“Perhaps,” Savannah said. “Once I know for sure if we have one, I’ll bring it over and we can talk to Mrs. Peters about adoption. If she’s not interested, maybe another resident will be.”

  “Sure. Yeah, let us know.”

  “So what did you get from that story?” Savannah asked as Craig drove her home.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  “Well, it sounds like she knows something that she has promised someone she’ll keep a secret and…”

  “Yeah, a little blackmail, maybe,” Craig said. Thinking out loud, he added, “I wonder what her connection to that city councilman is?”

  Savannah grinned. “So will he be your focus?”

  Craig nodded.

  “What about the woman or women Linda mentioned seeing?”

  He squinted. “Yeah, I wonder about that.” He took a deep breath. “And why did she bring up the night her husband disappeared? Why now?”

  “Maybe that’s all she focuses on,” Savannah said. “She evidently did have a sort of breakdown or something after he went missing that night.”

  Craig acknowledged her and mused, “And what, if anything, did Arnie Seacrest have to do with his disappearance?” He glanced at her as he drove. “Both he and Linda Peters seemed nervous today. Do you suppose that’s because they know we found the body?”

  “So do you think she believes that was her long-lost husband?”

  He winked at her. “Could be.”

  “Then why didn’t you say something about that?” she asked. “I expected you to say something.”

  “We don’t know for sure that’s him, but once I get that information, I’ll head back over there to tell her. I want to get there before it leaks to the newspapers.”

  “Why?”

  “I want to see her initial reaction, that’s why.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Hi, guys,” Savannah said when she and Rags returned home that afternoon.

  “Mommy!” Lily cried, running to her. The child looked puzzled. “Did Rags go bye-bye?”

  “Yes, we visited a sick lady to make her happy.”

  “Did it work?” Gladys asked.

  Savannah nodded. “Seemed to. She told Rags some stories and he just sat and listened.”

  Lily picked up one of her books. “I tell Rags a story. Come here, Rags. Want to hear a story?” She followed the cat into the kitchen, calling, “Rags, sit; I’m going to read you a story.” When the cat began to eat kibbles, she sat down near him and started pretend-reading from the book.

  Rags lapped up some water, then walked off.

  “Rags!” Lily called.

  Savannah laughed. “I think he has to go potty now. Wait until he comes out, okay, punkin?”

  At the same time Gladys said, “Hey, Lily, I’ll bet Walter wants to hear your story. Go sit with Walter. He’ll listen to your story.”

  “Okay,” Lily said, running to where the black cat slept in the plum-colored chair. She pulled one of her little chairs closer, and sat down with her book.

  Walter opened one eye and looked at the child, stretched, then went back to sleep while Lily began telling her story.

  “Oh, Vannie,” Gladys said, “Bri’s stopping by after work; I think she wants to talk to us. I invited her for dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not,” Savannah said. “We have plenty.” She looked at her mother. “You’re going out tonight, aren’t you? You have a date.”

  “I wouldn’t call it a date,” Gladys said, “but, yes, I’ll be going out this evening. Bri should be here anytime. She may want a glass of wine after her work day. We have some, don’t we?”

  “I’m pretty sure we do, unless you’ve been getting up in the night and drinking it.”

  “Me?” Gladys asked.

  Savannah laughed at her mother’s reaction. When she heard a soft rap on the door, she opened it. “Hi, Sis! You’re off early.”

  “Yeah, got a cancellation. It’s nice when that happens late in the day. Hi, Mom,” she greeted, hugging her. She picked up Teddy and smothered him in kisses. “You are so cute,” she said. When she saw Lily, she asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Reading to Walter.” Lily perked up. “Want me to read to you, Aunt Bri?”

  “Well, what are you reading?”

  “Baby bear gets lost, he cries, waa, waa. Mommy bear says, don’t get lost, the bees will bite you.” She held the book up for Brianna. “See, bees are biting baby bear.” She turned a page. “Daddy bear comes home from work. He says, ‘Do not get lost. The bees and the stickers will get you.’” She looked up at Bri. “Baby bear got lost and the bees bite him and the stickers poke him. Baby bear no do that again. The end.”

