by Amy Lillard
“Inna,” Fern said.
“Probably, but you are not writing her a letter to find out.” Helen set her mouth at an angle that brooked no argument.
“I guess that means Wally did have some influence on the book.”
Camille cast a quick glance at the staircase leading to the third floor. “I guess Sam is too busy to come down.”
“He has no problem being here at ten,” Chloe threw in. “Every morning.”
“Seriously,” Arlo said. “He’s coming down for coffee. Not to see me.”
“You just keep telling yourself that.”
“Do you remember that girl who disappeared a while back? The piano teacher? They never found her car or any trace of her.” Camille’s voice took on wistful tone. “Just like the girl in the book.”
“You don’t think…” Helen started.
“Pah. What would Wally, or Inna, know about that girl?” Fern demanded.
“Writers do research,” Arlo pointed out.
“But how do you do research in a small town? Everyone knows that you’re in town.”
“You hire someone else to do it for you,” Camille said.
“That’s ridiculous.” Fern sat back with a frown.
“Is it?” Arlo asked.
They sat in silence for a moment, each mulling over the possibilities of a decade-old missing person case.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Camille said.
Fern and Helen nodded. “Agreed.”
“No.” Arlo shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
“Oh yeah.” Fern smiled—at least it was a smile for Fern.
Chloe stood behind the coffee bar and shook her head. She hadn’t been a part of solving the last mystery of who killed Wally. If she had, she would understand the gravity of their plan.
“Please,” Arlo said, but the ladies were already gathering their things.
“We hit Lillyfield first,” Helen said.
“Good plan.” Camille adjusted her handbag strap on her arm.
Just then Sam appeared at the opening to the third-floor staircase. He frowned when he saw everyone getting ready to leave. “I just got here,” he protested. “What did I miss?”
Acknowledgments
At the end of writing a book, there are always so many people to thank. So many that inevitably someone is left off the list. Thank you to all those not mentioned.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to my agent, my editor, and everyone at Sourcebooks for helping make this book a reality.
I have to give a shout-out to my bestie and assistant and all-round “Girl Friday,” Stacey Barbalace, for always being there when I needed something read. Even at two o’clock in the morning.
And a big thanks goes out to my son for not running for the hills when talk turns to things like poisons, death, autopsies, and gunshot residue. All in a day’s work when your dad is a cop and your mom a writer! And thanks for being so patient when I say, “Just let me finish this thought,” and it turns into two hours.
And thanks to my husband, Rob, for answering question after question even when you’re off duty and done with police work for the day. Your love and support mean so very much to me!
About the Author
Amy loves nothing more than a good book. Except for her family…and homemade tacos…and maybe nail polish. Even then, reading and writing are definitely high on the list. After all, Amy is an award-winning author with more than forty novels and novellas in print.
Born and bred in Mississippi, Amy is a transplanted Southern belle who now lives in Oklahoma with her deputy husband, their genius son, and three very spoiled cats.
When she’s not creating happy endings or mapping out her latest whodunit, she’s usually following her teen prodigy to guitar concerts, wrestling matches, or the games for whatever sport he’s into that week. She has a variety of hobbies, including swimming (a.k.a. floating around the pool), any sort of crafts, and crochet, but her favorite is whatever gets her out of housework.
She loves to hear from readers.
Connect online
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AmyLillardBooks.com
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