The East Salem Collection by Lis Wiehl

Author:Lis Wiehl
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2019-09-05T00:00:00+00:00

18.

“Was that my phone?” Tommy said as he set a stainless steel colander with a half dozen large fresh eggs the color of mahogany on the kitchen counter.

“It was Dani,” Carl said. “She said they’re going over to the Gardener farm with a warrant. She was hoping we could join her.”

“How’d she sound?”

“A little tired. She’s going over the lab results on Amos Kasden with her ex-fiancé, Quinn Whatshisname.”

“Technically, they weren’t officially engaged,” Tommy said.

“These days, who knows what’s official?” Carl said. “Whatever happened to the rock you got Cassandra?”

“It’s parked in the garage.”

Carl looked confused.

“When she gave the engagement ring back, I sold it on eBay and bought the V-Rod.”

“I have to say, I was looking forward to officiating at that wedding.”

Tommy was placing the eggs in a tray in his refrigerator.

“You ever think about her?” Carl said.

“Who?”

“Cassandra.”

“Not really. I guess when I see her picture in the supermarket checkout line, sometimes I think, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’”

“You dodged a bullet.”

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly, but it all worked out for the best. And if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met Dani. Everything happens for a reason. Why do you ask?”

“I guess she’s on some magazine cover again,” Carl said. “Some soccer player broke her heart.”

Tommy shrugged. “It’s always something. Or someone. I told her she could call me if she ever needed to,” he said. “I think we’d just seen Toy Story. Whichever one had the song ‘You’ve Got a Home in Me.’ That’s what I told her. I actually misquoted it. The line is ‘You’ve got a friend in me.’ I’m glad she hasn’t called. She was a lot of work. Hey, I gotta go fill the feed bins.”

Once Tommy had returned to the coop, Carl checked out the window to make sure he was busy, then picked up Tommy’s cell phone and searched his contacts list. Carl’s body ached, a throbbing in his muscles and joints, as if he were coming down with a fever. He tried to tell his hands not to do what they were doing, but the more he tried to resist, the more they hurt. When he found the listing for Cassandra Morton, he scrolled down until he located a mobile number marked as private. He opened the screen to send a text message, tapped in the words REMEMBER—YOU’VE GOT A HOME IN ME. XO, and then put the phone back where he found it. The part of him that was still Carl felt guilty for betraying his friend, but when he thought he needed to warn Tommy, a louder voice in his head said, You will not! as an electric charge shot through him and left a sizzling sound in his ears. That is just a small taste of the pain I can give you—my power over you is complete!

When his cell phone rang an hour later, Tommy picked up and, sounding surprised, said, “Oh, hey—we were just talking about you . . . All right. See you then.

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