Page 43 of Christmas Homecoming Secrets
But if Mia wasn’t his, Jade would be horribly offended.
But if shewashis…
Why hadn’t Jade told him?
She would have, so obviously Mia wasn’t his.
The turmoil continued to twist inside him, but he thought he hid it well.
Sasha didn’t seem to be bothered by any kind of anxiety whatsoever. She lounged in front of the fire. Every so often, she’d wander to find the kids, checking to be sure all was well, then return to her spot and settle her nose between her paws.
The snow had stopped for now, but the last update from his weather app said it was supposed to start up again tomorrow.
Jade had slipped into the kitchen a few minutes earlier, and he could hear her on the phone once again. Not wanting to look like he was eavesdropping, but wanting to catch her alone for a few minutes, he slowly made his way into the kitchen.
“All right,” she said. “Thank you for letting me know.” She hung up and dropped her chin to her chest.
“What is it?”
She looked up. “I called Heather and asked her to pick up Frank’s laptop and take it in to the captain.”
“Okay, but that’s not why you’re so pale.”
“The ME beeped in while I was on the phone with Heather. He just…um…finished with… Frank.”
Bryce couldn’t stop the involuntary flinch accompanied by a wave of grief. “And?” he asked.
“And basically, the autopsy confirmed what we already knew. The two gunshots killed him.”
He swallowed and nodded. “What else?”
“There’s no sign of a struggle. No bruises, nothing under his fingernails or on his hands. It’s like he just stood there and let someone pull the trigger.”
“Or he was taken by surprise?”
“Or that. But the bullets went into his chest. He was facing his killer—which, to me, indicates he knew the person.”
“Or at least trusted them.” Bryce shook his head. “We really need to know where he went after he left the church. But we know he made it home because his car is there.”
“Yes, but according to the detectives who’ve been working this, none of the neighbors rememberseeingFrank come home. What if whoever killed him drove it there?”
“Then CSU will find something.”
She rubbed hand across her lips and shook her head. “Today’s been great and the kids needed it. If I’m honest,Ineeded it. My headache has finally eased, and I think my throat is feeling a bit better. Or maybe the ibuprofen is just doing its job, but…”
“But you’re back at it tomorrow,” he finished for her.
“Absolutely. If I didn’t have full confidence in the detectives working the case, I would have been back at it today regardless of my head and throat. But truly, my brain simply won’t stop. I’ve got to figure this out or go crazy.”
He nodded. “Last night, I wrote some stuff down that Frank and I talked about. I keep going back to the day I told him I was coming home.”
“What about it?”
“I sensed some hesitation on his part. Like he wasn’t sure he wanted me to be here.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“I think he was worried I’d come back bitter and angry and disrupt Kristy and the kids’ lives or something. Or maybe yours and Heather’s. Or his and Heather’s. Who knows? Once he realized that wasn’t the case—and he learned I was opening my own private investigation agency—he started acting normal again and wound up asking me if I’d help him with the story he was working on. He figured since no one knew anything about me coming back, I would be the perfect one to do this without arousing suspicion.”
