Bred in the Bone (Widow's Island #4)(2)

“Jon might surprise you,” said Kurt. “He’s a straight shooter. Will want to help if he can.”

She gave the older deputy a grateful glance. Guilt had swamped her for thinking about her friend instead of the victim at their feet. Today was about Brad Gill. And finding his killer.

“Bruce and I can finish up here if you’ll go break the news to Jon,” Kurt told Tessa.

Cate studied her friend. Tessa’s eyes were reluctant but determined as she considered how to handle the horrible job of delivering the news of Brad’s death. “I’ll come,” Cate offered. “We’ll talk to him about Samantha another day.”

“I’ll stay until the body is picked up,” Henry said. He gave Cate a quick kiss and squeezed her hand, holding her gaze. Her heart warmed at the support in his eyes. They’d been dating for a few months, ever since she returned to the island for medical leave from her FBI job. They saw each other nearly every day, and he was burrowing deeper and deeper into her heart.

Henry made it hard to think about returning to her job on the mainland.

Her medical leave was almost up. She needed to make a decision.



“What are you going to do?” Tessa asked Cate pointedly as she drove to Jon Gill’s home. The deputy had reached Jon on the phone, explaining that she needed to see him about a police matter, and he’d agreed to meet.

“About what?”

“Henry.”

Cate was silent. It’d been on her mind nonstop. Her time off was finished at the end of the month. Could the two of them handle a long-distance relationship? Her office was in Bellingham, and it was a good ninety minutes to Widow’s Island by ferry. When the ferries were running.

She didn’t want long distance.

She couldn’t ask Henry to leave his medical practice. He was the only doctor on the island, he clearly loved it here, and the island had embraced him. That didn’t happen to everyone.

“I don’t know.”

The silence stretched in the SUV.

The island had been poking and prodding at Cate’s heart over the past month, almost a physical sensation. Cate had left long ago to attend college and start work, intending to only come back for visits. Her grandmother had always asserted that Cate would return for good one day. Jane knew things. She’d said the same thing about Cate’s brother, Logan, who had returned after a long time away. He’d found a job and was now seeing Tessa.

Logan had firmly dug his roots back into Widow’s Island.

Jane’s foresight was eerie.

Is she right about me?

Cate loved her job. She enjoyed the people she worked with, and her days were never the same. She’d worked hard to get into the FBI. She couldn’t give that up. Could she?

“Three people have asked me about Samantha’s necklace,” Tessa said into the silence.

“What?” Cate blinked. “Who told? I thought you’d kept the necklace discovery confidential.”

Tessa gave her a knowing glance, making Cate realize her question had been ridiculous. Gossip ran rampant on Widow’s. There was no stopping it or tracing the offenders. It was simply part of rural island life.

Cate tried to put a positive spin on the rumor mill. “Maybe someone will come forward with information.”

“It’s been twenty years.”

“Don’t I know it.” She looked out the window as Tessa turned off the country road onto a gravel drive. Ahead was a long row of single-level apartments. The white brick walls were in need of paint, and the roof seemed too low, making Cate wonder if she’d have to duck to step inside. Old sedans and pickups were parked haphazardly in the dirt out front.

The farthest apartment had been a party spot when Cate was in high school. It’d been uninhabited, but kids had broken in no matter how many times the apartment complex owner had boarded up the doors and windows. Beer, pot, sex. The usual. Cate hadn’t attended, but she suspected her brother, Logan, had gone a few times.

She didn’t want to know where the teens hung out now. Island life was slow, and people took their entertainment where they could find it. Sadly a lot of that entertainment involved drug addiction. The monotony was more bearable if you were stoned.

Cate had always loved island life. She loved the earthy and salty scents, the steep green hills, and the endless ocean views. People came from around the world to visit Widow’s and its neighboring islands. Some tried to stay, craving the silence or seeking nature’s therapy for broken hearts, ill health, and battered psyches. Something about the island offered comfort and healing to many in need. To Cate it was a piece of quiet paradise that happened to be invaded by tourists during the summer.

But by the time she had finished high school, Cate had been ready to leave and join the real world.

“This place hasn’t changed,” Tessa said in a low voice. “We have a call here every other week. Usually domestics.” She parked and then rested her hands on the wheel, staring at the apartment. “Damn, I hate this part.”

“How many times have you delivered this kind of news?” Cate was glad she’d never had the experience.

“Only once. It sticks with you, though.” Tessa threw open her door and immediately stepped out as if avoiding more questions.

Cate followed the deputy to the third squatty apartment, keeping Tessa between herself and the door. Tessa wore a ballistic vest; Cate did not. Her focus centered on the door, and the rest of the world fell away as sweat started under her arms.