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“Hang on, Brian. Let me put you on speaker.” Gloria tapped the speaker button. “The DNA test results came back. What did they find?”

“They’re inconclusive.”

Liz blinked rapidly. “Inconclusive.”

“The sample you gave me did not produce enough information to link it to a specific person.”

“Bummer,” Gloria said. “We’re back to square one, unless Sheriff Nelson can get a read on the license plate of the vehicle that’s been hanging around Echo’s place. Either way, it’s not a smoking gun.”

“No smoking gun means no arrest,” Liz said.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get you what you needed,” Brian apologized .

“Thank you for trying.” Gloria ended the call and tucked the phone in the side pocket of her purse. “Maybe the DNA was a hoax to begin with.”

“Which means Floyd and I will need to sleep with one eye open,” Liz said.

Gloria left not long after and Liz returned to the house, where she restlessly rambled from room to room. According to Lucy and Margaret, an army of workers would arrive first thing the following morning to begin working on the kitchen, the main floor powder room, as well as the living room.

She hoped Lucy was right and things would move fast. Living in the cramped RV was getting old. Their bed was too small, and the bathroom wasn’t much larger than a postage stamp. Despite the challenging conditions, at least they had a roof over their heads, and in the end, her dream home would be worth the wait and all the headaches.

Liz returned to the RV. She flopped down on the sofa and turned the television on. Her eyelids drooped, and she leaned her head back to rest for a minute.

Duchess, along with Teddy, jumped up on the sofa and began tromping across her legs.

Liz bolted upright and stared at the clock. She’d napped for over an hour. It was time to figure out what to make for dinner.

While she worked, she mulled over Echo’s predicament. If she was telling the truth, the poor girl had to be scared out of her mind and exhausted after living in hiding for months on end.

Her colleague was dead, and now she was being stalked. Not only stalked, but targeted.

Floyd arrived while she was carrying the plate of chicken she’d cooked on the outdoor gas grill back inside. Echo pulled in behind him.

She left the car running and made a beeline for the RV. “Thanks for taking care of Teddy. We’ll check in with you later. ”

Floyd watched her climb back in and drive off. “Echo’s mighty nervous about what’s happening.”

“Who can blame her?” Liz filled him in on the cigar, the matchbook, and their trip to Kip’s Bar and Grill. “A man came in and bought that brand of cigar. He told one of the bartenders he was from Detroit. We showed both bartenders a picture of Appolina, but neither one of them recognized him.”

“And the DNA samples you gave Brian?”

Liz made a thumbs down. “Inconclusive. All we have left is Christi’s surveillance recording of the vehicle. Sheriff Nelson is working on seeing if they can get a read on the vehicle’s license plate.”

“I have a sheet of plywood already cut. I would like to put it up before it gets dark.” Floyd cast a hesitant look toward Echo’s mobile home. “What are we gonna do about Echo and her staying at her place tonight?”

“The only available spot we have is the sofa. ”

“And you’re not sure we’ll be safe if we ask her to spend the night here,” Floyd guessed.

Liz nodded. “What should we do?”

“Let me think about it.” Floyd grabbed his box of tools and trudged off. Liz finished cooking dinner and glimpsed her husband stopping to feed Pepper and Piper.

When he finished, he placed his tools in his truck and caught up with her inside the RV. “We’re gonna need to replace the whole door. I screwed the plywood in tight. It’s not going anywhere, but it ain’t pretty.”

“I bet not.” Liz fixed their dinner plates and set them on the table. “Have you given any thought to what we should do about Echo?”

“Echo and Teddy left a few minutes ago. She told me she’s gonna spend the night at a friend’s house.”

“We’re hitting some dead ends. Obviously, someone was trying to break in last night. All we know for certain is a sedan was out there and whoever was in the vehicle left part of a cigar and empty matchbook behind.” Liz changed the subject. “With everything going on, I forgot to ask Echo how dinner with Treece went.”

“He isn’t saying much, but I have noticed the two of them eating lunch together, and Treece spends more time in the milking parlor when Echo’s there.”

“They make a cute couple.” Liz picked at her baked potato. “I hope she’s not involved in Grotto’s death.”

“Me too. I would start questioning my judgment.”

After dinner, Floyd and Liz meandered around the property, with her husband sharing his vision for a working farm. It was clear he planned to add more farm animals, and Liz needed to prepare herself for what was to come.

She stifled a yawn. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. ”

“And tomorrow will be just as busy.”

“Yes, it will.” The workers Margaret and Lucy had lined up would start putting the pieces back together. It was both exciting and terrifying. She’d never designed a home before. What if she hated it? What if she spent all this money on something she didn’t love?

Liz pushed the nagging thoughts aside. Of course, she would love her home. It would be everything she dreamed of. She’d seen the computer-generated finished product and it would be perfect.

The couple made their way back to the RV and turned in early that evening. Liz flipped and flopped, hearing every creak and bump, every snap and pop.

Duchess was restless too, and Liz could hear her small nails clicking on the linoleum floor as she made her rounds, from the window to the sofa to the dinette .

Floyd crawled out of bed before sunup and started a pot of coffee.

A bleary-eyed Liz wasn’t far behind.

“You look like I feel.”

“It was a rough night.” Liz leaned her hip against the counter. “I heard every single creak and groan. I had no idea an RV could make that much noise.”

Duchess pawed at Liz’s foot, and she picked her up. “Duchess was restless too. Maybe we’ll get some sort of resolution about Echo’s situation today.”

“Echo.” Floyd finished filling a coffee cup and handed it to his wife. “I forgot until just now. Someone called the farm asking to speak with her yesterday. It was right before we were getting ready to leave.”

Liz perked up. “Who was it?”

“I can’t remember the name. Audrey took the message.” Floyd told her he would track it down as soon as he got to the farm. He ate a quick breakfast and then stopped by the pigpen to feed Pepper and Piper before heading to work.

Liz showered, and then she and Duchess meandered to the front yard. She grabbed the garden hose and began watering the flowers.

Chirp. Chirp. Liz set the hose down and pulled her phone from her pocket. It was Floyd. “I found the message from the man who called here yesterday looking for Echo.”

“A man?” Liz asked.

“His name was Mark Havane.”