Noah did not respond, but thought of the glass too far from the supposed point of impact, in the pattern of broken branches, in the chemical smell next to the stream. That was not a simple accident. The mountain could kill anyone, but it didn't make explosives.
Celeste closed her eyes.
“2 weeks ago I refused to sign a share transfer. If I died, my voting power would temporarily pass to my mother. But if my mother was declared incapacitated by grief or age, Graham could act as a family representative. Derek wrote the documents.
“Your fiancé?
The word seemed to hurt her more than the leg.
The man who was going to marry me in 4 months.
Outside, the wind moved the branches against the roof. Noah walked up to the door as he heard a motor go off away from the main road. It was not the coarse noise of a patrol or the diesel of a rescue van. It was a quiet, expensive, out-of-place vehicle.
Celeste saw him take the old cupboard shotgun.
“They’re coming.
Who?
Those who didn’t find my body where I should be.
Three knocks sounded at the door.
Noah beckoned to keep quiet and went out on the porch. There were 2 men and 1 woman dressed in new rescue jackets, too clean for 3 days of search. The woman smiled with a credential hanging around her neck.
