Killer Cousins Read Online Free PDF Page B

did this sudden change come about because a man died, a man she claimed she hadn’t known?
    She found me staring at her. “Want one now?” she asked, hand heading for her purse.
    I wanted both her hands clasping the steering wheel as she zigzagged up the mountainside. “No candy, thanks.” I faced the road, hoping she’d do the same.
    She did, and in no time we reached her house. She parked in the attached garage, got out, and slammed the door. She left the papers Ish had given her on the seat.
    I grabbed them, noticed the pristine appearance of her garage, and followed her inside.
    The door led to the kitchen. She stood leaning back against the table, waiting for me. “I didn’t know him,” she reiterated.
    “I believe you.” Instinctively, I used fingernails from my left hand to pinch my right palm. A technique for tempering my lie? Or habit to try to convince myself I’d told the truth? At the moment I couldn’t tell.
    “Do you want something to eat?” Stevie asked.
    “I’m still full.” And my stomach was doing a twitchy dance from the ride.
    “I’ll just have a snack.” She retrieved Devilish Chocolates, ripped the bag open, and held it toward me. I shook my head with much effort, and she gobbled the entire contents.
    So much for putting all blame for her blossoming figure on medicine. She raised her hand to toss the crumpled bag to a wastebasket.
    “You did a good thing today,” I said.
    Color drained from her face. “Huh?” Stevie’s arm jerked, letting the trash go. The wadded bag struck the cabinet and bounced to the floor.
    “That was a positive step you took.” I tossed her bag in the wastebasket. “Quitting smoking.”
    “Oh yes, that.”
    “Did you do anything else special today? Anything out of the ordinary?”
    Her gaze skittered everywhere around the room but toward my face. She heaved a sigh. “Just gave a strawberry sticker to one of my students. Lacy. It’s her birthday.” A glimmer of a smile flashed. “I gave her a big squeeze.”
    Not too big, I hoped, looking at Stevie’s size and considering her tiny first-grade students.
    I mentally slapped the side of my head. No matter how hard I tried, I’d never been able to rid myself of those rapidly surfacing judgments.
    “I know you enjoy your students.”
    “They keep me happy,” Stevie said, and told of incidents with some of the children.
    I considered telling about the fearsome teens I’d recently encountered in my granddaughter Kat’s high school, but decided not to disrupt her cheerful mood.
    “I’ll go to bed now,” I said.
    “Your things are in the guest bedroom. Let me know if you need anything else.”
    I was satisfied that my bedroom appeared normal. No candles, altars, or stones. The room had a pleasant airy feel. Sheer blue curtains. Purple, red, and green blended surprisingly well on the bedspread with lots of throw pillows in those colors.
    Stevie had set my luggage on one section of a king-size bed. She’d turned down the covers on the opposite side.
    I dressed in a lightweight gown and left my suitcase where it was since I didn’t move much while I slept.
    I slid into the bed’s turned-back section and considered the day. My flight change to here. Finding a body, which seemed too horrible to think about. Stevie’s mega change in size and habits. Her group members. And the cushiony feel of Gil’s shoulders. Within minutes, I slept.
    A while later I awoke, wishing I’d emptied my bladder before going to bed. A sound had awakened me. Did it come from my window?
    I shrank beneath the covers. Listened.
    After long minutes, with no sound repeating, I decided what I’d heard must have come from a dream. I traipsed down the dark hall to the bathroom.
    A voice uttered strange sounds. A pungent aroma swelled in the hallway. From the open doorway of the extra bedroom came an unusual shifting glow.
    I drew back. What made that noise? And the radiance?
    I waited. Took a breath. Peeked through the slim