Page 33 of Alibi for Murder
An alarm triggered in Steve. “As much as we appreciate the offer, I’d feel more comfortable if you waited a bit on any actions like that. We don’t want to stir up any undue attention to what Allie and I are doing. We’ve already hit a number of roadblocks.”
Her mouth formed an O, and she pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh my. I never considered this was more of an undercover investigation. You’re right.” She pinched her thumb and forefinger together and slid it across her closed lips. “I won’t say a word to anyone.”
“Thank you so much for the thought,” Allie spoke up. “You’ve already been so helpful. Really. I cannot tell you how muchit means to me to hear these details about my parents. My grandparents found it difficult to talk about that time, and I never wanted to press.”
Martha smiled sadly. “I understand. I assure you, Allie, if we think of anything at all that might help, we’ll call Steve and let him know.”
Steve was surprised at just how quickly his mom and Allie had bonded. He was also surprised at how very much he’d missed family gatherings like this one. He had to make more of an effort to be here for these times. He watched his mother’s vibrant expression as she spoke. No one was promised tomorrow. Something else he should be keeping in mind—especially when involved with a case like Allie’s.
An hour later,there was a round of hugs at the door in another Durham family tradition. Nobody left the house without a big hug and anI love you. Amanda hugged him harder than usual. While her cheek was pressed to his, she whispered, “She’s a keeper. Don’t let this one slip away, bro.”
He smiled as he drew away. “I’ll keep that in mind, sis.”
She punched his shoulder. “Good. Be smarter than me.”
As a kid, he would have tossed back that he already was, but as an adult he recognized how intelligent his big sister was and what a tough lesson she had learned about trust. Cheating spouses sucked.
Outside, the night had grown sultry. The June temps were record-breaking this year.
“Your family,” Allie said as she settled into the passenger seat, “is really amazing. I love your mom.”
“I think she’s very fond of you as well.” He closed Allie’s door and walked around to slide behind the steering wheel. “I’m glad we were able to get together.”
“I didn’t realize how much I missed family dinners.” She stared out the window as she said this.
“I had the same thought.” The difference was, he still had that option. He wanted to say more, but he wasn’t sure any words he drummed up would fill that void.
Instead, he drove through the darkness, his mind rushing forward to find a way to put the information they had gathered into perspective. He really enjoyed his work, but this was the first time it felt personal. Others had told him how difficult it was when a case crossed that line. Now he understood. It was a physical pain.
Allie relaxed deeper into her seat. “Thank you.”
He glanced at her, grateful for the reprieve from his thoughts. “For?”
“For coming to my rescue.” She turned to him as he slowed for a red light. “I know that sounds a little dramatic, but you could have said no. You could have put me off on another investigator.”
“No way. This is what you do for friends.”
“Well, again, thank you for remembering me and being my friend.”
He almost told her how easy she made the effort, but he decided maybe that might be a little more forward than she would find comfortable.
“Home sweet home,” she said as he pulled into her driveway.
He wondered if she actually saw it as home sweet home or home lonely home. The thought of her here alone so much of the time bothered him. A lot.
Allie wondered whatSteve was thinking as they climbed out of his SUV and walked toward her porch. He and his familyhad been so kind to her tonight. And more helpful than she’d anticipated.
The photos Martha had given her were priceless.
Steve unlocked the door and insisted on going in first. She locked it once more while he wandered through the first floor. Flipping a couple of switches, she turned off some of the exterior lights. She liked leaving them on for when she was out and would be returning home in the dark. But once she was here, she toned it down.
Until now, she hadn’t really understood why her grandparents were so fixated on security. She so wished they had shared their concerns with her. On one level, she understood why they hadn’t. They had wanted to protect her, and, honestly, she would likely have started looking into all these odd circumstances if they had. She supposed she should be glad they hadn’t told her.
Putting the worries aside for now, she needed to find her phone charger. With all the calls and research she’d been doing, she had almost drained the battery.
If she remembered correctly, she’d left it in the bag from the store. Upstairs. In her room. Or maybe in her office. She headed that way, turning on the hall light as she reached the top of the stairs. In her bedroom, she grabbed the bag. “And there it is.” She snagged the charger and headed back out of her room.
She’d almost made it to the stairs when she stalled. Her gaze had stumbled over something. She backed up a couple of steps. The door to her parents’ bedroom was open. Hadn’t she closed it? She usually left it closed. It was just a habit of hers. Same one her grandmother had. Leave a room, flip off the lights and close the door.
