Hawk Moon by Rob MacGregor

detected.
    He dialed the number. The dispatcher answered, then transferred the call. Suddenly Will realized he didn't have any of the letters, and he wasn't sure he could retrieve them, either. He should have printed them out. Especially the last one. What if Fanz was telling the truth about Burke?
    "Detective Bureau," a man answered, then told him Olsen was out of the office. He wanted to take a message, but Will didn't know what to say. He hung up.
    He walked upstairs and crossed the living room into the kitchen. He took out a can of Coke from the refrigerator, popped it open, and took a sip.
    "Will!"
    His throat constricted and the fizzy drink sprayed out of his nose. He coughed, wiped his mouth. "Tom, I didn't know you were here."
    Burke stood near the picture window that spanned the wall of the dining area. He was staring out toward the slope on the opposite side of the valley. He turned and strolled toward Will. His hands were jammed into the pockets of his loose slacks. He wore a V-necked sweater, and as always his thick blond hair was perfectly arranged. He must have walked over from his apartment, but Will couldn't recall ever seeing him here when his mother wasn't home.
    "I'm waiting for your mother. She asked me to go grocery shopping with her. Sounds like fun, huh?"
    "Didn't you hear me when I came in?"
    Burke mounted a stool along the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining area. "Sort of I was snoozing on the couch. You woke me up."
    "Do you know where my father is?"
    "Nope. I haven't seen him or Ed."
    Will always felt vaguely uneasy when he was alone with Burke, and now, after the last note from Fanz , he felt wary and suspicious. "I'm going downstairs to study for a while."
    "Wait a minute, Will." Burke slid off the stool and walked over to him. "Tell me what's been going on. Is there any news about Myra?"
    For a moment, he was tempted to confront Burke about the notes, but decided against it. "Nothing that I know about."
    "How's it going in school?"
    Will shrugged. "Everybody either ignores me or acts as if nothing ever happened."
    "It must be hard to keep your thoughts on your schoolwork."
    Burke was being more chatty with him than he'd been in some time. "Actually, it helps me forget about all of this stuff for a while."
    Burke laughed. "Escaping into your studies rather than away from them. That's a twist."
    "Yeah."
    Suddenly, Will recalled looking down at Burke from his grandfather's office window while Burke was talking to a couple of men outside the Ute City Banque . He mentioned it to Burke. "Were they friends of yours?"
    Burke blinked several times. His features stiffened, and it seemed as if he were having a hard time forming words. "I don't remember talking to anyone outside the bar."
    "One guy had a ponytail. The other one had a dark beard."
    "Oh, wait a minute. Those guys. Sure, I gave them directions to the airport."
    Will thought Burke was lying. "Well, I better get started on my homework." He headed for the stairs again. Burke followed him.
    "Listen, I want you to know something. I don't have any problems with your father being here. I liked talking to him last night. He's an interesting man."
    Will paused at the top of the stairs. "Good. I'm glad he's here."
    "Will, there's something important I need to talk to you about. Now is as good a time as any."
    He waited for Burke to continue."We don't get a chance to talk very often. I mean, just you and me. I know you don't think of me as a father and I can understand that. A stepfather for a teenager is almost always awkward."
    "But you're not my stepfather."
    Burke didn't answer, and suddenly Will knew that his mother and Burke were planning on getting married. The realization triggered something in him and the words burst from his throat. "Did you ever see Myra while I was gone?"
    The air around him suddenly turned cold as Burke's icy stare held his gaze. "What are you talking about, Will?" His voice was low and soft. "The only times I