Free The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

me, hoping Danny might like to see them. Doubtful, but worth a shot. I actually wanted an excuse to check on him. I hadn’t spoken to him since dropping him off at his trailer the other night and I knew he hadn’t been in the best shape. He wasn’t answering the phone I’d given him, either. I had a feeling he hadn’t bothered to turn it on.
    I turned onto the trail through the woods and nearly drove head-on into a police car coming from the direction of the clearing. Oh, God. Why was a cop coming from Danny’s place? I was in a panic as I got out of my car, but then I got a look at the officer in the cruiser. Dark skin. Hair beginning to gray at the temples. Harry?
    He grinned at me as he stepped out of the car, and my body nearly sagged with relief. “Hey, Riley,” he said. “One of us is going to have to back up.”
    â€œIs everything okay?” I asked. He was in uniform, his navy blue shirt crisp-looking in spite of the heat. “How come you’re here?”
    â€œJust dropping some books off for your brother.” That grin again. “Him and me got a little book club going.”
    â€œHe’s okay?”
    â€œWhy wouldn’t he be?”
    â€œOh, I just freaked out when I saw your car. He was pretty down when I saw him the other night.”
    â€œHe’s fine.” A shaft of sunlight pierced the trees and he shaded his dark brown eyes. “You don’t see him all that often, so you’re not used to his ups and downs,” he said. “He’s a survivor. It’s the other guy has to watch out for him.”
    â€œI know you keep an eye on him, Harry,” I said. “Thank you.”
    Harry shrugged like it was nothing. “He’s my brother,” he said. “We all keep an eye on each other.”
    I knew what he meant by brother —they’d served in the army together and that bond would always be there—and yet I felt envious that Harry seemed more sure of his relationship with Danny than I did.
    â€œI wish I could get him to move closer to me,” I said.
    He smiled. “How many times have we had this conversation, Riley?” he asked.
    I laughed. “I know,” I said. “I just wish I could.”
    â€œI’ve got to get rolling.” He pointed to my car. “You okay with backing up? We’re a lot closer to the road here than the clearing.”
    â€œSure,” I said, not looking forward to driving in reverse through the woods. I waved at him as I got behind the wheel again. I put the car in reverse and slowly backed out through the tunnel of trees. Once on the road, he drove past me with a wave, and I headed down the trail toward the clearing again.
    *   *   *
    When I pulled into the clearing, I spotted Danny lounging in his hammock, one hand holding a book open on his stomach and, in the other hand, a bottle of beer, and I wondered if he might have the right idea about how to live after all. I was the one scrambling around in a panic as I tried to sort out all the things I needed to do, while—at least from a distance—he looked like a man without a worry in the world.
    I got out of my car, a tote bag containing the old photographs and the key ring hanging from my shoulder. When he saw me, Danny swung his legs over the edge of the hammock until he was sitting up, his sandaled feet barely touching the ground.
    â€œYou’re not answering your phone!” I called, walking toward him across the pine-needle-covered floor of the clearing.
    â€œForgot to turn it on,” he said.
    â€œWhy don’t I believe you?” I aimed for a teasing tone in my voice, but wasn’t sure I succeeded. “What are you reading?” I stopped walking a couple of yards from the hammock.
    He glanced at the cover of the tattered-looking paperback and shrugged. “World War II fiction,” he said. “I take whatever Harry brings me.”
    â€œI