Part 36 (1/2)

”I have no idea what the deputies thought,” Bettina broke in. ”But I'm sure they'll be back, and there will be all kinds of other people with them. And I'm sure people will talk. But the fact of the matter is, none of us have any idea where Dan West and Shep Dunnigan and Mitch and Angie Garvey went.” She paused for a moment, then went on. ”And frankly, we don't really care, either, as long as they don't come back. And they won't-that, we're pretty sure of.”

”How can you be so sure?” Kate countered. ”If you don't know where they went, how can you be sure they won't be back?”

Before Bettina could answer Kate's question, Nick Dunnigan said, ”This house. It didn't like them. It's a great house, and it likes us, but it didn't like them. It didn't like them at all. And there were reasons why.”

Kate sat back in the chair, preparing herself for what she was certain was going to be a long story. ”I'm listening,” she said.

Epilogue.

This was not how it was supposed to be!

Tiffany Garvey was not supposed to be standing in a hot kitchen, sweat dripping down her back as she tried to make the baby eat at least one spoonful of the disgusting pureed peas the brat's miserable mother insisted she feed it.

And Tiffany Garvey was certainly not supposed to be taking orders from anyone like Rowena Matheson, who'd only taken her and Zach in because instead of paying for staff, she'd found out the county would pay her to take in foster children.

Foster children!

Tiffany silently cursed her parents as Brian Matheson the Third spat more peas on the front of her blouse.

Brian Matheson the Third! What a pile of c.r.a.p-Brian Matheson the t.u.r.d t.u.r.d was more like it. was more like it.

And it was all her parents' fault. If they hadn't taken off while she was still in the hospital after Sarah Crane and Nick Dunnigan tried to kill her, she'd be home where she belonged.

And Sarah and Nick would be in Juvenile Hall, or wherever they sent people like them. But no-they'd gotten off scot-free, even though they'd killed Conner West, and probably Conner's dad and Nick's father, too.

Maybe even her own parents!

Well, it wasn't fair, and it wasn't right, and when she turned eighteen- The baby's mouth opened then and a stream of vomit shot out, hitting Tiffany square in the chest. Her own gorge rising as the nauseating smell filled her nostrils, Tiffany ran to the sink, barely reaching it in time to throw up there rather than on the floor.

The sink, at least, was a lot easier to clean than the floor, which she'd already mopped once today.

She was just rinsing the vomit off her s.h.i.+rt when Zach walked into the kitchen through the back door.

”Oh, jeez,” he groaned as he smelled not only the baby's puke but his sister's as well. ”What did you do?”

”I didn't do anything!” Tiffany shot back. ”If-”

”Zachary?” a cold voice cut in.

They both turned to see Rowena Matheson framed in the door to the dining room, looking cool and fresh in a beige silk blouse and pants, despite the heat of the August day. Her feet were strapped into sandals Tiffany was sure had cost at least six hundred dollars, and every hair on her head was perfectly in place.

Why wouldn't it be, Tiffany thought, when she had to wash it for her every afternoon?

”Have you fed the dogs their supper and cleaned the kennels yet?”

Tiffany shot Zach a warning look as his face reddened and the vein in his forehead began to throb exactly the way their father's used to just before his temper exploded.