Page 181 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“Ihaveaccepted it, but I don’t want their murderer to go free!” Becca turned her back and went to stare out the window. The cold waters of Lake Superior were gray with an approaching storm. She turned back to face her grandmother.

“If it was an accident, why would someone want to kill me?”

Her grandmother gasped, and she went white. “What are you talking about?”

“Someone tried to roll a boulder on me the first week I was here.”

“That’s not possible.” Her grandmother stood and grabbed both Becca’s arms. “Tell me what you’re saying.”

Becca told her story, leaving out nothing.

“But why?” Her grandmother’s bewilderment shone in her eyes. “No one knows who you are, right?”

“Someone must have figured it out,” Becca said.

“Then you must leave. I can’t lose you too.” Gram shook Becca gently. “Today.”

“I’m not going anywhere. And you have to keep quiet about who I really am. Unless you want me to be in even more danger.”

“No, of course not. But I want you to go, Becca.”

For the first time, Becca saw a frail vulnerability in her grandmother’s eyes. She hated that she had to worry her even more. “I’m staying.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Why had Gram wanted to see Becca? Max stared at the closed door in frustration. He didn’t trust the woman any more than he trusted Lake Superior in a rowboat. He wished he dared to join them, but he knew better than to upset Gram with her heart condition.

He stalked past the bedroom door and went down the steps to his office. Becca hadn’t been much help with his research yet. He should have known better than to be taken in by her sweet talk on the phone, but the sound of her research paper had been intriguing. He was going to have to put his foot down tomorrow and insist she earn her wages.

This office was a mess. He stared at the jumble of books and papers with disfavor. Wasn’t an assistant supposed to help organize things? It looked worse than before Becca had come. He gathered the books together in a pile and neatened up the desk.

His hand hovered over a computer printout. It looked like an email, not research notes. Knowing he shouldn’t pry but unable to stop the impulse, Max picked it up.

Becca, I wish you hadn’t felt you needed to run off to the island—at least not until I could join you. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Be careful. Love, Jake

So the lovely lady had a boyfriend. Max dropped the email back onto the desk and told himself it was a good thing he knew about the man now. Becca was too tempting for his peace of mind. Now that he knew there was another man in the picture, it would be easier to keep his distance.

He jiggled his mouse to activate his computer screen. Staring at the blank screen, he wished he knew where to start this book. So far the beginning had eluded him. The stress of wondering what was happening in Gram’s room upstairs didn’t help his concentration.

“Daddy, I want to see Gram,” Molly said from the doorway. “Her door is closed.”

A smile tugged at his lips. Gram would never turn Molly away. He stood and joined his daughter. “Let’s go roust her out,” he said.

Gram had finally agreedto go along with Becca—if only to protect her. Seated beside her grandmother and sipping tea from Gram’s favorite blue and yellow cups, Becca felt the last fifteen years had melted away.

A firm knock sounded on the door, and Max’s voice echoed. “Gram? Molly is about to wet herself waiting to see you.”

“Come in, my dear boy,” Gram said. She put her cup and saucer on the table beside her chair. “I’m always ready to see my favorite girl.”

Becca used to be her grandmother’s “favorite girl.” She pushed away the slight prick of jealousy. She was grown now, and she loved Molly, she reminded herself.

The door opened, and Molly burst into the room like a shaft of sunlight. She ran to Gram and climbed into her lap. “I missed you, Gram.”

“I missed you too, sweetheart.” Gram wound a lock of Molly’s hair around her index finger.

Becca sensed, rather than heard, Max enter the room behind his daughter. She could feel suspicion coming off him in waves. Her gaze traveled up to meet his, and she almost flinched at the distrust on his face. Had he heard their discussion? There were places in this old house where conversations could be easily overheard.

“Are you about ready to get back to work?” The question seemed mild enough, but Becca sensed a hidden rebuke in it.