

“Absolutely,” I tell her.

“I’ll start making these calls while Javi’s at work tomorrow and let you know what I find. We’ll get this figured out.”

I let out a relieved breath. “Thanks, Kez. I’m sorry my past keeps rearing its ugly head.”

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