Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [59]
“Oh, that’s church camp. My mom made me go. I thought it’d ruin my summer, but it was fun.”
“Isn’t this boy Danny Alverez?” She pointed, and Timmy took a closer look.
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“So you knew him?”
“Not really. He was down in the Red Robin cabins. I was in the Goldenrod.”
“Didn’t he go to your church?” She examined the other faces.
“No, I think he went to school and church out by the air force base. Do you want to see my baseball card collection?” He was already digging through the drawers of his nightstand.
Maggie wanted to know more about church camp. “How many boys were there at camp?”
“I don’t know. Lots.” He set a wooden box on the bed and began taking out cards. “They come from all over, different churches around the county.”
“Is it just for boys?”
“No, there’s girls, too, but their camp’s on the other side of the lake. Somewhere in here I’ve got a rookie Darryl Strawberry.” He sorted through piles he had scattered on the bed.
There were two adults in the photo. One was Ray Howard, the janitor from St. Margaret’s. The other was a tall, handsome man with dark curly hair and a boyish face. Both he and Howard wore gray T-shirts with St. Margaret’s written across the front.
“Timmy, who’s this guy in the photo?”
“Oh, that’s Father Keller. He’s really cool. I’m one of his altar boys this year. Not many boys get to be his altar boy. He’s really choosy.”
“How is he choosy?” She made sure that she sounded only interested, not alarmed.
“I don’t know. Just by making sure they’re reliable and stuff. He treats us special, sort of like our reward for being good altar boys.”
“How does he treat you special?”
“He’s taking us camping this Thursday and Friday. And sometimes he plays football with us. Oh, and he trades baseball cards. Once I traded him a Bob Gibson for a Joe DiMaggio.”
She started to put the photo back. Another face caught her eye. This time she almost dropped the frame. Her heart began to pound. Up on the dock, partially hidden behind a bigger boy, peered the small, freckled face of Matthew Tanner.
“Timmy, do you mind if I borrow this photo for a few days? I promise I’ll get it back to you.”
“Okay. Do you carry a gun?”
“Yes, I do.” She kept the frantic tone from her voice. Carefully, she tugged the photo out of its frame, noticing a slight tremor in her fingers from the sudden rush of adrenaline.
“Are you wearing one now?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Can I see it?”
“Timmy,” Christine interrupted them. “It’s time for dinner. You need to wash up.” She held the door open and swatted him with a kitchen towel on his way out.
Maggie slipped the photo into her jacket pocket without Christine noticing.
CHAPTER 31
After dinner Nick insisted he and Timmy do the dishes. Christine knew it was all for Maggie’s benefit, but she decided to take advantage of her little brother’s temporary generosity.
The two women retreated to the living room where they heard only the muffled discussion of Nebraska football. Christine set the coffee cups and saucers on the glass tabletop and wished Maggie would sit down and relax. Stop being Agent O’Dell for a few minutes. She’d seemed restless throughout dinner and was now pacing. Her body seemed wired with energy, though she looked exhausted. The puffy eyes were poorly concealed with makeup. She was easily distracted.
“Come, sit,” Christine finally said, patting the spot on the sofa next to her. “I thought I couldn’t keep still, but I think you’ve got me beaten.”
“Sorry. Maybe I’ve been spending too much time with killers and dead bodies. My manners seem to have disappeared.”
“Nonsense. You’ve just been spending too much time with Nicky.”
Maggie smiled. “Dinner was delicious. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a home-cooked meal.”
“Thanks, but I’ve had lots of practice. I was a stay-at-home mom until my husband decided he liked twenty-three-year-old receptionists.” Immediately, Christine realized she had revealed too much and made Maggie uncomfortable. She certainly hadn’t intended for this to be some sort of tit-for-tat girl talk.
When Maggie crossed the room