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The sense of coer as he walked up the steps toward the door and smelled fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies

As he lifted his hand to knock on the wooden fra to picture the wo women to their deaths

"Hello? Mr Anderson?" The voice from within didn’t sound like aopen, and Martha Tyler sht was that this couldn’t be the same woman who had approached the kids on the beach

Martha Tyler was tiny, no hty, if she was a day She had brilliant, sparkling blue eyes and couldn’t have weighed ninety pounds soaking wet Despite that, she didn’t look frail Her hair was snohite and smoothed back in a bob

"Yes, I’ that this was a complete waste of ti for "I’an

She cut him off pleasantly "Co , that’s just fine Have so room, and talk about Grandma’s house…

As she steered him to a seat on a quilt-strewn sofa, he told her, "Ms Tyler, I have to be honest with you I’iven toher about the disappearance of another girl I believe so you"

"Please, call ine this has to do with all the terrible troubles going on up in St Augustine?"

"Yes"

She was heading for the kitchen "What is your pleasure, young man? Coffee, tea? I’m fond of tea myself, and I’ve just brewed a pot, but don’t let that stop you fro else"

"Tea is fine"

"It’s my pleasure," she told him

She disappeared into the kitchen but returned quickly with a tray holding two kinds of cookies--not just chocolate chip, but shortbread cookies, as well--and an old teapot with a cozy wrapped around it, along with cups and saucers She set the tea tray down on the coffee table in front of the sofa, took a seat in a huge wingback chair and began to pour the tea

"I do love tea," she told hi it It’s such a pleasant old custoht It’s nice just to take tiar? Milk?"

"No sugar, and just a drop offorward, anxious to waste as little tih her eyes were on the tea service, she earing a small, patient smile

She handed him his cup and said, "So now you’re worried that so my name" She leaned back and sipped her tea "You must have a cookie I couldn’t call myself a proper hostess if I let you out of here without tasting one of my fresh-baked cookies," she told him, her patient smile more obvious

To his own surprise, he blushed "I’irls are , as you know, and yesterday we found a body I’h there’s been a fair bit written in the papers and on the news"

"I read about it on the Internet first, actually," she told him, then added, when his eyes widened, "even we old folks have discovered the Internet, you know"

He blushed again and started to apologize, but she waved him to silence and went on

"Let me tell me you what I know, and then you can tell me if you think I can help you," she said

"I don’t think this is a ," he said

"I didn’t intend to read your palest that my help would be of the spiritual kind Don’t you think it’s ti me?"

"I’m sorry," he assured her "I don’t knohy I--"

He broke off, startled, when she took his teacup and set it down, then put her hands on his cheeks and looked into his eyes

"You suffered an early trauma, and your dedication to what you do stems from that I believe you have an exceptional soul, but not a trusting one, o by the book--although I admit yours is a rather unorthodox book--because you’re convinced that o But there’s more to you--others have seen it, but you don’t accept it yourself Yet" Then she sat back and was suddenly all business

"All right, let’s start hat’s going on Are you here because of Winona Hart or the wo in his face, because she suddenly said, "You found the body, didn’t you?"