Page 14

Five years before Derrick Bell’s murder

Lucia blew out thirteen candles and everyone cheered. Always the ham, Lucia stretched her hands toward the ceiling and whooped. “I’m finally a teenager!”

“Lord help us all,” said her grandfather with a wink and a bear hug for the birthday girl.

The love on their faces touched Noelle’s heart.

Maybe Lucia didn’t have her mother anymore, but she didn’t lack for love and guidance.

Her sister grinned as Aunt Daisy carefully handed her a giant knife to cut the cake.

The girl lifted it above her head and made screeching sounds as she pretended to stab the cake.

“The shower scene from Psycho ?” Derrick whispered in Noelle’s ear.

“Yep. She’s a horror movie fan. Especially the old ones.

” Noelle had her suspicions about how Lucia had picked up the obsession because it definitely hadn’t come from Noelle’s or their sister Eve’s influence.

But Aunt Daisy had a sparkle in her eye as she watched Lucia wave the knife.

Their great-aunt often stayed up late, the sounds of a TV coming from her room, and Noelle wondered if Lucia sneaked in to watch movies with her.

Lucia swung the knife at the cake again, but this time abruptly slowed and gently cut a piece, delicately setting it on a plate and offering it to Daisy, who added a scoop of triple-chocolate ice cream.

“That’s a lot of chocolate,” murmured Derrick.

Noelle grinned. The chocolate cake had chocolate frosting, chocolate chips, and a fudge drizzle. Together with the ice cream and chocolate milk to drink, it was a bit much, but not for Lucia. In her opinion there was never enough chocolate.

Slices of cake were passed around, and Noelle and Derrick both requested the vanilla ice cream. They stepped away from the kitchen island and went to sit by Eve and her new boyfriend, Adam, in the dining room.

Noelle had been briefly speechless when Eve first introduced him.

“I know,” Eve had said with an adoring look at Adam. “We’ve already heard all the jokes about our names.”

“It will never end,” Noelle had told her. “Everyone you meet will be compelled to say something.”

Both of them had shrugged. “If that’s the worst thing we deal with, I’ll take it,” said Adam.

He was friendly and polite and was currently being grilled by their grandfather at the dining room table. Noelle felt for him. Every male they’d brought home over the years had faced the same third degree.

“My roommate introduced us,” Eve was saying to her grandfather. “She’s known him since high school.”

Her grandfather’s thick white brows came together, and he eyed the boyfriend. “How long ago was high school?”

“Four years,” Adam said. He wilted a bit at their grandfather’s glaring silence. Eve was only nineteen.

“Don’t you want a girlfriend who can go out to have a drink with you?” their grandfather asked Adam.

“I’m not a big drinker,” said Adam, and he swallowed hard but kept eye contact. “It doesn’t matter at all. We have a lot in common. We play tennis and both like to hike. It’s nice to find someone as outdoorsy as me.” Eve nodded emphatically.

Noelle stayed silent as Eve shot her a glance from under her lashes. Eve had hated camping when they were younger and still complained about bugs and heat whenever they were outside.

Eve must really like the guy.

“Usually at this point I start cleaning my guns in front of you,” said her grandfather, still eyeing Adam. “You know I was a cop, right? These girls are my life. Just as their mother was.”

“Poppa! Stop it. Not on my birthday.” Lucia came up behind him and set a hand on his shoulder. She had the chocolate ice cream container in her other. “Anyone need more ice cream?” Everyone passed, and she took it back to the kitchen.

“Gun cleaning didn’t scare off my daughter’s husband,” their grandfather continued in a quieter voice. “I wish it had. Pegged him for a loser right away. I recognized the type.”

“If you’d scared him away, then we wouldn’t be here,” Eve pointed out.

Daisy appeared, hands on her hips. “Lucia says you’re trying to scare Adam,” she said to her brother. “Knock it off.” To Adam she said, “Ignore him. He can’t help it. The girls bring out the protector in him.”

“That’s a good thing,” said Adam, smiling at Eve as he squeezed her hand. “They’re lucky.”

Noelle gave him points for not breaking. “Eve says you’re taking a full college load and working full-time,” she said, trying to change the subject and make him look good in front of her grandfather.

“I’ll finish my marketing degree in December,” said Adam. “I work at a car rental place. It’s not demanding.”

“He’s a manager,” Eve added proudly.

“Impressive,” said Derrick, nodding at Adam. “Marketing and management. Knowing how to market a product or company is an important skill. You’ll have a lot of opportunities in the future.”

