Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,58
hid it in the trees."
"How do you know that?"
"I called Adam to tell him what Trevor had said, and he told me that they'd just located Kelly's rental car about a mile from the cabin. It was in perfect working condition."
"Then she just needed to switch cars."
"That would be my guess and Adam's as well." He paused, his lips tightening. "They did find some drops of blood inside the vehicle."
Her stomach turned over at that piece of information.
"It might not have been her blood," he continued. "The police are running the DNA."
"If it turns out that the blood belonged to her boyfriend, that won't be good for Kelly," she said heavily.
Had her sister really been able to stab a man to death?
It didn't seem possible. On the other hand, if she was fighting for her life, for the lives of her son and her unborn baby, maybe there was no limit to what Kelly had been willing to do.
"Let's take it one step at a time," Jake said. "Now that we know Kelly drove to the motel in Trevor's car, the police will try to track her movement from there via traffic and security cameras."
"What if she switches cars again?"
"Then she'll have to leave Trevor's car somewhere and that will be another clue. But for now, we focus on what we know so far. She's not injured. She's not with anyone. And she has made sure her son is safe."
His determined optimism inspired her to think positively. "You're right. I need to concentrate on all that." She let out a breath. "Now I need a favor. I know—there's no end to the favors I need."
He smiled. "Considering where we're standing, I'm guessing you need help getting a tree back to your house."
"Good guess."
"What were you going to do?"
"Donny said he would deliver the tree, but maybe not until late tonight. I'd rather get it now."
"I assume your mother is watching Brett."
"Yes. And they're baking the cookies I need to take to the hospital party tomorrow."
"How did that all happen?" he asked curiously. "I thought she didn't even want to see Brett.
"She had second thoughts. Once she met Brett, he stole her heart with one smile. I was a little reluctant to leave them alone, but my mom has been sober for almost four years, and there's no alcohol in my house at the moment, so she should be okay, right?"
"I would think so."
"How is Trevor doing?" she asked.
"He's almost to the forty-eight-hour mark without a drink, so he's hanging in there. He thinks the worst is over."
"He's lying to himself."
"Maybe. But he seems determined to get clean."
"By himself? That rarely works."
"I said the same thing, but he tried rehab once and it didn't stick, so he thinks he needs to be able to stop in the real world."
"He has a point, but it can still be physically debilitating."
"I agree. But he has to do it his way. I got him some groceries. I'll check in on him again tonight."
"That's generous and very kind."
He shrugged. "He's not a bad kid. He's just emotional and having a rough time. It doesn't help that it's Christmas."
"What do you do for Christmas, Jake?" she asked as they headed toward the tent where hopefully Donny would have her tree waiting. "Do you spend the day with your family?"
"I'm leading a cross-country skiing group in the morning. I'll drop by for a drink before dinner. My parents usually have about twenty people over for dinner, so it's not just a family thing, which is fine by me. What about you?"
"The last couple of years, Tyler and I would make enormous bowls of cereal in the morning. We mix three or four different kinds like we used to do when we were kids. We catch a movie in the afternoon and later in the evening we get pizza for dinner."
"You don't see your mother?"
"Not usually on Christmas. But this year is going to be different. It has to be more like a traditional Christmas—cookies for Santa, presents, stockings, a big breakfast, playing in the snow, and maybe a prime rib for dinner. I want Brett to have the kind of holiday I had when I was young, when my dad was alive."
"And your mom will be included?"
"I think so. We'll see how things go between now and then." She paused as they got to the tent.
Donny handed her back her credit card and then he and Jake took the tree out to Jake's truck.