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"I’ for you, but the residents of that town gave up nothing That case still hauntsand pretty A vet, for God’s sake Lived in Lion’s Bay her whole--"

"A veterinarian?" The sounds of the traffic and conversations faded fro a stunned silence "Michaels?"

"Yes Dr Danielle Michaels"

Chapter nine

Darcy slid behind the wheel of her car and tucked her legs in as Jared closed the door behind her He rounded the trunk and reached through the open top to set his camera on the backseat, then climbed in beside her

"Wanna stop by your sister’s place?" he asked, looking out the windshield "She’s in Seattle, right?"

She took a deep breath, then let it out "Okay"

Backing out of the parking garage spot, she hit the road Her grip was too tight on the steering wheel, but she couldn’t ease up There was a block of ice in her gut and her throat was tight It didn’t matter how many times she saw Dani’s headstone, it still had the power to break so inside her

When they drove through the open wrought iron gates of the ceh The knot inside her loosened She set her hand over his and squeezed "You’re not surprised"

"I hen I found out" He glanced at her, pushing up his shades so she could see his eyes "Now I’ ers linked with hers "Is it so bad? Letting sorateful It’s just…I can’t come here with my parents They need me to be okay And I try to be For them"

"But you’re not"

"Dani was half of me"

She followed the road for a couple ot out and she led him across the lawn to the Michaels fa as she stood over Dani’s grave and felt her eyes burn He just came up behind her and wrapped his ar his chin on her shoulder They were there a long tih for her to find her voice and tell hied her life

"There was talk of a boyfriend," he said softly "You didn’t knoho he was?"

"Oh, I know hirimly "I just don’t know his name When Dani made it clear his identity was a secret, I kneas so her about hi reason why I ure out who he was and what he ht he’d co atdangerous that is?" His voice was rough with fury He turned her around to face his glare "After as done to her?"

She’d identified her sister’s body, although everyone in town had knoho Dani was and one look at Darcy’s identical face proved it The coroner had draped Dani’s body in a sheet from the neck down, but Darcy are of what the Prophet was known for…the sick o while her killer’s still out there, Jared And honestly, with her gone, I’m half dead anyway"

"Bullshit I’ve been inside you When I’ you…you’re so alive you burn et out of this shell you’re just surviving in, living a life that doesn’t suit you one daet hi that look in your eyes I promise you that Letpicked up "You think he’s in Lion’s Bay, too?"

"I think it’s likely, yes The candy shop--your sister have any connection with that?"

Darcy frowned "She was a customer Dani had a sweet tooth She stopped by there almost every day to buy a dollar or two of candy to carry around in her lab coat And we celebrated our twelfth birthdays there Why?"