Page 43

That message was meant for Vera. She knew it. No point pretending.

If not the Messenger, who?

The endless list of creeps that knocked around in her head was mind boggling.

At this point, regardless of the perp’s true identity, she had to prepare for the worst. Which meant her sisters weren’t safe.

“Damn it.” She pulled out her cell and called Luna. Jerome Andrews, her new husband, answered. The two had decided to get married back in January rather than wait until June. “Hey, Jerome, is Luna around?”

“Sure thing. Hold on.”

Vera wasn’t entirely convinced that Jerome liked her. His family didn’t like any of the Boyett sisters, not even their new daughter-in-law. Vera didn’t really care, other than she wanted her baby sister to be happy.

“Hey, Vee,” Luna said, sounding breathless, “everything okay?”

Vera winced. Had she interrupted the newlyweds? “I’m not sure,” she managed. “Is this a bad time?”

“No,” Luna said, “we were just working out. You know Jerome is really focused on physical fitness.”

For God’s sake. The man was twentysomething. Tall, lean, and handsome. How much more fit did he need to be? “Sorry. I can call back later.”

“Don’t be silly. What’s up?”

If she were talking to Eve, explaining her feelings and concerns would be easy. But this was Luna. Nothing was ever easy with Luna. Then again, Vera supposed she should just be thankful that Luna had forgiven her and Eve for burying her mother in that cave and then allowing her to believe for the next twenty-odd years that her mother had abandoned her. At the time, the only thing that mattered was that Sheree, Luna’s mother, was dead—no fixing that, so why tear apart the rest of the family? Vera and Eve had thought their decision to hide her body would keep the situation from turning into something far worse. Luna had been nine months old—she wasn’t going to remember her mother anyway.

Except they hadn’t considered the future ramifications. They were kids. Luna had felt the sense of loss far more profoundly as she grew older, and that was squarely on Vera and Eve.

Their relationship with Luna had been tense for a while. Though it hadn’t been easy, Vera and Eve had given her the time and space she needed. What else could they do? In fact, Vera was relatively certain the nightmare they’d kept secret from Luna was the reason she and Jerome had moved up the wedding date. Thankfully their baby sister had come around eventually.

“Look.” Vera cleared her throat, forced away the painful memories. “Remember I told you about that window I found open and the tracks in the snow?” No need to mention the other unlocked window. Or the message left on the bathroom mirror.

“I do,” Luna said slowly. “Is everything okay?”

“Well, unfortunately there’s a possibility the intruder was a bad guy related to my time at MPD. He may also be responsible for Nolan Baker’s abduction. We don’t have any real evidence right now, so I’m not getting too worked up about it, but I want you to be careful. Keep your eyes open for any stranger who gets too close. Let me know if you receive any sort of odd message.”

The next five or so seconds of silence told Vera that her sister was reaching for patience. Maybe even wondering what the hell else was being kept from her.

“Thank you for letting me know, Vee. I’ll tell Jerome. Don’t worry, we’ll be vigilant.”

“Good.” Immensely relieved, Vera took a breath. “I’m sorry about this ... thing. Occupational hazard.”

“You stay safe, too, Vee. Love you. Good night.”

“Love you too. Night.”

Things still didn’t feel exactly right with Luna. Not that Vera could blame her. She and Eve had brought this on themselves.

Next she called Eve.

“If this is abouthim, I can’t talk right now.”

“Hello to you too,” Vera snapped. Eve and Luna were totally opposite. Really nothing alike at all, personality-wise. “And no, it’s not abouthim.” Norton Gates was just another issue hanging over their heads.

“What’s going on?”

“Remember that serial killer, the Messenger?”

“Ye ... ah.” Her sister said the word as if it were two.