Silver Falls - Anne Stuart [18]
Rachel had pulled her Volvo up outside the high school, her fingers drumming on the steering wheel. It had taken all her self-control not to run over to the school and snatch Sophie out of it, but for once she controlled her impulse. The more emotional a fuss she made, the harder it would be for Sophie. Going through Tessa’s disappearance and murder had been horrible enough. It was just nasty that their lives had to brush up against something like that again.
She left the motor running—if she didn’t the windows would fog up and it would take forever for them to clear, and she wanted to grab Sophie and get her home as quickly as possible.
Sophie came out of the redbrick building with Kristen, her pale blond hair barely contained in turtle-shell barrettes. She looked normal enough, and Rachel wondered whether she was imagining the shadows in her eyes.
“Hi, babe,” Rachel said as Sophie slid into the front seat of the car, dumping her books on the floor.
“I know about the murder. How are you doing?”
“Maggie said she’d told you. I wanted to come over but she said you were already asleep.” She still couldn’t rid herself of her guilt.
“You saw Chief Bannister last night? Why did she talk to you?”
“Not to me. To David and his father. And his brother.”
“David’s got a brother?” Sophie looked less than thrilled. “Is he as boring as David?”
“Behave yourself, babe,” Rachel said. “David isn’t boring.”
“You taught me never to lie—you’re setting a bad example. David is very nice but he’s boring as hell. So is his creepy father.” She managed a ghost of her usual grin. “At least I’ve got Kristen and the math program—they’re more than enough to offset two old men. Or is it three? Tell me about my new uncle. Is he the killer? Is that why Chief Bannister was questioning him?”
“God, Sophie!” Rachel shuddered. “Don’t be so ghoulish. No one suspects anyone. It was probably a lovers’ quarrel—that’s the usual reason women are murdered. That’s even what happened with Tessa. She was seeing someone and not telling anyone about it.”
“Except me,” Sophie said, any attempt at light ness vanishing. “She told me about him. I should have said something.”
“I’ve told you a hundred times that it isn’t your fault, angel,” Rachel said firmly. “The man who killed Tessa was some kind of monster. A young girl is no match for someone like that.”
“I would be,” she said in a quiet voice. “I would be now.”
“There are no monsters in Silver Falls.”
“Then who killed that college student?”
“I don’t know, but whoever it is, he must have moved on.”
“If you say so,” Sophie said breezily, but Rachel wasn’t fooled for a moment.
“I wish you’d called me last night.”
“No need, Ma. I told you, I’m fine. So tell me about David’s boring brother. How come we never heard of him before?”
“He’s not boring. It might be better if he was.
He’s the black sheep of the family.”
Sophie immediately brightened. “Cool. Is he staying with us? What’s brought him back home?”
“God, no! I don’t know where he’s staying. As for why he’s back, maybe it’s just bad timing.”
“I wanna meet him. Is he a hottie? Most black sheep are.”
Rachel snorted with laughter. “And just how many black sheep have you known, baby girl?”
“Only in books…But they sound delicious.
Unless he’s an old goat like Stephen Henry.” She shuddered dramatically.
Rachel grinned. “He’s not like your grandfather.”
“Not my grandfather.”
“You’ll probably find Caleb Middleton fascinating. He has that cynical, world-weary air that susceptible females find romantic, and you’ll probably be no exception.”
“Cool,” Sophie said again. “How about you?
Are you susceptible?”
“Hardly. I’m a married woman. Besides, I’ve al ways kept clear of bad boys—I’m too smart and too stubborn for them.”
“I don’t know, I think a bad boy might be just what you need. David’s awfully tame. I know he’s your true love and all that, but don’t you wish you had a little more