River of Bones by Dan Padavona (books you need to read TXT) 📕

again, I don’t want him around Scout. She’s experienced too much disappointment in her life.”

“I understand.” Thomas glanced at the refrigerator. “You want anything to eat or drink? We have a leftover salmon fillet. Another LeVar masterpiece.”

Naomi rubbed her belly.

“I would, except I ate a bowl of pasta. That reminds me. Are you holding the cookout after work tomorrow?”

“Sure. You’ll be there, I hope.”

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world. I worried you’d be too busy with the investigation.”

“So you read about the state park.”

Naomi cast a worried glance over her shoulder. The park loomed over the ridge, the distant falls hidden behind the trees.

“Should we be worried, Thomas?”

He shook his head.

“The bones were in the park for several years. Whatever happened, it was a long time ago.”

“And you think it’s that teenager who disappeared six years ago?”

“I hope not. But if it is Skye Feron, I need to prove it. Her parents deserve closure.”

Jack padded across the deck and waited at the deck door as LeVar jogged up the steps. LeVar slid the door open and leaned in the entryway, out of breath.

“Jack running you ragged?” Thomas asked.

“I need you to follow me,” LeVar said. “Someone broke into the guest house.”

* * *

Thomas knelt inside the entryway and ran his finger along the frame.

“You’re certain you didn’t leave the door open?”

LeVar shook his head, swinging his dreadlocks back and forth.

“Naw, I always lock the place. Just like you told me.”

“There’s a warp in the frame. That could be from the heat and humidity.” He stood and twisted the knob, then he shone a flashlight over the lock, searching for signs someone picked the locking mechanism. He shrugged his shoulders. “Let’s walk through the house. Tell me if anything is missing or out of place.”

Thomas followed LeVar down the hall. The teenager opened the bathroom door and poked his head inside. Then he pulled the closet door open and ensured none of his clothes were missing. As LeVar went through his belongings, Thomas squeezed past and wandered to the sitting room where an expansive window offered a picturesque view of Wolf Lake. This was his favorite place to sit when he stayed with his aunt and uncle. Sometimes, he’d forgo his bed and rest in the chair so he could fall asleep to the boats crossing the lake and the stars reflecting off the water. He checked the floor, searching for dirt the thief might have tracked in. If there was a thief. Maybe LeVar forgot to lock the house, or the wind blew the door open.

He’d convinced himself LeVar had made a mistake before he found the muddy shoe print on the floor.

CHAPTER TEN

Wednesday, August 11th

9:25 a.m.

 

Justine Adkins couldn’t stop trembling. Over her latte, she watched the door as faces she didn’t recognize judged her from across the coffee shop. Sitting in the back, she’d hoped to avoid attention. But a solitary woman shaking as if the ground rolled beneath her feet drew attention. Her face reflected in the polished table. Curly auburn hair hung past her shoulders, and a pair of dark sunglasses perched atop her head.

Where was Paige? Justine glanced at the time and gave her former friend until nine-thirty before she left. Coming here was a mistake. Wolf Lake wasn’t home and hadn’t been for seven years, a full year before Skye disappeared.

Justine snatched an artificial sweetener off the table and read the packet. Then she tapped the corner of the packet against the table and eyed a couple strolling past the window. Three more minutes. That’s all Paige deserved.

Closing her eyes, she drained the latte and wiped her face. She tossed the napkin into the trash container, checked the clock again, and gave up. Fate warned Justine to leave while she had a chance. In fifteen minutes, she’d be on the highway with Wolf Lake and all its unwanted memories in the rear-view mirror.

As she rose from the chair, a blonde woman with hair past her shoulders hurried across the sidewalk. Too late. Justine should have fled after Paige failed to show at nine. The bell rang, and every guy in the cafe swung their gazes at Paige. Though Justine hadn’t seen her old friend since high school graduation, she would have recognized the woman anywhere. High cheekbones, a button nose, and sea-green eyes that commanded attention. Paige had put on several pounds since school. Yet she still possessed the long, sleek legs of a cheerleader. Paige stopped in the doorway and scanned the room.

Please don’t recognize me, Justine thought. Justine’s heart lurched when Paige’s eyes locked on her.

“Oh, my God,” Paige said, pulling Justine into an embrace. Justine patted Paige’s back, unsure what to do with her hands. “I’m so sorry I’m late. Traffic was terrible this morning. I got behind one of those buses for old people. Some biddy took three minutes to climb down the steps. I was ready to scream. I mean, if you’re that old, you shouldn’t go out anymore. Were you here long?”

“Since nine.”

Paige fell into the chair opposite Justine’s and tossed her hair over her shoulders.

“Why didn’t you call? I would have come sooner.”

“Because you said you’d meet me at nine.”

“Did I? I thought I said nine-thirty.” Paige waved a hand through the air. “It doesn’t matter. The important thing is you’re here. It’s been so long.”

Again Paige rounded the table and hugged Justine, burying Justine in her hair. Paige’s perfume made Justine’s eyes water.

“Where are you staying?”

Justine fiddled with the sweetener packet and stared at the table.

“At a bed-and-breakfast outside Kane Grove.”

“Why not in Wolf Lake? The resort hotels are gorgeous.”

“I got a better deal out of town.”

Paige set her hands on the table, and Justine couldn’t prevent her eyes from searching for a ring. Though the blonde had just turned twenty-three last month, Justine half-expected to see a shiny diamond on Paige’s finger. Paige struck Justine as someone who’d marry a rich guy after college and live off her husband’s income.

“So,