Bri reached for Caroline’s hand and nodded as much as she was able. “Yes, ma’am. I got it.”

“Very good.” Reese smiled at Caroline. “Tory and I want both of you to stay here while Bri’s recuperating.”

“Thanks,” Caroline said softly as she reached for the plate and silverware. “For everything.”

“What about my black belt test?” Bri asked suddenly, ignoring the food that Caroline offered. “It’s next week. I need to train.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” Reese replied.

“But”

“Honey,” Caroline chided gently. “You have to get well first”

Bri looked as if she were about to protest, but as she focused on the faces of those around her, she seemed to accept that she was outnumbered. Grouchily, she muttered, “Okay. Right. Fine.”

Caroline prevented her from saying anything else by sliding a forkful of pasta into her mouth.

KT and Tory walked out onto the deck where they could discuss Bri’s case in private.

“What do you think?” Tory asked. “The incision seems fine, don’t you agree?”

“I do.” KT leaned her elbows on the railing and studied the harbor beyond the low dunes that separated the house from the beach. “The only real danger at this point is delayed bleeding. As long as she’s relatively quiet for another day or two, that shouldn’t be a problem. I said a week because it’s been my experience that the young, aggressive types like her are hard to hold down.”

Tory laughed. “That’s an understatement. But let me tell you, it has nothing to do with age. Reese is the same way whenever she’s injured.”

KT glanced at Tory. “You sound as if that’s a common occurrence.”

“Unfortunately,” Tory said with a wince, “it is.”

“That’s hard.”

“Very.”

“And I guess there’s nothing you could say to make her give it up.”

Tory shrugged. “She would, if I asked her to. But I can’t. It would take too much from her.”

“You’re happy with her, aren’t you?”

“More than I can say.”

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

“And how are things going for you?” Tory inquired gently.

“At the rate I’m going,” KT said quietly, “I’ll know in another month or two if I’m going to be able to operate again.”

“And then?”

KT blew out a breath. “I guess it depends on what the answer is. If I can operate then I’ll go back to work.”

“In Boston.” Tory said it as if it were a given, not a question.

“Well, yes.” KT sounded far less certain. She kept her eyes on the water. “But there’s Pia.”

“Yes. I noticed.”

“I know what you think about me and her, but”

“I was wrong.” Tory lightly grasped KT’s forearm. “I was wrong to make judgments concerning something I knew nothing about. About people I don’t know as well as I thought I did.”

KT turned, her eyes searching Tory’s again. “You know me. The good and the bad.”

“Yes, I do.” Tory smiled faintly. “But not as well as I once did. And for a while, I couldn’t see the good. Or maybe, maybe it’s that falling in love with Pia has brought all those good things out.”

“How did?”

“I know?” Tory laughed. “It’s pretty obvious to anyone who’s looking. Pia is a wonderful woman. She’ll be good for you.”

“She already is.”

Startled by KT’s humble tone, Tory spoke without thinking. “Then why are you thinking about going back to Boston?”

“I what would I do here?” KT asked in frustration. “You have to admit, I’m only a passable family doctor.”

Tory laughed. “The patients love you.”

“Well, it takes more than personality to do your job, and I don’t want them to find out the hard way.”

“KT,” Tory said gently. “Don’t lose her because of a job.”

“Like I did you?”

Tory shook her head. “Maybe I don’t know, and even if I did, it doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is now. I don’t know what you want in your life. I don’t know what Pia wants. But you need to find out before it’s gone.”

KT closed her eyes for a second, then slowly nodded. “Thanks. I’ll try.”

“I’ve never known you to fail at anything you’ve tried.” Tory leaned close and kissed KT’s cheek. “My money’s on you.”

An hour later, Pia backed out of Tory’s driveway and headed west on 6A toward town. She reached across the space between them and stroked KT’s thigh. “You’ve been awfully quiet. Something happen with Tory?”

KT turned on the seat, covering Pia’s hand with her own and holding it against her leg. “What do you mean?”

“The two of you looked like you were having a very serious conversation out on the deck. Since then, you’ve been somewhere else.”

“Sorry.”

Pia glanced at her quickly and then back to the road, shaking her head. “You don’t need to apologize. Is there something wrong?”

“No,” KT said solemnly. “Everything is…great.”

Pia laughed quietly. “You don’t sound like it.” She rubbed her hand in a gentle circle on KT’s thigh. “Is it Tory?”

“Tory?” KT’s voice held a hint of confusion and surprise. “Why?”

Still staring straight ahead, Pia asked, “Are you still in love with her?”

“I’m in love with you, ” KT said immediately. “Only you. And that’s the problem.”

Pia frowned and looked at her quickly. “Why?”

“Because it isn’t simple. Because for the first time in my life, when I try to see my future, I don’t see anything.”

“Do you see us?”

“I want to.”

“Then that’s enough,” Pia said gently.

“How can that be?” KT’s frustration made her voice harsh. “I’ve always known where I was going, what I needed to do to get there. Now I…I’m not even sure where I’m going to be in two months. Who I’ll be.”

While they’d talked, Pia had driven through town. She pulled into the parking lot at Herring Cove and stopped on the long stretch of blacktop that fronted the beach. It was sundown, the air had grown cold as it did near the water at night, and only a lone walker far up the beach shared the solitude. Pia turned on the seat, wrapped her arms around her raised knee, and regarded KT seriously. “Who are you, KT?”

KT ran a hand through her hair distractedly. “I used to be a surgeon.”

“And if you can’t be?”

“I don’t know.” KT shrugged her shoulders. “That sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?”

“No. It just sounds like you haven’t been paying attention to much of anything else for a while.”

