Free In Dark Waters by Mary Burton

a lot of Mrs. Warren."
    She shrugged. "It's okay. Ruth did have a thing for paper. All kinds of paper." She glanced down the cluttered hallway. She'd ruined the neat stacks as she'd gone through the papers today. Papers were strewn everywhere. "I bought a bunch of garbage bags today."
    "We can start stuffing 'em and hauling out to the truck," Rick said.
    "Let's do it," Kelsey said.
    The boys worked hard, hauling out garbage bags to a large beat-up pickup truck parked by the curb. By the time they'd finished, twenty bags filled the bed of the truck. Every muscle in Kelsey's body ached and the boys were covered in sweat.
    "You guys have been a great help, but I know it's getting late." She found her purse hanging on the coatrack by the front door. "Let me pay you guys for your help."
    Rick shook his head. "Nope, this one is on us."
    Jeff grinned. "Mitch said it was a great way for us to work our way out of the doghouse."
    Rick glared at his brother, his face reddening.
    Kelsey couldn't help but laugh at Jeff's honesty. She met Rick's hesitant gaze. "So how'd you end up in the doghouse?"
    "It was just a misunderstanding," Rick said.
    "He borrowed Mom's car without asking," Jeff offered. "While he had it, he backed into another car. Cost almost a thousand dollars to fix it."
    "Tough break," Kelsey said. "I took Ruth's car a time or two, though I never wrecked it." She'd taken Ruth's car out at night after her aunt had fallen asleep. She never went anywhere in particular. She just drove.
    Rick looked relieved. "If Dad had been alive, Mom wouldn't have freaked so much. When she told Mitch, he had a fit."
    The boys had lost their father. Her heart went out to them, but she didn't press for details. She'd always hated it when people asked her questions. "I'll bet Mitch did blow a gasket," she said, following the two boys out to the truck.
    "We'll be back tomorrow," Jeff said climbing into the passenger side.
    "Are you sure? You don't have to," she said. Today, she'd made three times the progress she'd expected.
    Rick climbed behind the wheel. He smiled and for a moment she couldn't breathe. He was Mitch. And she was transported back to a time when she and Mitch had worked in the dive shop. He'd had that same easy grin that made her heart melt. "We'll be here." He sounded almost anxious to return.
    "Heck," Jeff said, "It's kinda fun. Like a treasure hunt."
    Kelsey waved as the boys drove off.
    Treasure. If you could consider murder clues treasure.
Chapter 7

    By the time Mitch pulled up in front of Kelsey's house, it was past nine o'clock in the evening. The house was dark except for a light in the kitchen. He saw Kelsey's slim figure pass in front of a window. Good thing she was still up.
    A dull ache had settled around his temples, and he itched to crawl into bed. He'd not had seven straight hours of sleep in two weeks.
    The search for Chris had yielded nothing. The guy had simply vanished. Mitch had called Stu and informed him. The old man sounded fragile and worried, and spent several hours calling Chris's friends and family. No one had seen any sign of him. It was as if the man had fallen off the face of the earth.
    Mitch strode up to the Warren house. The sound of music drifted out to greet him. Jazz. He never figured Kelsey for a jazz enthusiast. She struck him as the pop/rock type.
    He knocked on the door. At first, he didn't hear footsteps and thought perhaps she hadn't heard him over the music. He knocked again.
    "I heard you," she shouted over the music. "I'm coming." She turned the music down.
    Kelsey opened the door. She was wearing a thick terry cloth robe and her hair was damp as if she'd just washed it. Her face was cleanly scrubbed. He held his breath for a moment, unable to find his voice.
    "Kinda late, isn't it, Sheriff?" Kelsey said. Her voice was smoky, seductive and he knew he could get lost in the sound of it.
    "I have news."
    She nodded, the light in her eyes dying. "I didn't think that I would hear from you so