Galen's Gemma - Dale Mayer Page 0,3

was hard to miss. “The shit’s always the same. The trees might look different, but I can’t even count on that.”

Galen understood what he was saying. “So I don’t understand what’s happening with Joe’s wife and kid.”

“Joe and his wife had been having some problems, with some definite infighting going on,” he said, “but nothing bad. When the kid didn’t show up at school a couple days ago, however, the school called the house, and nobody answered. The cops were called at some point on the truancy element, and they said that she appears to have left town.”

“And could she have?”

“Of course she could have. She’s an adult with free will and all that,” Zack said, “but she wouldn’t have.”

“And how do you know?”

“Because I know her.”

Something in his tone of voice made Galen wince. “As in you know her, know her? Like, she is special to you? Or, as in, you knew her because she was Joe’s wife?” He tried his damnedest to keep his tone neutral, but it was a little hard.

“I know her, know her,” he said flatly. “But not that way. At least not now. We used to go out, years ago.”

“Okay,” Galen said, feeling a little bit better. “Do you have any idea where she would have gone?”

“No,” he said. “Her house is untouched. Her purse, cell phone, and vehicle are all still there.”

“Shit,” Galen said. “That’s not cool.”

*

“You sure we’re doing the right thing, Gemma?” Rebecca asked quietly. Her voice was a soft echo in the dark interior of the car. They’d been on the road for over an hour. And this wasn’t the first time her younger sister had asked her the same question. Rebecca seemed to think Gemma was making a big deal out of nothing.

Nothing Gemma could say had changed her baby sister’s mind. They were in danger. All three of them most likely. Gemma would do what she could to keep her eight-year-old niece and her own sister safe. And that meant doing what she was doing. “I’m sure we’re doing the only thing we can right now,” Gemma said quietly. They were both keeping their tones down because Rebecca’s daughter was in the back seat.

“So you say, but we don’t have any proof that we’re in danger.”

“The proof will happen when it’s too late,” Gemma said. “You know Joe was murdered.”

“Maybe,” she said. “We’ve sure gone to an elaborate scheme to get away from there. At least we should have told Zack.”

“You may trust Zack, but remember? I don’t know him as well,” Gemma said.

“That’s because you’ve always been angry at the way we broke up.”

Gemma just shrugged. She wouldn’t go over old history right now. She had done what she thought was best here, and it was turning her life upside down too, but she was determined to keep Rebecca and Becky safe.

“I don’t understand why you think they wouldn’t find the cabin.”

“They’ll find Joe’s cabin probably,” she said, “and we’ll leave a trail to say we were there but disappeared again.”

“Why?”

That damn whine was back in her sister’s voice. Gemma should be used to it. Whenever life didn’t go Rebecca’s way, she’d get that same irritating tone in her voice. “For whoever is now looking for Joe’s family,” she said harshly. “He was murdered, no doubt about that.”

In a small voice, Rebecca said, “The police said it was a burglary gone bad.”

“It wasn’t a burglary gone bad, Rebecca,” she snapped. “It was a murder made to look like a burglary gone bad.”

Her sister sank back in the seat beside her. “I’ve lost my world,” Rebecca muttered. “And you don’t care.”

At that, Gemma softened her voice. “Sweetie, I know. But it’s more important to keep you and your daughter alive.”

There was a long silence before Rebecca finally gave in and said, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I don’t,” she said, “but I’m doing what I think is right.”

“And I think what’s right was staying at home, where the police could get in touch with me.”

“Maybe,” she said. “And then what? We have to take a gamble on this and do what we need to do.”

“But what if we’re wrong?”

“Then we’re wrong, and we’ll face the consequences.” She knew her sister didn’t like hearing that at all, but it was what Gemma could do. She didn’t know how else to help. She’d been traveling for work when she’d come home to this mess. She rented an apartment here, and rented out her New York apartment for the half