The Bones She Buried: A completely gripping, heart-stopping crime thriller(66)

Her mouth filled up with saliva as she took the fork he offered. “I always loved your cooking,” she said. “Thank you.”

He got his own plate and sat across from her. They ate in silence for several minutes. Josie tried to focus on the wonderful flavor of the meal, but her mind kept returning to the scene at Wolicki’s and the fact that one of their last remaining leads had been blown. She just hoped that Gretchen had been able to find Ivan. She checked her email, but there was nothing from anyone at Sutton Stone Enterprises. Not that she expected that lead to pan out. Who kept personnel records for almost forty years?

“You okay?” Luke asked.

“Oh, yes. Fine,” Josie answered.

“Need to call Noah? I can step out.”

“Oh no, we’re not—things aren’t really going that well right now. I do need to call Gretchen though about the case.”

“Got it,” Luke said. “I have to get something. Be right back.”

With a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach, Josie called Gretchen’s cell phone. She picked up on the third ring and said, “You wouldn’t believe how many Ivans there are in this state whose last names begin with U. Underwood, Ulrich, Ulster, Umstead… I’m still looking, though. I can definitely narrow by age range. What’s going on there? Good news, I hope? You still in Sullivan County?”

Josie told her.

“Well, that raises a lot of questions,” Gretchen said.

“Exactly.”

They spoke for a few more minutes, Gretchen having the same thought as Josie about leaks, but they both ultimately agreed that didn’t exactly fit. The killer had been looking for the items Colette was hiding and obviously hadn’t found them on the day of her murder, so he was trying to eliminate whatever it was the items would lead police to discover. The problem for Josie, Mettner and Gretchen was that whoever they were dealing with knew the significance of all three items. No closer to answers than the day before, they agreed to go at it again the next day. Gretchen promised to update Mettner and hung up. Josie finished her meal and took her plate to the sink. Luke appeared in the doorway with a bottle of red wine in one hand and a half-filled bottle of Wild Turkey in the other.

He grinned.

Josie smiled awkwardly. “Oh, yeah. I don’t really… I haven’t had a drink in a long time.”

Luke said, “So you’re not drinking anymore? Not even a glass of wine?”

Josie shifted uncomfortably. She could think of nothing she’d like more in that moment than to drown her frustration in a tall glass of wine followed by numerous shots of Wild Turkey, but since the case that had shattered her world and given her a new family, she’d stopped drinking. “I don’t make good decisions when I drink,” she told him.

He set the bottles on the counter. “I’m not asking you to make a decision. Well, that’s not entirely true. Carrieann won’t be back until tomorrow which normally wouldn’t be a problem, except today really got to me.”

His eyes drifted away from hers, and one of his hands clasped the neck of the wine bottle.

“Luke, I really shouldn’t.”

He looked back up at her. “You’re going to drive three hours home and then what? Go to your empty house?”

Josie almost shot back that her house was pretty full these days, but the truth was that tonight there would be no one there to greet her.

“Josie,” Luke said. “I’m not making a pass at you if that’s what you’re worried about. It’s just really good to see you.”

She nodded. “I appreciate the invitation,” she said. “But I really should get home.”

They said their goodbyes, and she was halfway down the driveway when her cell phone finally dinged. It was a text message from Noah. Except it wasn’t from Noah. The message read:

This is Laura. Please stop texting Noah. He’ll contact you when he’s ready to talk.





Josie braked and sucked in several deep breaths, blinking hard against the hurt and the sudden sting in her eyes. Punching the steering wheel, she spun the car around and drove back up to Luke’s house. This time, Blue greeted her at the door, tail wagging. She let herself inside where Luke was sitting alone at the kitchen table with a shot of Wild Turkey in front of him. He looked startled when he saw her. She sat across from him, picked up his shot and slugged it down, the liquid burning all the way down to her stomach.

“Change of plans,” she said.





Forty-Six





The pounding in Josie’s head was like a jackhammer. She opened one eye, but the sunlight streaming into the room was like a thousand spikes in her cornea. She threw an arm across her face. The room. What room was she in? She peeked over her arm, looking around at unfamiliar surroundings. Her mind worked to orient itself. From beside her came the sound of a sigh. She turned her head to see a man’s bare back. She knew instantly it was Luke, although she didn’t remember going to bed with him.

She tossed the covers off her, swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, one of her hands pressed against her left temple. The room tipped to the side, and the throbbing in her head was so intense she could barely breathe. She tried to remember how long it had been since she was well and truly hungover. A long time, she realized. She looked down at herself. She still wore her underwear and the tank top she’d had on under her clothes.