The Sometime Sister by Katherine Nichols (e novels for free .TXT) 📗

what we had was no big deal. So, I showered alone, checking for any additional injuries sustained during my ordeal. I was in surprisingly good shape, with only a few sharp pains in my shoulders when I pulled my gown over my head.

When I finished brushing my teeth, I found Justin snoring on top of the covers. I turned off the lights, slipped under the blanket beside him, and fell asleep faster than I had since we arrived in Montañita.

When I awoke after ten the next morning, I heard the men talking from the other room, pulled on my robe, and joined them.

“We ordered in earlier, but you were out,” Justin said. He motioned to a platter of assorted pastries. “Saved some for you.” It had been over twenty-four hours since my last meal, and I was starving. I took a turnover dusted with powdered sugar and bit into it.

Harry poured coffee while I demolished the first pastry and chose another one. Justin watched and smiled at me from across the narrow table. He picked up a napkin and reached over to wipe some fruit goop off my chin. “I forgot what a dainty eater you are.”

The intimacy of the gesture brought a lump to my throat. When Stella was little—and sometimes not so little—I would laugh at how enthusiastically she dove into a piece of cake or pie. Like Justin, I would clean errant crumbs or cream from her face.

My expression must have revealed the tidal wave of emotion because he drew back his hand and dropped the napkin by his plate. “Hey,” he said. “I was kidding. Are you okay?”

Not only was I not okay, I might never be. I couldn’t imagine a time when random thoughts of Stella wouldn’t pierce my heart.

“I’m still just a little out of it.” I stirred cream into my coffee and watched it lighten. Harry sat beside me and put his hand on my shoulder.

“You’re entitled. You had a hell of a day.”

I sipped the coffee, then remembered that I hadn’t asked how things had gone for them. “What did you find out from your source?”

Harry started the update. “Luis’s union guy tried to track down the personnel at the local morgue when they brought the body in. Funny thing about that. The two guys on duty have disappeared without a trace. Probably got a pay-off and changed careers. Word is somebody’s been trying to move in on Balsuto’s operation, but he wasn’t sure Ben was involved. Your visit with him answered that question.”

“So, your friend wasn’t much help.” I sighed.

“No.” Justin took over the narrative. “But the government guy in Guayaquil made some calls and found out where they sent your sister’s body to be, uh….”

“You mean cremated.” I helped him out. “And?”

“And Ben never picked up her ashes.” He stood, walked to his room, and came back with an ornate gold-plated urn. “We got them. It’s not much, but at least your family can have some closure.” He placed it in the center of the table. I wrapped my hands around the cold metal.

“It’s a lot,” I said and wiped at my eyes.

He handed me his handkerchief. That old-fashioned gesture made me feel warm and safe. Without thinking, I blew my nose with it.

Harry cleared his throat. “I’m not sure what our next step should be. We’ve figured out what Ben and Prez were hiding. The question is how does Stella fit in. Sounds to me like your sister’s housekeeper knows more than anyone else about the situation. I’ll work on tracking her down. You guys see what the cops know about what happened at the Point.”

Justin agreed and Harry set out, leaving us alone with the harsh reminder of Stella’s death. Even more than those horrible pictures, that urn signaled the finality of my loss.

“I don’t have a clue how Stella would feel about the whole cremation thing. We never talked about dying.” I ran my fingertips over the bronze container. “There are so many things we never got the chance to talk about.”

“Oh, God, Grace.” He wrapped me in his arms. “I can’t stand to see you hurt like this.”

He rocked me back and forth the way Gran had whenever I suffered a fall or a broken heart. I wanted to stay there forever. But I would find no peace or safety with Justin until I answered the questions left from Stella’s death.

I placed my hands on his chest. He tilted my chin up and looked into my eyes, then brushed his lips across mine and kissed me on the forehead before releasing me.

I excused myself to get dressed. I winced when I saw my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My hair was sticking up in weird angles all over my head. And despite sleeping in, the dark circles under my eyes transformed me into a frumpy raccoon. I needed concealer and fast. I scanned the room for my make-up bag, and my stomach flip-flopped.

My sandal wasn’t the only thing I’d left behind. My purse was still sitting in the bathroom of the house on the Point.

Chapter 29

Justin sat on the patio waiting for me. The sun was out, but the air was thick and wet. I sat on the wicker chair beside his recliner. “We’ve got a problem.” I told him about my missing purse.

“Shit! It won’t be good if the police, or anyone else finds out you were there. There’s been nothing on the news, so there’s a good chance no one has discovered the bodies. If I go now, I can get in and out without drawing too much attention.”

“That sounds like a great plan, except I’m going with you. I’m familiar with the layout. Plus, you need a lookout.”

I expected him to protest, but he shrugged and said, “At least that way I’ll know where you are.”

Around us, greenery glistened. The sweet, heavy fragrance of Montañita’s version of honeysuckle saturated the air, reminding me of Georgia summers. Lesroy, Stella and I