Silver's Bones Read Online Free PDF Page B

done.”
    Shannon got up, grabbed a sponge, and started wiping up spills.
    â€œYou may regret us moving in,” she said.
    I walked over and hugged her from behind. “It’s an adjustment for all of us. But I do wish Brit would clean up after cooking. You can talk to her or I will.”
    â€œDo we pay her to be a maid or a nanny? Cal, you’re going to have to let some things go or it won’t work.”
    â€œI’m not just talking about Brit,” I said. “The boys can do their part. Pick up their shit.”
    She patted my back patronizingly. “You’re right. I’ll talk to them.”
    We soon got the call the boys were ready for us to tuck them in so we climbed the stairs to the second floor. We went into Colby’s room first. I could hardly find him with all the stuffed animals in his bed. He wrapped his arms around me and said, “Goodnight, Daddy.” On the way out I picked up his dirty clothes strewn on the floor.
    I had to step around thousands of Legos to get to Luke’s bed. He hugged his mom but didn’t return mine. I knew he would have a harder time with Shannon remarrying and moving in. He remembered his dad—he was three when a drunk driver hit and killed Evan while he was out jogging. Colby was only one and had no memory of his father.
    The boys never went to bed this easy at Shannon’s. It was always a fight. Maybe they were wiped after being in the pool most of the day. When I was a kid I dropped off to sleep as soon as I hit the pillow because I was so active. That was the trick—keep them active and off electronics. When Shannon and I walked down the stairs to the great room, Brit was on her way back up.
    â€œYou cleaned up. I was going to do that after the boys were in bed.”
    â€œOh,” I said. “We can all chip in.”
    â€œOkay, well, I just want to thank you for letting me live here in my own apartment and giving me this job. It really helps with my tuition, and I just love the boys.”
    â€œAnd they love you,” Shannon said.
    â€œYou bet,” I said.
    Shannon gave me her I told you so look as we settled in on the couch. She tuned in to her favorite hateful housewives show.
    How many nights a week is that thing on? “These women must make you feel really superior,” I said.
    â€œYes.”
    I picked up my Golf Digest .
    She patted my knee. “I appreciate your being honest with me earlier about the messes. We’ll work things out . . . and Luke will come around. He just needs time.”
    â€œI know.”
    When the bitchfest masquerading as a reality show was finally over, I took the remote and turned the channel to watch the news on KRBN. They led with “breaking news” and showed a bird’s eye video of the dig site. All their cameras captured was the tent top. Next, they honed in on the BCA van.
    Joe Hoff, the anchor, said there was speculation that the remains belonged to Birch County’s most publicized missing person, Silver Rae Dawson.
    â€œThat’s premature in my opinion,” I said.
    â€œSeriously.”
    They flipped to a short video of Hoff asking Silver Rae Dawson’s father if the Sheriff’s Department had been in touch with him.
    â€œNo one’s contacted us, but we feel strongly that it’s our Silver Rae buried there. It’s only a couple miles from home.” He wiped tears from his eyes. Poor guy. This must be hell.
    Hoff then showed photos of other unsolved missing persons’ cases in Minnesota. Jacob Wetterling was one. For all we knew, the bones could even be his.
    â€œMan, the sooner we identify this victim, the better,” I said.
    â€œMind if I turn this off now?” Shannon asked. “Don’t we have some unfinished business?” She wiggled her brows and started humming “Dixie.”
    Before we started dating, she’d put me off, saying no one she worked with would cross her Mason-Dixon