Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(83)
All she wanted to do now was get warm and find out the rest of the story. She closed her eyes as Claire calling her name faded into the distance.
*
The aroma of corn chowder filled the Bistro, but even the delicious scent didn’t tempt Kate’s appetite much. She stared out the big windows toward the forest at the edge of the property. Every muscle in her body ached, and she wanted to crawl back into the lush bed upstairs.
Drake sat close beside her. He’d hovered close to her side ever since they’d gotten back from the clinic. She had a concussion and had been told to rest. Pain pills and antinausea meds had made her feel half human. She’d wanted to go home, but it was late by the time things wrapped up, and they hadn’t wanted to disrupt the girls. After a night’s sleep she’d managed to get warm, but the shock from the past twenty-four hours hadn’t really worn off.
She took a bite, then set down her spoon and looked at the sheriff. “What did you find out?”
The dark circles under Danny’s eyes and his wrinkled uniform told of a long work night. He scooped the last of his lobster bisque from the bowl, then sighed. “Ayuh, that hit the spot. The last time I ate was noon yesterday.”
She reached across the table and patted his big, freckled hand. “Sorry I’m being so impatient, Danny. Eat up. I appreciate all you’ve done.”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “It was a close call. I thought I’d lost you, Katie girl. My old ticker couldn’t have taken it.” His gaze swiveled toward Drake. “Boston PD arrested Rod Sisson this morning. Buckler spilled his guts all night long, and we also found the evidence on that hard drive in his car. He intercepted the shipment from your uncle. Heath found out his own partner was working with the Brogan group and demanded Sisson turn himself in. Sisson had taken over two million dollars from the group, and he’d helped plant information about Wang. Sisson wasn’t about to go to jail, so he decided to kill Heath and Melissa instead. That only cost him a couple hundred thousand.”
“Heath thought a lot of him.” Drake’s words came out hard and choked. “Even though he had to hate Wang, he always put justice first. Wang has done plenty over the years, but he didn’t commit the murder he was charged with.”
Kate’s chest squeezed and her eyes blurred. “Those poor girls are orphaned just because of greed. It’s horrible.” She leaned her head against Drake’s shoulder, and he hugged her, then brushed a kiss across her forehead. “What about Kissner?”
Danny gave a heavy sigh. “I thought a lot of that boy. He was my star deputy. I saw him taking my place someday. To my mind, he was my career son. It’s pretty painful to realize I was such a poor judge of character. When he came in yesterday morning and I told him what we were planning, he got real quiet. I thought he was just focused on protecting you. I was wrong. I’m really sorry, Katie girl.” He gave her an awkward hug.
“It’s not your fault, Danny. I trusted him completely. I’m sorry this happened, that he felt so rejected that he did this.”
Beside her, Drake tensed. “Let’s not forget the man tried to kill me. All this feeling sorry for him is a little out of line.”
“Ayuh, and we’re looking for evidence in the Peece murder at Jonas’s place. I’m sure we’ll find it.”
She raised her head. “He’s an evil man.” She brushed a kiss across Drake’s chin. “You could be dead right now. I’m so thankful you’re not.” Her voice broke, and she swallowed down the lump forming.
Those long minutes when she’d thought Drake was dead had been the worst of her life. They still hadn’t talked about the future, and she was waiting to hear him say he was going back to Boston with the girls. What if he asked her to go with him? Could she leave this place of safety and strike out in a new life that held so much that was unknown? Could she leave her sister?
She’d rather have Drake decide to stay here in Maine, but was that even fair to him? He had a successful business. He thrived on challenge. There would be a lot of opportunity for the girls in Boston too. How could she be selfish enough to want it all her way?
There wasn’t a good answer, and she knew she would have to talk this all out with Claire. Her sister always helped bring clarity to her life. How could she bear to move away from that?
THIRTY-EIGHT
Claire sat on the closed toilet lid and stared at the faint line on the pink stick. Pregnant. Part of her wanted to dance, and the other part wondered how she’d break the news to Kate. While she knew her sister would be thrilled for her, that joy would be bittersweet when Kate so desperately wanted children. And after the events of yesterday, this news might be another blow.
She washed her hands and opened the bathroom door. Luke whistled in the kitchen as he made coffee, and a smile curved her lips as she headed that direction. He’d be thrilled at the news.
Her heart always gave a kick when she saw him. Dressed in his uniform, he was a handsome sight in their beautiful new kitchen. The odor of coffee filled the air, unappealing this morning, and he flipped pancakes on the stove.
His smile emerged when he saw her. “I was giving you five more minutes, then I was going to come pull you out of bed. I have some news we need to talk about.”
“So do I.” She wasn’t about to let him upstage this momentous occasion. Nothing he had to say would be as big as this. She held out the pregnancy test. “See what you think.”