River of Bones

cookout. We’ll talk then. Just be careful what you say around the sheriff.”
“Aight, Sis. We’ll keep it on the down low.”
Raven walked them out and held the door, while LeVar squeezed the wheelchair through the opening. As she watched her brother drive off with Scout in the backseat, she felt her heart sink. A part of her wished Chelsey had called in sick again. She could have spent the day with LeVar and Scout, playing their silly mystery-solving game. Anything would have been better than catching the campground thief, or listening to Chelsey whine about her headache.
Deflated, Raven turned back to the kitchen, Chelsey was on her hands and knees, sopping up spilled coffee with paper towels. She’d pulled the garbage can from beneath the sink and set it beside the mess. Two broken mugs lay inside the can.
“What happened?”
Chelsey gave Raven a death stare.
“What does it look like? I dropped the mugs, and now I’m cleaning up messes while you chitchat.”
Raven bit her tongue.
“LeVar drove Scout home. You could have come out and said hello.”
“If your head was inside a vise, you wouldn’t be in the mood for conversation.”
Stooping to help, Raven snagged the broken fragments and tossed them into the container. From the closet, she removed a broom and dust pan and swept the smaller pieces. As she worked, she tested the water with Chelsey.
“You know, things would be a lot easier around here if we hired a third investigator.”
Chelsey tossed the wet towels into the trash.
“That was the last of the brew,” Chelsey said, ignoring Raven’s suggestion. “I’ll start another pot.”
“You do that. I guess I’ll work on the cases.”
As Chelsey bent to lift the garbage can, her shirt dipped off her neck, revealing a silver necklace with a dolphin pendant. Raven caught her breath. Cuts covered Chelsey’s chest from just below the neck line to the tops of her breasts. The woman looked as if she’d been attacked by an animal with razors for claws. Raven pulled her eyes away when Chelsey looked up.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Raven said, clearing her throat. “Call me if you need help with the coffee.”
What the hell was happening? As Raven hurried back to the office, she couldn’t shake the image of Chelsey’s lacerated chest.

CHAPTER TWELVE
Wednesday, August 11th
6:15 p.m.
 
“Could you pass the sweet potato pie?” Thomas asked.
Raven snickered as the table erupted in laughter. It was a running joke that had begun during the group’s first cookout. Who would be the first to ask for a second piece of pie? Eventually, someone always did. Serena’s sweet potato pie was to die for, and now Naomi Mourning had baked a mouthwatering blackberry pie that had the table raving.
“All right, Fat Albert,” Darren said, passing Thomas the dish.
Thomas saluted Darren with his fork and scooped a slice onto his plate.
“Who is Fat Albert?” Scout asked, drawing more laughter. “What? Is he a famous fat guy or something?”
They’d torn through baby back ribs and half a porterhouse steak. Surrounded by family and friends, it was the happiest Raven had felt all day. She’d even convinced herself the lacerations on Chelsey’s chest were nothing to worry about, that a logical explanation existed. Darren caught her grinning and held her hand below the table.
“What’s gotten into you?”
“I’m just happy,” she said.
He questioned Raven with his eyes, then he put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. Across the table, Serena and Naomi discussed recipes and conspired to bake together next time. Raven didn’t recall Serena smiling before last April. Rehab had done wonders for her mother, and Serena drew her strength from the love surrounding the table. She had real friends now, an extended family who supported her.
Beside Serena, LeVar cut another slice of porterhouse while he joked with Scout. The girl’s face lit in understanding when LeVar explained Fat Albert and Bill Cosby. After dessert, the group broke into smaller groups and scattered around the backyard. Darren convened with LeVar and Scout beside the guest house, and Naomi and Serena wandered back to Naomi’s place, ostensibly to sift through kitchen supplies and plan their first collaboration. Searching for company, Raven noticed Thomas and Gray standing away from the others and holding a secretive conversation beside the deck. Raven crept along the deck, remaining out of sight as their voices increased.
“Mark my words, Thomas. Paige Sutton and Justine Adkins knew more than they let on after Skye went missing.”
“You think they abducted her? A friendship gone bad?”
Gray chewed on the idea.
“I don’t believe so. More likely, the girls got involved in something dangerous, and Skye paid the price.”
“If they suspected someone took Skye, why didn’t they come forward?”
“I wish I had answers for you, Thomas. Start your investigation with Paige and Justine. They’re the key to figuring out what happened to Skye. By the way, a little bird told me Justine Adkins is in Wolf Lake.”
“When did she return?”
“Probably the day the story broke. If you ask me, that’s proof Justine is involved.”
Thomas folded his arms.
“Perhaps she came back because Skye was her friend, and she needs closure.”
“Or she knows who the killer is and has reason to protect him.”
Raven crept away. It wasn’t right to eavesdrop on her friends. But learning the old sheriff suspected two girls named Paige and Justine put a jump in Raven’s step. She searched the yard and located Scout and LeVar. It was time to investigate Skye Feron’s disappearance.
* * *
Paige Sutton lived in a classic Tudor with a brick-faced peak along the front and a hedge-lined yard. It was more house than she could afford. But she deserved the best, even if the mortgage payments would last forever. She strode barefoot into the remodeled kitchen and poured a glass of wine, which she carried out to the private stone patio. Eight o’clock, and the sun was almost down. How quickly summer drifted away.
Setting her feet on the chair opposite hers, she sipped the wine and listened to the first cricket chirping. This was