you busy?”
“I have this thing called a job.” From the background noise, it sounded like Casey was in his office at the Sur County Sheriff’s Department. “It takes up most of my time.”
“How fast can you be at my apartment?”
Everett had no frame of reference. Maybe it was the same with all brothers. Possibly it was more intense for them because they were twins. All he knew for sure was that whenever he needed help, Casey was there for him.
“I’m on my way.”
Everett breathed a sigh of relief. The sheriff’s office was close by and it would take Casey less than ten minutes to get there. He ended the call, aware of Alyssa’s steady scrutiny. She was the strongest person he knew, except for one blind spot. She was terrified that anyone close to her would be snatched away violently.
Given what had happened in her early life, he figured it was natural. Throughout their relationship, he’d tried hard to help her overcome her fears. In the end, her intense vulnerability, together with his own emotional detachment, had defeated them both.
“I do trust you, but if there’s something going on…”
“I just need to check a few things out.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s probably nothing.”
She rolled her eyes. “Everett, I know you. Remember?”
“How could I forget?” The words were out before he could stop them, carrying a world of meaning in their wake.
Timing, Colton. It never was your thing.
For a moment they gazed at each other, then an unmistakable, and very stinky, aroma filled the air.
“Oh, my goodness.” Alyssa wrinkled her nose. “Where did you put the pink-elephant bag with the spare diapers?”
Everett started to laugh. “It’s on the table.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door. “I need to go. Casey is on his way. I’ll explain everything when I get back.”
“Promise me—” Her lower lip trembled.
It was like stepping back in time four years.
“I’ll be careful.”
Alyssa was left with a dilemma. It seemed like explaining their startling new situation to Everett’s twin should be something they did together. Answering the door to Casey with a sleepy baby in her arms meant he inevitably gave her a look that was both startled and questioning.
“This is Sean and Delilah Dodd’s daughter, Kennedy. Following their deaths, Everett and I have accepted joint custody of her.”
Casey’s frown betrayed his shock, and he remained silent for a moment or two.
Although she knew and liked Everett’s brother, they’d never had a chance to get really close. His deputy-sheriff job kept him in Cactus Creek and, during the time that she and Everett had been dating, their lives had been in Phoenix. The two had made an effort to meet up, and family occasions with their parents had been important to them, but their busy jobs had often gotten in the way.
Casey stepped into the apartment and Alyssa locked the door behind him.
He looked around in confusion. “Where is Everett?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, I get it.” The twins were fraternal, but when they smiled, the similarities between them were remarkable. “This is like the time he bet me he could beat me in a race to a bar. We both set off, then this hot girl in denim shorts distracted me by asking for my help to find her dog. It was over a year later I found out she was one of his college classmates and they split the winnings. Is he hiding in the bedroom?”
“Seriously. He said he had to go out and that you would stay with me until he got back. You now know as much as I do.”
The smile disappeared as he looked around. Before either of them could say anything else, the security buzzer made Alyssa jump. If she and Kennedy were to stay here, that thing would have to go.
“I’m expecting a delivery.” She hesitated, not wishing to sound overdramatic. “But Everett told me to keep the door locked.”
He went to the window and twitched back the drapes. “There’s a flatbed truck parked outside. It’s piled high with boxes.”
Piled high? With a sinking feeling, Alyssa went to stand beside him. The truck was small, but there were a lot of boxes. And she recognized the woman who was exiting from the passenger side of the vehicle.
“That’s Patty Griffiths. She’s from the Department of Child Safety.” She looked down at the baby, who had fallen asleep in her arms. “She promised to deliver Kennedy’s things.”
“I’ll get the door,” Casey said.
Sure enough, the guy at the door was one of Patty’s colleagues. By way of a greeting, he handed Casey a high chair. “I could do with some help getting the rest of the stuff up the stairs.”
Ten minutes later, the two men had made several trips from the van to the apartment. There were now several tall stacks of boxes in the small bedroom and the floor space in the living room was rapidly disappearing.
“We only brought the essentials,” Patty explained to Alyssa. “The rest of it is at her parents’ home.”
“Rest of it? How much stuff can one small person have?”
“I’ve been doing this job a long time and I’ve never seen so many toys and clothes.” Patty pursed her lips. “They must have spent a fortune on her.” She handed Alyssa a framed picture. “I know you’ll want to remind her of her birth parents. This was taken recently.”
It showed Kennedy sitting on a rug. Sean was lying on one side and Delilah was on the other. They were smiling as, propped on their elbows, each moved in to kiss one of their daughter’s chubby cheeks.
Alyssa stared at it for a moment or two. It was hard to believe such a happy family had been torn apart so tragically. Some might say the Dodds had brought what happened on themselves, but Kennedy was an innocent victim in all of this.
“I’ll make sure to put it somewhere so she can see it all the time.”
When Patty and her colleague had gone, Alyssa eased Kennedy onto the sofa and sat next to her.
“If you’re really doing this, you may need to get a bigger place.” Casey looked down at the sleeping baby. “Are you doing this?”
“We just found out about the custody request in Sean and Delilah’s will a few hours ago. We were about to talk about what it meant for the future when your brother took off. It’s so sad. This little girl’s parents must have loved her so much…” She shook her head. “Patty mentioned their home. I guess it’s part of the estate Kennedy will inherit.”
“Sean may have made his money on the wrong side of the law, but Delilah was a clever accountant. She invested it wisely and legally. The Dodds had a very neat property just outside of Cactus Creek. Kennedy will be a wealthy little girl.”
“I didn’t know them well, and I understand that they were in trouble with the law before they died, but Sean is the last person I could imagine taking his own life,” Alyssa said. “And killing Delilah, as well? It seems totally out of character.”
“He left a suicide note stating that he would rather die than face prison.” Casey’s grim expression reminded her of the hurt that Sean had caused him in the past.
Kennedy murmured in her sleep and Alyssa soothed her by gently rubbing her shoulders. Her responsibility to the child hit her all over again. “What a dreadful start for her. It will