  “Oh, that was exciting. Thank you. You’re a pretty good reader, aren’t you?”

  Lily nodded.

  “Bri, want a glass of wine?” Savannah asked.

  “I thought you’d never ask. Do you have red—merlot or something like that?”

  “I think so,” Savannah said. She winked at her mother. “If Mom hasn’t drunk it all.”

  “Mom drinks wine?” Bri asked.

  “She’s joking,” Gladys said, “but I don’t mind having a small glass with you girls this evening.”

  Brianna grinned. “Watch out, Mom’s going to let her hair down.”

  “You’re confusing Mom with Auntie,” Savannah said, laughing.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, she tied one on the other night with Janet.” Savannah cocked her head. “Did you get a chance to meet Janet when she was here?”

  Brianna nodded. “Yes, I had dinner with them one night. She sure reminds me of Mom and Aunt Maggie.”

  “Doesn’t she?” Savannah said. “Personality-wise, she’s more like Auntie. Did she tell you the two of them started off on a bad foot?”

  “No. What happened?”

  “Let me get our wine and I’ll tell you.” When she returned from the kitchen she said, “I guess Auntie and Janet met at a concert when they were young and immediately disliked each other.”

  “Well, they had a misunderstanding about a cat,” Gladys explained.

  “A cat, huh?” Brianna said, grinning.

  “Yeah, and they evidently remembered the incident…” Savannah continued.

  “Not right away, though,” Gladys said.

  Savannah nodded. “So they sort of argued about what happened, brought out a bottle of wine, and by the time I got there they were best drinking buddies.”

  “Funny,” Brianna said. “What are the chances of cousins who don’t know they’re cousins meeting each other at a random concert?”

  “Yes, it’s pretty bizarre, all right.” Savannah stared at her sister. “So how are you?”

  “Good.”

  “I mean really,” Savannah said. “To be more clear, how are you and Bud?”

  “There is no me and Bud at the moment. Actually, I’ve agreed to talk to Oma again. Bud and Oma seem to think I misinterpreted something during our last visit. But this is it, Vannie. If things don’t ring true to me—if there are no sirens…”

  “Sirens?” Gladys repeated, laughing.

  “You know what I mean. Well, this is the last of it. My heart can’t take any more of this.”

  “Of what?” Savannah asked.

  “Of the push me, pull you.”

  “That’s you, isn’t it, Bri?” Savannah said. “You’re the one who can’t make up her mind, right?”

  “I guess,” she mumbled. “I want things to be right.” She whined, “And I just don’t feel it right now. I want what you have, Vannie, and what you had, Mom.”

  Gladys took a sip of wine, leaned forward in her chair, and said, “Bri, haven’t you learned yet that life is change? Nothing stays the same, including your day-to-day relationship with anyone, least of all your romantic partner—husband, boyfriend, whatever.”

  Speechless for a moment, Brianna said, “Do you mean…” she choked a little and coughed. “Are you saying that all relationships get dicey and uninteresting at times—sort of boring?”

  “Oh yes,” Gladys said.

  Brianna looked at her sister, who also agreed. Savannah added, “But I don’t notice those times much at all anymore, and I certainly don’t dwell on them or fear them like I used to.” Savannah faced her sister. “You grew up in the same home I did, and I think I know where you’re coming from. Mom and Dad—especially Dad—didn’t let us get bored. He taught us how to entertain ourselves—what to do when boredom starts to hit us and,” she smiled, “he was so fun to be around. He kept things lively.”

  “Yes, he was a fun guy,” Gladys said.

  Brianna nodded and smiled. “He taught us to use our imagination and our brain to keep life interesting.”

  “But what we learned at home isn’t always easy to apply in a relationship,” Savannah said. “I mean, when there’s another personality involved…”

  “Yes,” Brianna agreed. “I think that’s why my relationships have always been difficult.”