KT laughed shortly. “For a while? Try fifteen years.”

“Maybe.” Pia regarded KT evenly. “You’re also bright and determined and focused. You could do almost anything you wanted to do,” At KT’s expression of dismissal, Pia laughed, “I know. Medicine is what you do. Would you consider working with Tory at the clinic?”

“Oh man, I don’t know. It takes a certain kind of person to be good at that. Not just the medicine part, but the people part. That’s never been my strong suit.”

“Everyone has their own style. Some of us like the strong, self-assured type.”

The corner of KT’s mouth twitched. “I thought we were talking about doctoring.”

“I am among other things.” Pia stretched out her arm and ran a finger along the edge of KT’s jaw. “You could work in the ER in Hyannis.”

“I’ve thought of it. I could probably work in the ER in Boston, too.”

“But,” Pia reminded her, “you and I still have a long way to go on that hand, and I think you’ll be operating again before the beginning of the year.”

“If that happens, I think I want to go back to the trauma unit.” KT said it quickly, as if to get the words out before she changed her mind.

Pia was silent for a few moments, and when she spoke again, her voice was carefully neutral. “That makes sense. You’ve been there a long time, and that’s what makes you happy.”

KT’s head snapped around. “You make me happy. Being a trauma surgeon satisfies a need in me to do what I’m good at, to make a difference with my own hands. But you…you make me happy.”

Pia smiled. “I’m glad. You make me happy too.”

“Well hell, then. What are we going to do? You live here.”

“Are we talking about that future that you can’t see clearly now?”

KT laughed. “Yes, God damn it. I’m not comfortable unless I know where I’m going.”

“I want you in my future. I want to be in yours.”

“I want that too.” KT’s gaze was fierce. “I want you, more than anything.”

“Well, then, you’ll commute. It’s only twenty-five minutes by plane. Plenty of people do it.” Pia edged closer, sliding her arm beneath KT’s and cupping her palm on the inside of KT’s thigh. She rested her cheek against KT’s shoulder. “You come home when you can, and I’ll be here.”

“I already hate the thought of being away from you,” KT confessed.

“Good. Then you’ll be sure to come home often.”

KT kissed Pia slowly, enjoying the soft liquid heat of her mouth . “I love you.”

Pia snuggled closer “I love you too. That’s the picture I see when I look ahead”

“Yes,” KT murmured. “So do I.

Chapter Thirty

Reese halted in the parking lot of the Wellfleet Sheriff’s Department and waited while the driver of the Jaguar XKR parked, got out, and walked over to her. “Hello, Counselor.”

“Hello, Sheriff,” Trey Pelosi replied. “Congratulations. I hear you got your man.”

“Thanks, but we only got a little piece of the great big pie. There’s a lot more where Karl Smith came from, I’m afraid.”

“There always are.” Trey shifted her briefcase and tilted her head toward the building. “I understand you also got a name for the girl in the dunes.”

“Is this an official inquiry?”

Trey smiled. “Just a favor for the family. They don’t want their son to live under a cloud for the rest of his life, and the less mystery surrounding the case, the better. I told them I’d find out what I could.”

“In the last three days we’ve interviewed three dozen of the kids we rounded up at the party Saturday night. Two of them recognized both the dead girl and your client. We made a positive ID this morning from information they provided us Angela Fisher.” Reese grimaced and shook her head. “I notified the family as soon as I got a name. They thought she was living with a cousin in Boston and going to school at night. Maybe she was. The family didn’t know she was missing, and the cousin assumed she’d just taken off with some ‘dude’ she’d run into somewhere.”

“So there’s no evidence to suggest that their meeting was anything but coincidental.”

“Your boy’s story holds up. In fact, no one remembers him doing anything heavier than drinking a beer. Nobody’s going to be charging him in Angela’s death.”

“Thanks for the information. I’ll just put in an official appearance inside.” Trey regarded Reese speculatively. “Why do I think you’re overqualified for your job and probably wasted out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“I can’t imagine.” Reese laughed. “Believe me, Counselor, I am precisely where I want to be.”

Trey’s eyes dropped to Reese’s left hand and the gold band she wore there. “I see that.” She extended her hand to Reese, who took it. “I’ve enjoyed working with you, Sheriff. I hope we meet again someday.”

“Same here,” Reese replied, watching while the attorney walked away. As Trey disappeared inside the low building, Reese had a feeling their paths would cross again.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Bri grumped.

“You sure don’t. You need to get your ass out of this house.” Allie sauntered into the kitchen and rummaged in the refrigerator. Looking over her shoulder, she called, “Coke?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Bri flung herself, albeit gently, onto the sofa and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table. “Besides, Caroline has to go back to Paris in two days, and I don’t see why she has to go out shopping now.”

“Ooh,” Allie crooned, settling a hip on the arm of the couch and handing Bri the can of soda. “Someone’s very cranky. Is someone getting bored? Is someone maybe not getting enou…”

“Cut it out,” Bri snapped, but she was grinning. “You try sitting around here all day long with nothing to do except read.”

“Uh, well gee, hot stuff, I bet I could think of something else to pass the time.”

“Ha ha. I’m not supposed to…” Bri blushed, which made Allie laugh again, “…exert myself, okay?”

“I’m sorry,” Allie said, still laughing. “It’s just that you’re so cute when you’re all out of sorts like this.”

“Fuck.” Bri dropped her head onto the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I let that bastard get hold of me.”

Allie’s laughter instantly disappeared and her face grew serious. “I missed it totally. I never got violent vibes from him. Who knew he was going to freak out?”

“I should’ve been ready for it. Reese hasn’t said anything, but she must think that I screwed up.”