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"I--I heard a rual was actually Cliff’s ancestor and not one of the men in the family She could never admit--not at that time--that she had an ex-slave, Harold Boudreaux, for a lover, or that she’d given birth to a child of ravestone out there She had hiht if I found the stone, ither for a moment "And did you find it?"

"Yes, it’s there"

"It has his name on it?"

"The word Friend was carved into it"

He was quiet, and his silence seemed to screa, and that it was incredibly stupid at this ti for the headstone of a ht not have been an ancestor’s lover

Before they could argue further, the riverside door opened and Beth stepped out "There you are! Goodness, I was starting to get worried Jake, Jackson got back, and he’s looking for you Crab cakes are on, and it’s time for dinner!"

Ashley turned fro a cheerful smile

"Crab cakes! Better yet, your crab cakes Do we have a et hiiven me a hand in the kitchen, and it will all be on the table in ten ot more company!"

Ashley looked at her, puzzled

"Will and Whitney?" Jake asked

"Yep They’re as nice as they can be!" Beth told Ashley

Ashley didn’t doubt that the pair was exactly that She was surprised to feel a little tug at her heart, created by the sound of pleasure in Jake’s voice

His friends were there Maybe Whitney was more than a friend

She suddenly felt out of step with his life and ashamed of herself Jake had been the best friend in the world; she had loved him She had turned froreat to meet them," she said

She flashed Jake a quick smile, and hurried on into the house

It was odd, but somehow the arrival of Will and Whitney--with all their paraphernalia--was like a breath of fresh air

A horrible h investigation But Whitney’s vibrant personality made its mark on the solemn household As they sat down to dinner, she explained the setup that she and Will had carried out

"Don’t worry--we haven’t put cameras in anybody’s bedrooht and sound Ashley, you haven’t seen it yet, but there’s a bank of screens in the living room We have cameras aimed in both of the parlors, out to the front, out to the back and over the cemetery Tomorroe’ll set up over the stables That e’ll be apprised of any unwanted visitors on the property And--" she hesitated, casting Jake a questioning look "--and we’ll be aware of anything that ht happen inside the house as well"

She looked at Jake again

Do they know that we investigate for paranor

"I think what you’ve ," Jake told her "A ca to play ga by the river as well"

"They’ve done that," Jackson told hiot here at about the same time, and I asked them to make sure the back wall of the cemetery and the river were both in view on our screens"

"Did you have an interesting intervieith Raave Charles the role out of the goodness of his heart He also said that he’ll be back in New Orleans by to and a pistol and getting a perht have really been targeting hireed

"Yes," Jackson said siive hi his residence while he’s here He said that when he goes back into the city, he’s going to stay at a hotel for a week" Jackson smiled "The casino hotel--there’s lots of security around it Unseen, half the tih "Ras really have a sixth sense We used to have a dog"

Ashley smiled "Brutus," she explained "He was a Rottweiler, and I loved him to death"

"What happened?" Jake asked He’d never met Brutus

"He loved me in return--but he hated the horses and tried to bite them all the time, and they tried to kick him He went to live with my mom’s cousin in Gainesville They’re still happy as clarandfather "I should call Gina She’s probably heard all this on the news, and she’ll be worried"

"Already called her and assured her ere fine," Frazier said "She wants you to come stay with her and Brutus I said it wasn’t a bad idea"

"Oh, no I’," Ashley told hi her aral Plantation itself is being victimized" She stared across the table at Jake "This team will find the killer"