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ceased listening. Something in the video had caught her attention, and it wasn't the animals. "Aunt Bess," she interrupted. "Can you replay that? Just the last few seconds?"
    Bess complied, and Leigh leaned in closer, her heart beating rapidly. It was faint, but there was light shining in the woods in the background. Just a tiny beam flickering, then it was gone. Then another. Almost like fireflies... but not.
    "Aunt Bess," Leigh said uneasily. "Did you notice those lights?"
    Bess leaned in beside her. "Oh... that. Looks like flashlights in the woods. Kids getting ready for their fireworks, probably. They were at it last weekend, too."
    "Fireworks?" Leigh asked, perking up. "Where?"
    Bess shrugged. "Depends. Sometimes in the parking lot behind the church. Sometimes at the pond. That pond's always been a popular hangout, you know. Drinking, smoking, whatever."
    "Did you call the police?"
    Bess's eyebrows rose. "Why would I do that?"
    "Well, I mean...” Leigh stammered, “if they were trespassing... they could start a fire."
    Bess chuckled ruefully. "If anyone sets my woods on fire, they'll have me to contend with. As for the rest, they're just teenagers, for heaven's sake! Where are they supposed to drink and smoke? The mall? I certainly spent some quality time in the great outdoors in my—"
    "Aunt Bess!" Leigh interrupted, looking over her shoulder reflexively to make sure no impressionable ears were listening. The exploits of Bess's youth had made great entertainment when she and Cara were kids, but she would prefer to keep the youngest generation unaware of them.
    Bess looked at her and sighed. "Ah, poor kiddo. I didn't think it would happen. Not even after the twins were born. But it is. You're turning into your—"
    "I am not!" Leigh snapped.
    "Are too," Bess said smugly.
    Leigh groaned. "Can we just watch this part of the tape again?"
    Bess pursed her lips and rewound. As they watched the faint, dancing light appear again, Leigh decided she agreed with her aunt. It looked like a distant flashlight.
    But whose? The time stamp on the DVR had said 9:24 PM. The meeting at the church had been over long before then.
    "Did you hear anything?" Leigh asked. "I mean, when this was happening?"
    Bess considered, then shook her head. "I don't really remember. The kids themselves aren't usually loud, but I have been hearing a lot of fireworks lately—always do around the Fourth. I might have heard a crack or two last night, but I'm not sure. I was on the phone quite a bit, you know, debriefing from the meeting. Wait—there's one. You can just see the light from it. Look."
    Bess rewound the video a bit, then hit play. Leigh leaned forward again and stared at the screen, breath held, as a quick flash—distinct from the bobbing light—lit up the woods behind the woodpile. In the same instant, Ferdinand—who had considerately turned his backside to the camera while devouring his prey—visibly startled.
    "Definitely some kind of firework," Bess confirmed. "Probably a bottle rocket. You could tell he heard it, couldn't you? I really should spring for audio, once we get the show going."
    Leigh's stomach churned. Maybe there had been some teenagers messing around in the woods last evening; maybe the flash in the distance had come from a bottle rocket. Maybe Brandon Lyle hadn't been in those woods until much later, and she was overreacting to what was probably a coincidence.
    Or maybe she had just seen the flash of a gunshot.
    And her Aunt Bess had inadvertently time-stamped a murder.

Chapter 5
    Leigh pulled her van into the private drive shared between her house and her cousin Cara's farm. She drew in a sharp breath. Maura's car was ahead on the same lane, coming toward her.
    Leigh pulled off into her own driveway. She considered rolling down her window, but refrained. What could she say anyway, with the kids in the back? Maura pulled up level and offered a wave; a man Leigh didn't recognize sat in the detective's passenger