  “I know what you mean,” Savannah said. “I had a little trouble in some of my relationships—well, maybe a lot of trouble, actually. I didn’t know how to handle those less-than-amazing moments together, and I’d begin to feel the urge to leave and go look for the amazing somewhere else. Then I met Michael.”

  “And everything changed for you? You found that amazing union you’d been looking for?” Brianna asked.

  Savannah shook her head. “No, at first I wanted to run away from it. I didn’t trust what was happening, and I feared that it wasn’t real.” When her sister looked aghast, she asked, “Bri, you didn’t know that?”

  “No, but you found out it is real and always amazing, right?”

  “No,” Savannah said, matter-of-factly.

  “No?” Brianna repeated, not understanding her sister.

  “No, there are times when we don’t quite click. You know, that feeling that you’re not in sync. But that doesn’t last, Bri. Neither does the distancing that I feel after a little squabble—when he doesn’t seem to understand me all of a sudden or when boredom sets in. It’s all part of life and part of living and part of living with someone—even someone you love dearly. Wouldn’t you agree, Mom?”

  “One hundred percent.” Gladys took her daughter’s hand. “Bri, I think I’ve tried to tell you this before.” She chuckled. “I had a similar conversation with Vannie, as well. The bottom line is that life is hard. There are ups and downs, but life is so much more worth living when you are on the journey with someone you love and someone who loves you. You’ll never be happier alone than you will be with someone you love, respect, and can count on.”

  Brianna looked down at the glass in her hand. With tears brimming in her eyes, she said, “Well, I can tell you I sure learned one thing these last few weeks.”

  “What?” Savannah asked.

  “I like me better with Bud than without him.” When Brianna laughed, the others laughed with her.

  Gladys squeezed her daughter’s hand and Savannah moved across the room and sat down on the other side of Brianna. She hugged her. “Then will you go back where you belong and make a young man very happy?”

  “What’s wrong with Aunt Bri?” Lily chirped, joining the three women.

  “She’s happy,” Savannah said.

  Brianna placed her glass on a table and lifted Lily onto her lap, hugging her. “Yes, I’m happy.” When Teddy walked up to her, she lifted him onto her lap, too.

  Just then Michael walked in from work. He took one look and asked, “What’s the pig pile all about?” He smiled. “Hi Bri, I almost didn’t see you in there.”

  “Auntie’s happy,” Lily said, squirming to get down. She ran to Michael and he picked her up.

  Michael winked at Brianna. “Glad to know that.” When she looked confused, he explained, “That you’re happy.”

  When Teddy reached for Michael, Brianna let the child go to his daddy and watched the three of them disappear into the kitchen. She said to the others, “There’s just one thing I still haven’t resolved.”

  “What’s that?” Savannah asked.

  Brianna spoke more quietly, “It’s about what Oma said? I completely trust her, and it sounded to me like she was trying to discourage me from staying with Bud.”

  Savannah stood, took her sister by the arm, and marched her to where the phone sat on the buffet. “Call her,” she insisted. When Brianna balked, she asked, “You know her number, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, it’s on my phone.”

  “Get your phone and call her. I need to go start dinner.”

  When Brianna joined her mother and sister in the kitchen moments later, she looked sheepish.

  “Well?” both Savannah and Gladys asked.

  “I was so wrong,” Brianna said quietly. “She absolutely sees Bud and me together in the future. She was saying, leave the past behind and move into the future together. I don’t know how we could have misinterpreted that.”

  “Oh, I don’t think Bud did,” Savannah said. “He was one happy dude after your meeting with Oma.”

  Brianna’s face lit up. “He was?”

  “I told you that. He knew what his grandmother’s message meant.” Savannah nudged Brianna and challenged, “You’re going over there tonight, aren’t you?”

  Brianna smiled. “I sure am. In fact, I’m going to call him right now and tell him I will.”

  When she returned this time, she was grinning from ear to ear.

  “Well, what did he say?”

  “Never mind,” she said, coyly. She looked at her watch. “Hey, we’d better eat. I have a date.”

