adults to dash inside the house.
Jon walked Izzy inside, beginning to explain the basics of his current case. Darcy noticed he was careful to keep himself between Izzy and JoEllen. After they were gone inside, Darcy pulled JoEllen out onto the porch and let the door swing shut behind them.
"What are you doing?" Darcy asked in a tight voice. "Asking them to stay for supper? Seriously? Do you remember how you're supposed to be in hiding?"
JoEllen's smile fell away from her face. "Darcy, I very nearly pulled my gun on them when they came knocking on the door. I couldn't be sure, you know? I couldn't be sure Izzy wasn't the killer hired to get me. I didn't know what to do so I just kept her talking until you got here. When you said you knew her, I knew she was legit."
"The fact that she had a little girl with her didn't give you a clue?" Darcy asked incredulously.
"Well, sure, but some of the best contract killers bring kids with them when they scope out a target. It puts everyone at ease and gets them to let their guard down."
Darcy just stared. She could not imagine living day after day being afraid of everyone she met. Not knowing if the next smiling face would put a bullet between her eyes.
Slowly, JoEllen nodded. "That's the life I live. Or, used to live anyway. I don't want that for my son. I want Connor to grow up with as normal a life as possible, not looking over his shoulder every time he hears a footstep, or his phone ringing. Having a normal life means having friends. I meant what I said. I think he and Lilly will like each other."
From inside the house, as if on cue, came the sound of two kids laughing loudly. Darcy had to admit it was a nice sound. She understood why JoEllen would work so hard to give that to her son.
"All right," she said, relenting. "I do like pizza. No mushrooms on mine, okay?"
"Deal."
Darcy was halfway through the door when something occurred to her. "So, wait," she asked JoEllen in a whisper. "You have a gun on you?"
"Yup. A little snubnosed thirty-eight. I never leave home without it."
Of course, Darcy thought to herself. So now, not only did her neighbor and good friend Izzy know that JoEllen was here, but the fugitive they were hiding had a gun.
How could anything possibly go wrong?
The only place in town that delivered pizza was a small business that had opened just last month. Waldo's Pizza and Wings was making a good effort so far, but Darcy had to figure they wouldn't last long. People in Misty Hollow preferred to eat at Helen's café, or to make the drive over to places like Meadowood or Oak Hollow where there were lots of restaurants to choose from.
For now, they had a quick place to get their dinner for tonight.
Waldo's closed at six so they just made it with their order. While they waited for their food to be delivered the adults sat around the kitchen table talking. Lilly and Connor went upstairs to play. Darcy heard them running back and forth, yelling "tag" at each other between peals of laughter.
"I remember the Bortchowskis," Izzy was saying. "Braun and Evita. I didn't know them very well, you understand. They kept mostly to themselves. I sort of remember Megan. She was a few years behind me in high school, but to tell you the truth I'm not sure if I'd recognize her if I tripped over her in the street. We ran in different crowds."
"Do you think she might have recognized you?" Darcy suggested. "Maybe she saw you here in town?"
Izzy thought about it, then shook her head. "I mean, I knew her name from the gossip but it was a pretty big high school. There's no reason she'd even know who I was."
"Did she have a girlfriend back then?" Jon asked her.
She sipped at the tea in her oversized green mug, shaking her head. "No. She had a steady boyfriend in high school, but we all knew it was just a matter of time. Talk around the school indicated that she was always more
Jon walked Izzy inside, beginning to explain the basics of his current case. Darcy noticed he was careful to keep himself between Izzy and JoEllen. After they were gone inside, Darcy pulled JoEllen out onto the porch and let the door swing shut behind them.
"What are you doing?" Darcy asked in a tight voice. "Asking them to stay for supper? Seriously? Do you remember how you're supposed to be in hiding?"
JoEllen's smile fell away from her face. "Darcy, I very nearly pulled my gun on them when they came knocking on the door. I couldn't be sure, you know? I couldn't be sure Izzy wasn't the killer hired to get me. I didn't know what to do so I just kept her talking until you got here. When you said you knew her, I knew she was legit."
"The fact that she had a little girl with her didn't give you a clue?" Darcy asked incredulously.
"Well, sure, but some of the best contract killers bring kids with them when they scope out a target. It puts everyone at ease and gets them to let their guard down."
Darcy just stared. She could not imagine living day after day being afraid of everyone she met. Not knowing if the next smiling face would put a bullet between her eyes.
Slowly, JoEllen nodded. "That's the life I live. Or, used to live anyway. I don't want that for my son. I want Connor to grow up with as normal a life as possible, not looking over his shoulder every time he hears a footstep, or his phone ringing. Having a normal life means having friends. I meant what I said. I think he and Lilly will like each other."
From inside the house, as if on cue, came the sound of two kids laughing loudly. Darcy had to admit it was a nice sound. She understood why JoEllen would work so hard to give that to her son.
"All right," she said, relenting. "I do like pizza. No mushrooms on mine, okay?"
"Deal."
Darcy was halfway through the door when something occurred to her. "So, wait," she asked JoEllen in a whisper. "You have a gun on you?"
"Yup. A little snubnosed thirty-eight. I never leave home without it."
Of course, Darcy thought to herself. So now, not only did her neighbor and good friend Izzy know that JoEllen was here, but the fugitive they were hiding had a gun.
How could anything possibly go wrong?
The only place in town that delivered pizza was a small business that had opened just last month. Waldo's Pizza and Wings was making a good effort so far, but Darcy had to figure they wouldn't last long. People in Misty Hollow preferred to eat at Helen's café, or to make the drive over to places like Meadowood or Oak Hollow where there were lots of restaurants to choose from.
For now, they had a quick place to get their dinner for tonight.
Waldo's closed at six so they just made it with their order. While they waited for their food to be delivered the adults sat around the kitchen table talking. Lilly and Connor went upstairs to play. Darcy heard them running back and forth, yelling "tag" at each other between peals of laughter.
"I remember the Bortchowskis," Izzy was saying. "Braun and Evita. I didn't know them very well, you understand. They kept mostly to themselves. I sort of remember Megan. She was a few years behind me in high school, but to tell you the truth I'm not sure if I'd recognize her if I tripped over her in the street. We ran in different crowds."
"Do you think she might have recognized you?" Darcy suggested. "Maybe she saw you here in town?"
Izzy thought about it, then shook her head. "I mean, I knew her name from the gossip but it was a pretty big high school. There's no reason she'd even know who I was."
"Did she have a girlfriend back then?" Jon asked her.
She sipped at the tea in her oversized green mug, shaking her head. "No. She had a steady boyfriend in high school, but we all knew it was just a matter of time. Talk around the school indicated that she was always more
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