Page 23 of Light of Day

Luke pulled a small plastic baggie from his pocket. Inside was the button they’d found on the shell beach. “Can you tell us anything about this button? It looks very old.”

“Just because it’s old doesn’t mean—” She broke off as she peered at the tiny object, glinting pearlescent pink behind the plastic. “Where did you find this?”

“Does it mean something to you?”

“I’d have to do some research.” She took the baggie. “I can get it back to you later.”

Heather snatched the baggie from her hand. “That’s okay. Thanks anyway.”

“Excuse me.” Amy Lou reached for the button, but Heather stepped away from her.

“We don’t need to bother you any longer.”

“That button could have historical value?—”

“No shit. Back off, lady.”

Amy Lou snatched her hand away. “You always were a—” She cut herself off by folding her lips together.

“A what? Come on, don’t be a coward. Say what you think.”

“You always were a bad seed.”

It was such a ridiculous phrase that Heather burst out laughing. “Ohh, the burn. That’s all you’ve got? Those ducks on your scarf are more insulting.”

12

Outside,the fog had thinned and brightened as the sun worked on burning it off. Heather cooled off from her spat with Amy Lou by stomping around the flagpole a few times.

“This is why I hate coming back here,” Heather told Luke once she’d gotten a grip on her temper. “It’s always like this. People see me a certain way, and I get triggered and open my big mouth and confirm everything they think about me.”

“Everyone around here has Amy Lou’s number. I wouldn’t worry what she thinks.”

“Oh believe me, I haven’t worried about her since I was ten and she made me spell ‘incandescence’ three times in the spelling bee because she couldn’t believe I got it right. I’m mad at myself for reacting, not her.”

“Incandescently mad?”

“Ha ha.” But his little joke did the trick; she felt her frustration ease. She rolled her shoulders and inhaled deep, then released a slow breath. The cool mist on her cheeks helped too. “This is how you know I’m really worried about Gabby. No one else could get me to come out here and regress like this. What now, Constable?”

He was watching her carefully, and for the first time, she really looked back at him—taking the time to observe the thoughtfulness behind his steady gaze and the firm set of his jaw. He definitely didn’t fit her image of a Carmichael. Maybe she shouldn’t prematurely judge him either.

“Why’d you take the button back from her?” he asked abruptly.

She lifted her chin. “Because I don’t trust her. I don’t think she’s telling the whole story. She’s leaving something out, and if we leave that button with her, we might never see it again.”

After a short pause, he nodded. “Agreed.”

“Agreed? Really?”

“Yeah. She’s not the only historical expert around. Hell, we can probably look it up on Google image search. Come on.” He jerked his head toward his truck.

“Where are we going?”

“If you were Gabby and you got stonewalled by Amy Lou, what would your next step be?”

“After pushing her off the dock?”

Luke chuckled, but waited for her real answer.