A Welcome Grave Read Online Free PDF Page B

her. “I don’t think I’ll be making the trip.”
    I frowned. “You have to work, or did something else change your mind?”
    She gazed up at me for a moment, then away.
    “Are you backing out on this just because I’m working for Karen?” I asked.
    “No.”
    “Okay. It’s not that, and it’s not work, and yesterday you were up for it, but today you’ve changed your mind. What’s the deal?”
    She sighed and tugged the sunglasses free from her hair, then ran one hand through it. “Why do you want me to go along?”
    I tilted my head and looked at her, puzzled. “Thought it would make the trip more enjoyable for me, and thought you might enjoy it, as well.”
    “Why?”
    “Why would you enjoy it?”
    “And you? Why would you enjoy it more because I was along?”
    When I was a kid, I went to a camp once where they had a row of small platforms scattered across a pond. Some of the platforms would float when you landed on them; others would sink immediately. You’d try to cross the pond by jumping from one platform to the next. Each leap had the potential to sink you, but you didn’t know which one would do it. Right now, the conversation had that feel.
    “Why would I enjoy it more?” I echoed. Anytime you start repeating questions when you’re talking to a woman, you’re in trouble.
    “Yes.”
    “I imagined it would make a long drive a lot more fun. Getting kind of tired of working alone.”
    “So you want me to be your surrogate Joe?”
    “What? No.” I shook my head and stepped away from her. “I imagined we’d have a good time, because we usually do. Thought it would add some laughs, a little banter, turn a boring road trip into an enjoyable one.”
    “I’m a source of banter, then.”
    “Amy.” I looked at her hard. “What the hell is this about? We hang out together all the time, but you think it’s odd I’d ask you to go along on this?”
    “I don’t want to be Sundance to your Butch,” she said. “Not just on this case, or on your little trip. In general.”
    I gave a short laugh and spread my arms. “Where is this coming from? We’ve been friends for almost two years. Now you’re having some sort of identity crisis with it?”
    “How many lasting relationships have you had in the last two years, Lincoln?”
    I dropped my arms. “Roughly? Zero.”
    She didn’t smile. “And me?”
    “You’ve dated a few assholes.”
    “Lasting relationships?”
    “Zero.”
    “Right.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Can you tell me that’s unrelated? Do you think it is, at least?”
    “Probably not.”
    She smiled sadly. “There ya go. And I know the story—you’re not good with relationships, and the friendship’s too important to jeopardize. But here we sit.”
    “So you’re disagreeing with—”
    “I’m not disagreeing with anything, and not saying anything other than that I need to think a few areas of my life over and maybe redirect them.”
    “Kind of comes out of nowhere this morning.”
    She laughed and shook her head. “If you think this comes out of nowhere, then your agency is really hurting for detectives right now.”
    Someone pulled into the parking spot beside us. It was one of my regulars, and when he climbed out of his car, he decided it would be a good opportunity to talk sports and weather for about five minutes. I smiled and nodded my way through it. After a while, Amy dropped her sunglasses over her eyes and stood up.
    “I’ll catch you inside,” I told the guy, holding a hand up to interrupt him. “Okay?”
    He went in, and I turned back to Amy. She had her hand on the door handle.
    “Amy . . .”
    “I’ve got to get to work, and you’ve got to get to Indiana, of all places. We’ll talk when you get back, okay?”
    I didn’t answer. She got in the car and pulled away, and I swore loudly and sat down on the parking block. A second later the door opened and Grace stuck her head out.
    “Everything okay, boss?”
    I turned to her.