Stranger in the Moonlight Read Online Free PDF Page B

the sign he smiled more broadly. He knew Kim didn’t live on the road but her relatives did, and the ancestral home, Aldredge House, was there.
    But Aldredge House wasn’t where he was going. His mother had rented an apartment in the home of Mrs. Olivia Wingate, which was just behind where Kim’s cousin lived. Travis’s original plan was to arrive there in the afternoon and see his mother. Since he didn’t want anyone knowing who she was or who he was, he planned to park along the road and call her on the cell phone Penny had sent him that morning. After he’d seen her and made sure she was all right, he’d find a hotel.
    He hadn’t changed his plan, but it was growing dark and he didn’t like her walking out alone. He’d have to meet her close to the house.
    Travis was thinking about this as he drove down the tree-lined road when a big teenager wearing a yellow reflective vest and carrying a flashlight stepped out of the bushes in front of him. As Travis slammed on the brakes, he thanked his years of race car driving for his quick reflexes.
    There was a tap on his window and another kid was motioning for him to put down the window.
    “You wanta slow down, mister?” the boy said. “There are kids around here, and besides, people are leaving. Park over there by the Ford pickup.”
    “Park?” Travis said. “I wasn’t planning on going to—” He didn’t finish, as he didn’t want to tell anyone his business. He could hear music and see lights through the trees to the left. It looked like there was a party going on. Travis thought of turning around and leaving, but there was a car behind him. A U-turn would draw too much attention to himself.
    “You take any longer, mister, and the place will be empty. You already missed the wedding cake,” the kid said.
    “Yeah, sure,” Travis said and pulled in beside the truck. Wedding? he thought and couldn’t help grimacing. Was it Kim who was getting married? After all, it was the Aldredge House so it could be.
    As he got out, he put his hand up to block the light from the next car, and also to hide his face.
    A very large man was standing outside a truck that unless Travis missed his bet, had been revved up to illegal street use. He was looking at Travis as though trying to figure out who he was.
    “You with the bride?” he asked as he opened the door to help his pregnant wife out.
    “Colin!” she said. “You’re off duty now, so stop interrogating people.” She looked at Travis. “Welcome to Edilean,” she said, “and please go inside. Let’s hope there’s some champagne left. Not that I’ll be having any.”
    “Sure, thanks,” Travis said.
    As the two of them walked toward the house, the big man gave Travis a look up and down.
    “Great,” he mumbled. It looked like he’d raised the suspicions of an off-duty cop. More people walked past, most of them leaving, and looked at Travis. It was then that he realized that all the people he saw were in their finest. He was wearing a gray shirt and a pair of jeans.
    For a moment Travis contemplated what he should do. Leave? See his mother tomorrow?
    On the other hand, he thought that it was possible that his mother was at the wedding. He didn’t think so, as she had always been a quiet, retiring woman, but maybe so. It was even possible that the man she was thinking of marrying would be there too.
    He had a vision of the two of them sitting in a corner holding hands and whispering sweet words to each other. It might be a nice thing to see.
    And maybe Kim would be there—if she wasn’t the bride, that is. Not that he could introduce himself to her again. Not that he hadn’t seen her as an adult, but it had been a while. She’d been a very pretty little girl and she’d grown into an even prettier woman. The vision of her riding down the hill, her auburn hair flying out behind her, would stay with him forever.
    Maybe he could change into some more appropriate clothes and maybe he could go and see the