“Maggie…”
“A professor couple I know have invited me to stay at their cabin while I’m up here. It’s on a small lake near Lake George. They don't go up there much this time of year. I’ll have a few days on my own to decompress and do some work.”
“Don’t you have to be back at the college?”
“Not until late next week.”
Ellen frowned. “How well do you know these people?”
“Well enough. It’ll be great. I’ll sit in a cabin in the mountains and do nothing for five days but read, sleep and look out at the scenery. My friends have been where I am right now—stressed out, lost in the weeds, saying yes to too many things. I’m thinking of it as my Adirondack mini retreat.”
“Is this couple here?”
“Somewhere. They were at my talk. They stayed with me when they were in Austin for a conference last year. You didn’t meet them. Relax, Ellen. I might not be a cynical Texas Ranger or a suspicious prosecutor, but I’m not a pushover, either.”
“All right,” Ellen said. “I see your point.”
Maggie smiled. “I knew you would, and I appreciate your concern. Luke stirs you up. It’s no wonder you’re on edge and reactive. Maybe you’re turning over a few big rocks yourself and just don’t realize it.”
As if to prove her point, Luke joined them and Ellen’s heart jumped. She was positive her twin sister knew it. He kissed Maggie on the cheek. “Good job, Maggie.” He smiled that deadly smile of him. “Just don’t quiz me.”
Maggie’s laughter didn’t reach her dark eyes. Ellen gritted her teeth. Whatever was bothering her sister was still an issue, and it wasn’t just pre-talk jitters and drama creating. But Maggie smiled, smooth and gracious. “Can you two excuse me? I need to run to the ladies’ room. Help yourselves to drinks and hors d’oeuvres. I’ll be right back.”
What could they say? Ellen resisted the urge to tell Maggie she’d go to the restroom with her. As Maggie disappeared through a corner door, Luke shook his head. “She’s not herself.”
“You walking in here looking as if you’re about to make an arrest doesn’t help.”
“When did you last hear from Hugh Parker?”
Ellen gaped at him. “Parker—what are you talking about?”
“He’s in Albany.”
“That’s not the same as being here, and unless he contacts me—”
“Has he?”
“No.”
“What about Maggie?”
Ellen considered his question. “I’m sure she’d have told me.”
“How much does this guy hate you?”
“A lot, but it comes with the territory as a prosecutor, even a junior prosecutor. You get some who don’t take our role personally and realize we’re doing our jobs, and you get some who want to mop the floor with us. You know how it is.”
“I like my role in enforcing the law,” Luke said in that subtle-yet-not-subtle way he had.
“I bet you do,” Ellen said. “I can’t see anyone mopping the floor with you.”
He winked. “That’s good.”
He grabbed a small plate and helped himself to cubes of cheese and sliced fruit from a tray on the table. He offered Ellen some, but she shook her head. She wasn’t hungry. She was still thrown off by his presence and Maggie’s retreat. Her sister’s emotions seemed downright erratic, especially for someone who usually kept her emotions hidden even from those closest to her. Now they seemed all over the place.
Luke tackled his plate of fruit and cheese. He didn’t appear to have any trouble eating, but Ellen knew he was watching her, studying her—deliberately creating a void of silence. If she was hiding anything, he meant to find out. That was the clear message she got from him.
Either that, or he was just enjoying the reception.
An attractive, well-dressed older woman approached them and introduced herself as the wife of the couple who owned the cabin Maggie was borrowing for a few days. She handed Ellen a folded piece of notebook paper. “Maggie asked me to give this to you.”
Ellen felt Luke go on alert, straightening as he set his plate on a side table and stood close to her. “Where is Maggie now?” she asked.
“I saw her heading out. I assumed she wasn’t feeling well.”
Her hands shaking, Ellen unfolded the paper, which looked as if it had been torn out of one of her sister’s ubiquitous Moleskine notebooks. She half expected Luke to read it over her shoulder, but he gave her enough space—barely—to read the note on her own.
Dear Maggie,
I decided to leave for the cabin early. I thought this might happen once I finished my talk. I got a late checkout at the hotel and put my bag in the trunk before we met in the lobby. I need this time. Please don’t worry. I don’t know if I’ll have cell phone service at the lake, but I’ll be fine, regardless. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. Have champagne tonight with Luke instead!
xoxo