Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (124 page)

Luke’s
diversion
worked.
Aggie’s
face
rearran
ged
itself
from
despair
to
hope.
“Did
you
learn
anything?”

“We
did
a
little
digging
on
Mrs.
Stuart.
First,
did
you
know
t
he
restraining
order
expired
the
ninth?”

Aggie’s
eyes
grew
wide.
“Really?
I
forgot
all
about
it.”

“I’d
take
care
of
that
tomorrow
if
I
were
you.
You
do
not
want
her
to
show
up
here.
It
could
be
even
worse
than
you
can
imagine
with
the
cameras
out
there.”

“Ok,
I’ll
go
into
Rockland
in
the
morning.
What
else?”

William
paced
the
room
, recounting
his
visit
with
Douglas
Stuart.
Aggie
watched
as
the
veins
on
the
man’s
neck
pulsated
with
his
apparent
fury.
While
he
told
of
the
man’s
confusion,
Aggie’s
heart
squeezed
to
hear
he
spent
most
of
the
interview
asking
where
his
wife
and
son
were.
A
new
lump
filled
her
throat
as
she
learned
that
his
wife
hadn’t
been
to
see
him
since
Thanksgiving.

“How
can
she
do
that?
It’s
her
husband!
He
saved
her
from
poverty
and
this
is
how
she
repays
him?”

“I
don’t
know.
We
didn’t
find
her
at
home.
No
one
answered
the
door
and
there
were
no
signs
of
anyone
there.”

“Maybe
she’ll
be
there
tomorrow.”

“Maybe.
We’ve
got
a
cruiser
driving
by
every
couple
of
hours.
If
she
shows
up,
we’re
going
to
question
her.”
The
determination
in
his
voice
was
fierce.

Before
anyone
could
speak,
Vannie
clattered
down
the
stairs,
tears
running
down
her
face.
“I
think
you
should
come
up.
Tavish
is
really
upset
and
he
won’t
talk
to
anyone.”

Aggie
left
the
men
in
the
living
room
and
dragged
herself
upstairs.
As
she
passed
the
bathroom
mirror,
her
eyes
met
Laird’s
while
he
was
brushing
his
teeth.
The
pain
and
confusion
in
them
nearly
broke
her
heart.
The
other
face
in
the
mirror—hers
she
supposed—looked
like
a
stranger.
Dark
circles
rimmed
her
eyes
and
disheveled
hair
gave
her
the
appearance
of
one
of
the
homeless
people
on
the
streets
of
Rockland.
Her
arm
jerked
toward
Tavish
’s
and
Ian’s
room
as
Vannie
dragged
her
along
the
hallway.

In
one
corner
of
his
bed,
Tavish
lay
curled
on
his
side
in
a
tight
ball.
His
body
shook
with
sobs,
but
his
eyes
and
face
were
dry.
When
she
touched
him,
he
whimpered,
drawing
back
a
s
if
afraid
of
a
beating.
“Tavish?”

There
was
no
reply.
Snow
fell
outside
the
window,
a
cruel
beauty
to
contrast
with
the
tormented
hell
they
all
felt
they
endured.
She
watched
flake
after
flake
fall,
creat
ing
that
wonderful
blanket
of
silence
that
hushes
the
world
after
snowfall.
For
one
brief
moment,
it
seemed
as
if
the
Lord
had
added
a
little
soundproofing
in
order
for
them
to
hear
Ellie’s
cries
for
help.