The Wrong Bones (Widow's Island #10)(20)

Tessa stretched.

Kurt got up and crossed to the coffee machine. “Go home, and get some sleep. You’ve been on duty too long. I’ll babysit his ass until morning.”

“Thanks, Kurt.” Tessa gave him a tired smile.

Logan followed her outside. The night air cooled his face. “What’s next?”

“It’s too late to call on people.” Tessa stretched her shoulder as they walked to the SUV. “We’ll talk to Duncan Marshall first thing, and hopefully, the fingerprint examiner will have some results for us tomorrow.”

Logan glanced back at the station. “We’ll find out more about Dwyer and his movements over the past year as well as identify the woman in the photos. I could easily see his stalking escalate into murder.”





7


The morning sun peered over the trees as Tessa poured a cup of coffee in the kitchen. The brightness hurt her eyes. Her mother had slept poorly, which meant Tessa had slept poorly. Behind her, bare feet shuffled across the floor. Tessa whirled. Her mother stood in the doorway, her body bent and trembling from the effort of walking. Her exhaustion showed in the deep circles under her eyes and the translucent paleness of her skin.

Tessa started toward her mom. “Let me help.”

Before she could get ahold of her elbow, her mother tripped. Her mom’s legs folded. Tessa reached for her, but the awkward angle gave her no leverage. She couldn’t prevent the collapse. The best she could do was slow the descent as they both went down.

“Oh!” her mother cried.

“It’s all right.” Tessa tried to keep her voice calm as she called out, “Logan!”

He hurried from the bedroom, shirtless. Half his face was shaven, the other half still covered in shaving cream.

“Are you both okay?” He bent down.

Tessa looked over her mother. “I don’t think she’s hurt.”

“What about you?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

Her mother was crying and muttering. The words were gibberish, but Tessa understood the panic behind them.

“I’m going to help you up now.” Logan slowly scooped her mother off the floor and stood with her in his arms. His face tightened as he shifted her thin body. Bonnie trusted Logan completely. Maybe because he’d been coming to the house ever since he and Tessa were children.

Or maybe because her mother sensed his innate goodness.

“Should I put her back in bed?” Logan asked.

Tessa nodded, her throat too tight for speech.

Logan took her mom back to bed, and Tessa tucked her in. She was asleep in minutes. Logan went into the bedroom to finish dressing.

Tessa walked onto the front porch. In the morning sunlight, Chandler and Patience fed the chickens. She could hear the kids joking as they tossed chicken feed and blueberries on the ground. The door opened behind her, and she heard Logan’s footsteps. His arm slipped around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder for a few seconds, just absorbing his strength and support. How would she have survived these last few months without him?

Going forward, she would need him even more. There were hard decisions Tessa would have to make.

He squeezed her against his side. “She’ll see you get married.”

“That’s all I have left to give her,” Tessa said. “Thank you for agreeing to rush our wedding.”

“The sooner we’re married, the better.” Logan shrugged. “Besides, she has bad days and good days. Today is a bad day. Tomorrow might be a good day.”

“I love that you’re an optimist.”

“Whatever happens, we’ll manage together.” Logan turned to face her. He moved his hands to her shoulders.

“I love you.” She cupped the side of his face. “But I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“Back atcha, babe.” Logan kissed her on the lips.

A car pulled up. Cate and Jane climbed out. Tessa breathed in relief. Logan’s grandmother might not be physically strong, but she had more common sense than anyone else Tessa knew. She’d manage her mother just fine. And Cate would see to Chandler until the social worker collected him later that day.

Jane let herself into the house and gave Tessa a hard hug. Tessa’s mother had always been volatile. Jane had been a stabilizing force in Tessa’s life forever. Choking back a few tears of gratitude, Tessa described the morning.

Jane patted her arm. “I’ll keep her in bed and try to get some calories and fluids into her.”

“Thank you, Jane.” Tessa stepped into her boots.

Logan kissed his grandmother’s cheek. “You’re the best.”

“I know,” Jane said with a smug grin.

“And thank you, sis.” Logan gave his sister a one-armed hug.

“You are welcome.” Cate hugged him back.

“The social worker’s name is Mona Lawrence. She’ll pick up Chandler in a couple of hours,” Tessa said.

“No problem. We’ve got this. Go fight crime!” Cate waved them away.

Tessa and Logan left the house. Patience was waiting by the SUV. They dropped her at school.

“Now we talk to Duncan Marshall?” Logan asked as Patience disappeared into the building.

“Yes.” Tessa drove away. She rubbed a tired ache in her temple. “I feel guilty for being happy to leave my mother at home and work on the case.”