will be. It’s just that Sawyer—well, his whole life he’s never known the truth, and I am the last of the family he has on his father’s side.”
Josie stood up, still feeling shaky. “Gram,” she said. “You know that I would never stand in the way of you and Sawyer. If this is real, and he’s really your grandson, then of course, I—it’s okay. I—”
She couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Josie,” Lisette said, reaching for her.
Josie backed away. Tears threatened again, and she wondered once more what was happening to her. Her hands went up in front of her, in a defensive posture. “I just—I just need time,” she told Lisette. “Time to—”
To what? she wondered. What did this mean? She was no blood relation to Lisette. They’d been through so much, and it had always been them against the world. For a long time, Ray had been part of their small group. But most of the time it was just Josie and Lisette. Now there was someone else. A stranger with more right to Lisette’s affection than Josie.
She couldn’t breathe. It took momentous effort to force her body into motion. She went over and kissed Lisette’s cheek. “We’ll talk soon,” she choked out. “I have to work.”
Before her grandmother could protest, Josie left the room, the scent of flowers following her.
Thirty-Nine
In the car, Gretchen waited, scrolling on her phone. Josie made it halfway there before she doubled over, her lungs on fire, a lump in her throat so thick she thought she would choke. A few seconds later, she heard a car door slam and then Gretchen hovered nearby. “Boss?”
Josie put a hand up to signal for Gretchen to give her a moment. But her breath wouldn’t come. She felt Gretchen’s hand on the nape of her neck. Slowly, she straightened. Gretchen kept her palm between Josie’s shoulder blades and steered her toward the car. Gretchen took Josie’s keys from her jacket pocket and then deposited her into the passenger’s seat. She went around and got into the driver’s seat. Firing the car up, she said, “I’m not going to ask. I don’t need to know unless you want me to know.”
“Thank you,” Josie managed.
“I’m going to talk now,” Gretchen told her.
Josie nodded.
Gretchen pulled away, navigating the streets of Denton that were free from flooding while she spoke. “The police department from the town in Georgia where Floyd Urban lives called the station while we were out and left a message. I just got off the phone with them. As far as they can tell, Floyd Urban’s story checks out. They questioned several people in his life. No one even knew he had a sister. No neighbors remember ever seeing her there and one of his neighbors lived next door to him from the day he bought his house.”
“Floyd was telling the truth, then,” Josie said. “Vera lied about going to stay with him on bedrest while she was pregnant with Beverly.”
“It appears that way. Listen, it’s very late. I’m going to drive to the stationhouse so you can drop me and Poppy off at my car. I think you should go home. Eat, sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll meet back at work and check and see which auto mechanic shops were open thirty or more years ago. It’s a pretty slim lead, but we can try to track down Vera’s friend and see if he knows anything that will help us find the killer—or killers.”
Josie nodded.
“Will you be okay to drive home or should I call Noah?”
Josie shook her head. “No. Please don’t. I’ll be fine.”
Josie had no memory of driving home but when she stepped through her front door, she was immediately rushed by two jumping dogs and one very excited toddler. “JoJo!” Harris said, throwing his little arms around her legs. She scooped him up and smelled his blond hair while he chatted away about everything he had seen and done that day: the dogs fighting over a tennis ball; the latest episode of Paw Patrol; the trip he and Misty had taken to the command post to drop off baked goods; the cookies Misty wouldn’t let him have for breakfast. The list went on, seemingly endless, and Josie couldn’t help but smile as she always did at his innocence and unbridled excitement about everything. Josie carried him into the kitchen where Misty was preparing dinner. She was using pots and pans that Josie hadn’t even known they owned.
From her place at the stove, she smiled at Josie. “Harris,” she