A Killer Among Us by Lynette Eason Page B

from Walter. The watch Walter had tapped while rolling his eyes.
    Should have plucked his other eye out too.
    Then he chuckled. Oh yeah. He shot the other one out. No plucking required.
    Then he pulled the school schedule from the left side of the box.
    And smiled.
    He flicked the paper and said, “You’re next.”



11
    The next morning, Kit’s release from the hospital went surprisingly fast, and before she knew it, she was on her way home, Jamie at the wheel.
    Not the direction she wanted to go.
    Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it. “Hello?”
    â€œHey Kit, how are you doing this morning?”
    â€œPeachy.”
    His chuckle warmed her. “Connor and I went by the Marlowe house last night to find Justin. No luck. The kid was gone and hadn’t come home yet, according to the officer assigned to watch the house.”
    â€œRats.”
    â€œYeah. We didn’t knock on the door. We decided we wanted the surprise factor on our side.”
    â€œSo you’re not calling ahead, huh?”
    â€œNope, if the kid is guilty, we don’t want Daddy shipping him off to some overseas friends, if you get my meaning.”
    â€œI get it.”
    â€œWe’re waiting on the call from the officer watching the house. As soon as the kid shows, we’ll grab him.”
    â€œSounds good. I’ll meet you there.”
    â€œAre you sure you feel up to it?”
    Her arm did feel much better this morning, and while she’d skipped the narcotic offered, she’d popped a couple of ibuprofen. It helped. Some. It was a good thing she’d qualified to use her weapon with either hand. Otherwise, she knew she’d be benched until her right arm healed.
    â€œI’m fine. I promise.” She paused, then said softly, “I may take a few risks sometimes, but I would never take one that put your life on the line. You have my solemn word on that.”
    For a moment silence was her only answer. Then, “All right. I wasn’t worried about that, but thanks for saying it. Tell your chauffeur to drop you off at the station. I’ll give you a lift home after we’re done with Justin. Surely, he’ll show up today.”
    â€œGreat.” Her adrenalin surged, almost knocking out the rest of the pain. She stuck her phone in the back pocket of the jeans Jamie had brought to the hospital this morning. Kit turned to her sister. “Drop me off at the station, will you?”
    Jamie glanced at her. “You sure?”
    â€œI’m sure.”
    Jamie sighed and said, “You really are a Cash. Same stubborn genes.”
    Kit winced inside but pasted a smile on her face. “Yep.” It wasn’t that she minded the reminder of her adoption or the fact that she didn’t grow up in the Cash household, and yet . . . she did.
    Guilt pressed in on her. She’d had a wonderful family. A loving dad who’d taken her fishing and taught her how to ride her bike, shoot her first gun, and gave her permission to belt any boy who took unwanted liberties. A pang of grief overshadowed the guilt.
    Eleven months ago, he’d taken his last breath right after he confessed they’d kept her adoption a secret. Kit’s birth father, he explained, had an addiction to pain pills. One afternoon he’d left several on the table. Samantha, arriving home from school in tears, followed her father’s example and swallowed a handful of pills to dull the pain of her bad day.
    After making sure Samantha would be all right, her father packed a bag and walked out, never knowing he left behind a wife pregnant with twins.
    Kit closed her eyes, remembering the look on her birth mother’s face as she told the story. The grief that twisted her features when she’d talked about finding out she was expecting twins. She’d been terrified. One baby was burden enough. But two? She couldn’t imagine it. She called her best friend, who lived in Raleigh, and