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"Want so for her to sit at one of the corner booths Monica looked half-starved, her hands shaking with grief and fatigue I figured if we sat down here, we could get Sa "I was just about to have breakfast if you’d like to join me"

The back door crashed open, and a very unhappy man named Luther Dean stor at his sister

She took a seat and blew out a long breath, expelling such a deep, abysmal sadness when she did so that I felt consuht and ducked behind the bar for coffee

"I’ve done ood at her job"

He glanced over a ood at it She has a black eye"

"I beg your pardon," I said, feigning offense He was funny

"Luther, sit down" Monica took off her sunglasses and offered hilower of annoyance when he didn’t comply "I told you, she can help us So, either behave yourself or leave It’s your decision"

He jerked a chair out from a nearby table and sat down "She called ht over three coffee cups, realizing howto be Thirtyrendition of huevos rancheros with green chile enchiladas on the side God I loved Saot upset when I asked for his hand

"What lare particularly brutal He took skeptic to a whole new level "Ifor Nathan Why should we believe anything you have to say?"

"Actually, I’ I had so say, "and why don’t you trust your sister’s husband?" We had yet to actually talk about the case I decided to lull theone over better had I not stolen the last bite off Luther’s plate He was very touchy about his food

Still, I could tell he was conation, Monica aded "He’s perfect The perfect husband The perfect brother-in-law He’s just…"

"Too perfect?" I offered

"Exactly," Luther said "And there were things, instances, that just didn’t quiteher approval before explaining "Teresa invited us out to eat one night a couple of o when Nathan was out of town, just the three of us"

"She see," Monica said, and I could’ve sworn I felt a pang of guilt assault her "She told us she took out a huge life insurance policy on both her and Nathan, and that if anything were to happen to her, anything at all, ould get it all"

"So she took it out?" I asked "Not Nathan?"

I felt it again A quiver, a tre from Monica as she replied, "Exactly I’m not even sure Nathan knows about it"

"She wanted us to knohere the policy was," Luther added "She made sure of it"