  When they heard a knock at the door Gladys said, “Oh, that’s probably my ride. I’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Have fun, Mom!” Savannah called while preparing the children’s plates.

  “Where’s she going?” Brianna asked, staring after her mother.

  “On a date,” Savannah said provocatively. “Have you met Karl? He’s a neighbor and he’s going to teach Mom how to use a potter’s wheel.”

  Brianna yelped. “Like in that movie? That seductive scene—you know—in Ghost?”

  “Well, I doubt…” Savannah started.

  Brianna spun around. “Wow! How cool is that? Mom has a date. Will there be dinner?”

  Savannah nodded. “Yes. I think he’s cooking for her.”

  “Way cool. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

  ****

  “So what else did you do today besides play cupid?” Michael asked later that night after the children had gone to bed.

  “That was pretty cool, wasn’t it?” she said, giddily. “I’m so happy when Bri and Bud are happy.”

  Michael pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.

  She snuggled in his arms, then said, “I went with Craig to see Linda Peters—you know, the wife of the man who went missing and who may have been the one buried on Barney’s and Bonnie’s property.” She shuddered. “How awful to know you’ve been living with a dead body for all those years.”

  He asked, “So Mrs. Peters is in a care home?”

  “Yes, a really nice one. She told Rags some stories, and I think they were true stories about what happened that night—you know, to her husband. She doesn’t know yet that they may have found him, but we suspect that she somehow got the news that a body has been recovered on her old property. Arnie Seacrest might have told her.” Before she could continue, her phone rang.

  “Let it go,” Michael said, wrapping his arms around her.

  She reached for the phone and looked at the screen. “I’d better take it, hon. It’s Craig. Hi Craig. Anything new?”

  “Yeah. It is Ferrell Peters. Did you know he has a daughter?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know anything about him, other than what my aunt and mom have said. They went to school with him, you know.”

  “Oh, I guess I didn’t know that.” Craig continued, “Well, Peters’s daughter is actually the city councilman’s stepdaughter.”

  “Arnie Seacrest?” she exclaimed.

  “One in the same. You see, he’s married to a woman Ferrell Peters used to date before he went in the service, or maybe when he came back. I’m not sure. They never married, but they had a daughter together. Evidently she’s in and out of trouble—a real thorn in the councilman’s side.”

  “His wife?”

  “No,” Craig growled. “Keep up, Savannah. His stepdaughter. Remember that Mrs. Peters said she saw a woman that rainy night when her house washed away and when her husband went missing.”

  “Yes, and you think it was the daughter? Why would she…?”

  “I guess she had motive. She hated her father.”

  “Hmmm. How did you learn that?”

  He paused before saying, “I’m a detective, remember?” He then said, “I want to find out why.”

  “Why?” Savannah repeated.

  “Why she hated him. Want to go with me to see her?”

  “Oh, yeah I guess. When?”

  “Tomorrow morning?”

  “Okay, I’ll let you know.”

  ****

  “Good morning, Auntie,” Savannah greeted when Margaret poked her head into the kitchen the following morning. “You’re out early.”

  “Yeah, I wanted to see what Antonio’s been doing in your yard. Looks like it’s going to be a major makeover.”

  “That’s what it needs after what we’ve put it through. Coffee?”

  “Yes.”

  “Help yourself to a piece of cinnamon toast and peaches.”

  “Sounds good, thanks.”

  While pouring the coffee, Savannah said, “Auntie, Craig called last night. He said the body is Ferrell Peters.”

  “Oh dear,” Gladys said. “So they finally found his body. It was right there on their property all along?”

  Savannah nodded. “I guess it was. By the way, Mom,” Savannah said, “Craig wants me to go on some police business around noon today. Will you…oh wait, it’s Saturday. Michael will be home by then.”

  “But he likes to spend his days off working on the playhouse,” Gladys said. “I’ll be here.”

  Savannah smiled. “Thanks.” She then said, “Auntie, Mom, are either of you aware that Mr. Peters and Mrs. Seacrest, the angry councilman’s wife…”