made.
“I have a whole room full of toys you can take a look at,” she smiled as she told Peter.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Bonnie asked.
“I ate an hour ago,” Rose replied. “I can’t wait all day for you to come in. You’re as bad as your father. I wonder when he’ll be home.”
Bonnie took off her coat. “He’s not coming home, Mom. Remember?”
Rose’s smiling eyes blanked for an instant. Then she was right back to showing Peter Eric’s old toys as she helped him remove his jacket.
Matthew removed his heavy coat. “That food smells good.”
“Thank you. Don’t forget to wash up before you eat.” Rose reminded him. “You too, Bonnie.”
Bonnie washed her hands and then poured them each a cup of coffee. Eric had told her that her mother sometimes forgot that her father was dead. Rose wasn’t in bad shape and was just at the beginning of Alzheimer’s. She was stable for now. Still, it was hard not to think ahead to when it would be worse.
“Your mother is a kind woman,” Matthew said after he’d returned from washing his hands in the bathroom. “We were all sad to hear about her diagnosis. I hope you’ll count on me and Thomas if you need any help.”
“Thanks.” Bonnie smiled. She wasn’t surprised to learn that he was familiar with their house—no one had to show him where to find the bathroom. No doubt her mother had showed Peter Eric’s old toys many times. The boy was very polite not to say so.
“Moving into a small, tight-knit place like Christmas Tree Valley can be hard,” he remarked as he sat at the table. “Rose made it easier for us—your father too.”
She put some of the casserole on both plates and handed one to him. Her father had been dead ten years. It had been a hard time to come back for his funeral and leave again. Her mother had asked her to stay, but Bonnie just couldn’t. It was too soon.
“You must’ve sneaked in under the cover of night for his funeral,” Matthew said. “We were there, but I don’t remember seeing you. I think I would’ve remembered.”
She smiled back at him. “I had to get back to work pretty quickly. I stayed as long as I could.”
He sipped his coffee. “Why did you leave and stay away so long? Your family has always seemed to be very close.”
She knew he’d been there for a while and had heard the gossip. Everyone in Christmas Tree Valley knew everything about the people who lived there.
“I’m sure you’ve heard, and I don’t want to talk about it.” She started eating as an excuse not to speak.
“Okay.” He shrugged. “But you might feel better if you talk about it.”
Peter came running in with a model airplane. “Can I keep it, Dad? Miss Rose said I could if you said it was okay.”
“Sure. But you have to leave some of Eric’s toys here.”
“I just want this one thing to go with my collection,” Peter explained.
“And what was it last time you were here?”
“I’ll tell her you said it was okay.” The boy grinned and ran back toward Eric’s bedroom.
Bonnie rapidly changed the subject from her past to Harvey’s death. “I don’t understand why anyone would take his body and then leave it in the Hummer.”
“People do strange things sometimes. Maybe the coroner taking a look will help.”
“I hope you’re right. This isn’t a great way to start a new job.”
“I’m sure Harvey was glad you were here,” he said. “And you’ll figure out what happened.”
“Maybe.” She stared at him across the table. “Wildlife Agents don’t spend a lot of time tracking down murder suspects. I’m sure Chief Rogers will be a lot more help.”
“One thing I already know about you, Bonnie.” Matthew pointed at her with his fork. “You don’t give up easy. You’ll be that way with Harvey’s killer too. Just be careful. You don’t want to end up dead like him.”
She took their empty plates to the sink. “You’ve only known me a day. I don’t think you will know much about
“I have a whole room full of toys you can take a look at,” she smiled as she told Peter.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Bonnie asked.
“I ate an hour ago,” Rose replied. “I can’t wait all day for you to come in. You’re as bad as your father. I wonder when he’ll be home.”
Bonnie took off her coat. “He’s not coming home, Mom. Remember?”
Rose’s smiling eyes blanked for an instant. Then she was right back to showing Peter Eric’s old toys as she helped him remove his jacket.
Matthew removed his heavy coat. “That food smells good.”
“Thank you. Don’t forget to wash up before you eat.” Rose reminded him. “You too, Bonnie.”
Bonnie washed her hands and then poured them each a cup of coffee. Eric had told her that her mother sometimes forgot that her father was dead. Rose wasn’t in bad shape and was just at the beginning of Alzheimer’s. She was stable for now. Still, it was hard not to think ahead to when it would be worse.
“Your mother is a kind woman,” Matthew said after he’d returned from washing his hands in the bathroom. “We were all sad to hear about her diagnosis. I hope you’ll count on me and Thomas if you need any help.”
“Thanks.” Bonnie smiled. She wasn’t surprised to learn that he was familiar with their house—no one had to show him where to find the bathroom. No doubt her mother had showed Peter Eric’s old toys many times. The boy was very polite not to say so.
“Moving into a small, tight-knit place like Christmas Tree Valley can be hard,” he remarked as he sat at the table. “Rose made it easier for us—your father too.”
She put some of the casserole on both plates and handed one to him. Her father had been dead ten years. It had been a hard time to come back for his funeral and leave again. Her mother had asked her to stay, but Bonnie just couldn’t. It was too soon.
“You must’ve sneaked in under the cover of night for his funeral,” Matthew said. “We were there, but I don’t remember seeing you. I think I would’ve remembered.”
She smiled back at him. “I had to get back to work pretty quickly. I stayed as long as I could.”
He sipped his coffee. “Why did you leave and stay away so long? Your family has always seemed to be very close.”
She knew he’d been there for a while and had heard the gossip. Everyone in Christmas Tree Valley knew everything about the people who lived there.
“I’m sure you’ve heard, and I don’t want to talk about it.” She started eating as an excuse not to speak.
“Okay.” He shrugged. “But you might feel better if you talk about it.”
Peter came running in with a model airplane. “Can I keep it, Dad? Miss Rose said I could if you said it was okay.”
“Sure. But you have to leave some of Eric’s toys here.”
“I just want this one thing to go with my collection,” Peter explained.
“And what was it last time you were here?”
“I’ll tell her you said it was okay.” The boy grinned and ran back toward Eric’s bedroom.
Bonnie rapidly changed the subject from her past to Harvey’s death. “I don’t understand why anyone would take his body and then leave it in the Hummer.”
“People do strange things sometimes. Maybe the coroner taking a look will help.”
“I hope you’re right. This isn’t a great way to start a new job.”
“I’m sure Harvey was glad you were here,” he said. “And you’ll figure out what happened.”
“Maybe.” She stared at him across the table. “Wildlife Agents don’t spend a lot of time tracking down murder suspects. I’m sure Chief Rogers will be a lot more help.”
“One thing I already know about you, Bonnie.” Matthew pointed at her with his fork. “You don’t give up easy. You’ll be that way with Harvey’s killer too. Just be careful. You don’t want to end up dead like him.”
She took their empty plates to the sink. “You’ve only known me a day. I don’t think you will know much about
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