There was a loud knock at the door. It swung open, and Savannah stepped inside the home. “Where’s the birthday girl?” she shouted. She had a balloon bouquet and a present bag with red tissue sticking out the top.

“Savannah!” Lucia ran to hug Noelle’s gorgeous best friend.

The woman had bonded with Lucia the first time they met, and it always warmed Noelle’s heart to see them together.

Savannah was like the fourth sister in their family.

Aunt Daisy and their grandfather also adored her and had encouraged her not to bother with knocking when she came to the house. Just walk right in.

Lucia took the balloons and tied them to her chair. Savannah set the bag in front of her with a flourish. “Enjoy!” The girl yanked out the tissue.

“Ohhh!” Lucia dug into the bag and pulled out two Harry Potter books. She looked in the bag and pulled out more. “It’s the whole set! Thank you! I haven’t read the last one yet. I think I’ll start at the beginning and read them all again first.”

“I think more will be published after that,” said Savannah. She gave Noelle a loving but awkward strangling hug as she passed her chair and took the empty seat next to Derrick. “Is there any cake left, or am I too late?”

“I’ll get you some.” Lucia darted back into the kitchen. “Vanilla or chocolate ice cream?” she hollered from the other room.

“Chocolate, of course,” said Savannah.

“That’s why she loves you,” Noelle whispered.

“Oh, she loves me for much more than that.” Savannah poked Derrick’s bicep. “How’s it going, vodka man? You two planning a wedding yet? It’s been two months.”

“Not yet,” Derrick told her with a grin.

“Wedding?” asked Aunt Daisy, looking up sharply from her cake.

“No wedding, Daisy,” said Noelle. “Savannah’s teasing.”

“You better lock him down before someone else does, Noelle,” said Savannah, batting her heavy fake lashes at Derrick. “He’s a steal.”

“You’re getting married?” Lucia shrieked from the kitchen. She appeared in the doorway holding a serving spoon dripping with chocolate ice cream, a brown smear of it near her mouth.

“No!” said Noelle. Lucia had a tendency to believe everything she heard. She also fell in love with every date Noelle and Eve brought home. She’d been moony-eyed over Derrick since day one, and she’d been sneaking glances at Adam all evening.

Lucia had had a growth spurt over the past year that had left her with long arms and legs she hadn’t quite mastered.

At times she reminded Noelle of a newborn foal.

Her blonde hair was thin and straight and refused to hold a curl no matter how long she clamped it with a curling iron.

Her eyes were the same dark blue as her sisters’ but seemed much larger in her delicate face.

Noelle would destroy anyone who hurt her baby sister. She felt the same about Eve, but Eve had more common sense and could fend for herself. Lucia was the innocent baby bird that needed to stay in the nest longer.

No matter how much gore she liked to watch on TV.

“Lucia’s too trusting,” their grandfather had once told Noelle. “Just like your mother.”

Noelle had inwardly winced at his criticism of her mother, but she agreed with his blunt assessment.

“I’m glad you’ve got a cynical eye for this world,” he’d said next, nodding in approval, and Noelle had smarted at the description.

“I just pay attention, Poppa,” Noelle had countered. His decades on the police force had lessened his trust in people and made him frequently suspicious. Noelle didn’t want to be like that. She knew he wasn’t completely sold on Derrick.

“He’s got soft hands,” her grandfather had muttered after their first meeting.

“Because he doesn’t have to dig up rocks or swing a hammer,” Noelle had stated.

“Nothing wrong with that. Simply a different upbringing than yours—and mine.” Then she’d looked at her hands with the blunt-cut nails and tiny scars.

The nails she kept short; it was simply easier for her job.

The scars had happened because she always sliced limes too quickly and with a wet-handled knife.

Sitting next to Derrick at Lucia’s party, Noelle fought the urge to look at her hands and instead focused on him.

He was grinning at Lucia as her shoulders dramatically slumped at Noelle’s quick denial of a wedding.

Just past Derrick, Savannah caught her eye, tipped her head toward Derrick, and fanned herself, indicating how hot Derrick was.

In total agreement, Noelle fought back a grin.

“ Maybe a wedding one day,” Derrick told Lucia. He picked up his glass of chocolate milk and held it out in a toast. Everyone else quickly raised their glass. “But right now, this day is about you. Happy thirteenth birthday, Lucia.”

Noelle echoed the toast along with everyone else and then met Derrick’s gaze as she sipped her milk. Anticipation vibrated along her nerves.

Maybe.