She Who Watches by Patricia H. Rushford Page B

routine—like family, yet not like family. With Sara still missing, they were more like robots carrying on, doing what needed to be done and little more. Normally, she spent her days caring for Chloe and Allysa, cooking and cleaning, comforting and encouraging Scott and the others, and working when she could slip in a few hours alone.
    She didn’t want the body to be Sara’s. She wanted Sara to come home. More and more, these past few weeks of hearing nothing had led to a number of speculations. The most likely scenario was that she had been abducted and murdered.Others, primarily those who didn’t know her well, thought she might have run away to start a new life.
    â€œYou’re up early.” Scott’s deep voice startled her and, at the same time, brought comfort.
    â€œCouldn’t sleep. So I got up to read the morning paper, and . . .” Her throat caught and she nodded toward the paper. “They found another body. A woman.”
    He stood behind her for a moment and then went to the cupboard, pulled out two mugs, and filled them with coffee. Setting one in front of her, he lowered himself into the chair beside her. “Do they think it’s Sara?”
    â€œThere isn’t enough information. Just this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I want her to be alive, but. . . .”
    â€œNot much chance of that.” His gaze focused on the paper, but he wasn’t reading. “I know this sounds callous, but I just want it to be over. I want to know what happened once and for all.”
    â€œIt’s not callous.” She placed a hand on his arm. “I want the same thing. So do the others. Waiting is the hardest part.” She moved her hand and reached for her coffee. “I’ll call the FBI agents again this morning. Maybe they know something the papers don’t.”
    Scott’s gaze drifted up to hers. “Thanks.”
    â€œFor what?”
    â€œFor being here. Picking up the slack.” He set down his cup and, elbows on the table, dropped his face into his hands. “I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
    Claire settled an arm around his shoulders. “It’ll be all right, Scott. No matter what happens, we’ll be OK.”
    The words had a hollow ring to them. How could things ever be right again? After a few moments, she got up and took her coffee into the kitchen. She’d made baked oatmeal the night before, and all she had to do this morning was heat it and cook some sausage. Taking care of Scott and Chloe was the least she could do for Sara.

TEN
    M ac yawned as he rolled out of bed and focused blurry eyes on his alarm clock. Eight o’clock in the morning, and he could still use several hours of sleep. He’d had only three hours of restless sack time. It seemed he had the most trouble falling asleep when he needed it the most. Though analyzing the cases often complicated his sleep, it was the way Dana had acted on the ride home that had troubled him the most.
    Was she jealous of his relationship with Kristen? Or maybe she was stewing over some guy. Mac thought back to a recent date that had turned into a fiasco. Maybe the guy was bothering her again. If the opportunity arose, he’d ask her about it. Of course, she could have been reacting to Nate’s assumption that they were an item. He’d teased her about being hurt, but her reaction had affected him more than he cared to admit.
    Lucy, Mac’s golden retriever, ambled into the room, looking for some affection. The dog’s thick tail thumped the wall as Mac rubbed her head and ears. “I’ll be back later for a walk, old girl, I promise. I have to work again today, but the overtime is nice. We like the overtime, don’t we?” Mac smiled at the dog, who seemed to understand what he was saying.
    Mac showered, put on a pair of gray slacks and navy blue blazer, and grabbed a tie for the road. He wouldn’t need