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else convincing, it looks pretty clear to me.”
    â€œYou’re not even going to investigate?”
    â€œI’m gonna head home and get some sleep. My advice is that you do the same.”
    I trailed Milo down the hall and we stopped at the intersection where he’d head to the outside door and I’d go back to ICU. “He didn’t do it. You know that.”
    Milo dropped his hands to his sides and they bent at the elbows to outline his belly. “Might be you don’t know Ted as well as you think you do.”
    That put me on the fight. “I know he didn’t kill Eldon. And if you won’t find out who did, I’m going to have to.”
    Milo rocked back on his heels. “Now you just stay out of this.”
    If Milo thought I’d stand back and do nothing while he arrested my husband for murder, well, he didn’t know a damn thing about the Foxes. “You don’t honestly think Ted did it.”
    Milo sucked his toothpick. “I don’t know, Kate. Hard to dispute the signs.”
    I focused long and hard on Milo. “How many times has Ted covered for you when you were on vacation or needed some time off?”
    Milo scowled at me. “I can’t do favors just because we’re friends.”
    â€œThis isn’t a favor. Ted didn’t kill Eldon. All I’m asking is to hold off anything official until Ted wakes up and can tell you what happened.”
    Milo took the toothpick out and jammed it into his pocket. He hemmed and hawed for a few seconds. “Fair enough. I’ll have the hospital call me when Ted comes around.”
    Satisfied that I’d kicked that can down the road, I inhaled. “Thank you.”
    Milo gave me another of his caring looks. “Yep.”
    I watched Milo’s elephant-trundle to the front door before I headed back to ICU.
    I had several more turns to stand beside Ted’s bed and watch the machines flash and see him not move. Aunt Tutti urged me more than a half dozen times to go home. “You need to take care of yourself or you’ll be no good to him when he wakes up.”
    A couple of hours later, with no change in Ted’s condition and little indication he’d wake soon, I took Aunt Tutti’s advice. I left Dahlia and Roxy at the hospital to guard over Ted. I needed to be back here when Milo showed up. If Ted didn’t know who shot them, I’d best have a suspect or two to toss to Milo.
    A ribbon of pink outlined the eastern horizon. I had a lot to do before I made it back to Ted’s side, and I couldn’t do it without a little sleep.
    After countersteering across a patch of black ice, I tried Carly’s phone again. Robert answered. “I found her phone under a blanket on the living room floor. No Carly, just the phone. Looks like you had a wrestling match in here.”
    â€œShe’s not much of a housekeeper.” Carly was all bursts of passion, mixed with moments of wisdom and insight, swirling in motion. No telling what prompted her flight this time, or how far she’d gone.
    Robert gave me the update. “I threw a few bales of hay to the cows in the lot and fed the barn cats. You had three new calves and everyone looks happy.”
    Everyone but Ted and Carly and a whole herd of other people, including me. “You’re the best brother in the world.”
    I heard the smile in his voice. “Why, yes. Yes, I am.”
    â€œBut if you tell Michael, Douglas, or Jeremy”—my other brothers—“I said so, I’ll call you a liar.”
    Cupboard doors squeaked open and banged closed. “Jeez, you have nothing to eat here. Aren’t you supposed to be raising a kid? How do you manage that without feeding her?”
    â€œCarly’s capable of grocery shopping and cooking. I’m preparing her for the real world.”
    He laughed. “In true Fox fashion.” He crunched something, probably a handful of cereal.