House of Secrets

“Another reason I didn’t want you to wash your hands.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s done. But I don’t want to miss another chance. Can you ask April to pick up a change of clothes from your house and meet us at NorthCrest Medical?”

“Why do I need to go to NorthCrest?”

Ray shifted to stand squarely over both feet, then began counting off his reasoning. “A. Because you’re covered in blood, possibly from more than one person. I want you on their records if something…untoward shows up in the blood work.”

“You mean HIV.”

“And hepatitis C. It’s a precaution.”

“I don’t have any open—”

“B. Once the adrenaline subsides, you may find that you’re really hurt somewhere. If you fell like you described, you hit pretty hard.”

“Okay.”

“And C. I’m not letting you out of my sight again until I get you to the station for a complete statement and someone is assigned to watch your house tonight.”

June sat a bit straighter. “Watch my house? You think I’m in danger?”

Ray hesitated. “Depends on whether they believe you saw them leave.”

“But I didn’t—”

“You interrupted the search of the study. They have no idea what you saw. And you’re still my material witness. Don’t argue.”

She stood up, stepping closer and tilting her head back to look up at his face. “What about my car? It has a tricky transmission.”

“Everyone in the county knows your car has a tricky transmission. We’ll leave it here for now. I’ll send it home later with a guy who’s good with a manual.”

“You have to let it warm up at least ten minutes. Then make sure you put it in First before shifting to Reverse or it won’t go anywhere. It has that 435-horsepower, big-block engine. You don’t do it right, you’ll leave half its innards sitting in the road.”

“You should have that fixed.”

“Yeah, but then it wouldn’t be June’s emerald-green 1968 Corvette with the tricky transmission.”

“Notoriety isn’t always a good thing.”

“No such thing as bad publicity.”

“Nothing good about being stranded on the side of the road.”

“Not a bad way to meet new folks in a county like this.”

“June.” He took a step closer until they were toe to toe.

“What?”

“Get it fixed.”

“So you won’t worry about me?”

Ray’s mouth tightened to a thin line, but his eyes glistened a bit. June wasn’t sure if he was going to laugh or yell.

He yelled. But he never took his eyes off hers. “Rivers!”

Daniel came to his side and Ray stepped back from June. “Please call your wife and ask her to bring a change of clothes for June to NorthCrest. We’ll be there in thirty minutes. Radio the station and the hospital that we’re on our way.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And ask Carter to clear that crowd back from the house.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ray held out his hand. “June, I need your keys.”

“They’re in the ignition.”

Ray’s eyes narrowed. “You left the keys in a Corvette?”

“Everybody in the county knows my car, as you just said. Would you steal it?”

Ray didn’t argue with her reasoning. “Considering what one of your favorite Sunday school country boys would do if they saw anyone but you driving it? No.”

Ray took June by the arm to escort her out. She paused at the door, looking out at the faces of the crowd that had grown even larger. “This could get ugly,” she whispered.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“I don’t suppose you could tell them—”

“Not yet.”

“Maybe I could just tell them that I only found—”

“June, don’t talk.”

June nodded, then took a deep breath. It’s not like I haven’t made this walk before. She pushed open the door and stepped out on the porch.

The murmurings started immediately, and June cringed as the words hit her ears. It was as if she’d betrayed them all. Ray walked beside her, waving back those who got too close.

By the time he closed the car door, shutting out the voices, tears traced down June’s cheeks, grief building again within her, composure slipping away.

Ray yanked open the driver’s door. He fastened his seat belt, then touched her arm gently. “We’ll get through this, I promise.”

“The glass house a pastor lives in doesn’t just vanish when he dies.” She twisted toward him, grief boiling over. “You have no idea what it’s like! What this brings back. How this makes me—” Her voice broke, and she wiped away tears in furious frustration.