Free The Edge of the Shadows by Elizabeth George

before home. Well, I
was
until the view got my attention. How are you? We haven’t seen you in ages.”
    By
we
she meant herself and her dogs. When Becca had lived in the Cliff Motel and even when she’d lived in the tree house in Ralph Darrow’s woods, she’d been a regular visitor to Diana’s house outside of Langley.
    Becca sat beside her. She’d always taken great comfort from being in Diana’s presence, and today was no different. Diana put her arm around Becca’s shoulders in a hug that stayed just where it was, and what Becca felt was what she always felt from Diana. An incredible sense of peace and warmth came over her.
    â€œHow’s school?” Diana asked her. “How’s life at Ralph’s? How’s Derric?”
    â€œFine, fine, and fine,” Becca said simply. Then she caught Diana inspecting her. Diana read things in people and this reading, Becca believed, came from touch. So did the comfort that she was able to provide them. Allow Diana to touch you and your troubles weren’t gone, but how you felt about those troubles was altered forever. Becca said, “Really, Mrs. Kinsale.”
    â€œAs to Derric . . . ?”
    â€œIt’s nothing. Just something his dad asked me.”
    â€œ
About
Derric?”
    God, she got to the meat of things fast. Becca bent to pet Oscar. He accepted the affection. Since he was a poodle, he wasn’t inclined to do much more than blink at her and move his tail languidly to indicate his willingness to allow her a further show of devotion. Like his mistress, he gazed at the view. A few gulls flew over them. Two majestic bald eagles sailed by on the lookout for food. Far out in the water, a ripple suggested the presence of a seal.
    â€œWow,” Becca said in reaction to all of this.
    â€œHeavenly, isn’t it?” Diana replied. And then she said, “Are you avoiding it?”
    Becca knew exactly what she meant. Diana had picked up on her indecision. She meant was Becca avoiding the subject of Derric and his father? The answer was yes.
    She said to Diana, “It’s a loyalty thing.”
    â€œLoyalty to Derric?”
    â€œI know something. His dad asked me about it.”
    â€œI take it you said nothing.”
    â€œThat’s about it. It’s not illegal or anything. It’s just something private.”
    â€œBetween you and Derric?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œAh. Parents worry, you know.”
    Becca felt herself getting hot. “It’s not
that
. Just something personal about Derric that his dad wants to know and it didn’t feel right for me to tell him.”
    â€œBecause of what he might do?”
    â€œBecause of how he might feel.”
    Diana shot her a look. “Are you thinking you can control how people feel?”
    â€œI’m thinking how Derric feels is more important to me than how his dad feels. What I also think is he should tell his dad and tell his mom but he doesn’t want to, so it’s not up to me to do the telling for him. I didn’t like lying to the sheriff, though.”
    Diana turned from reading her face. She said, “Trust.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI think trust is the next step for you.” And then Diana added meditatively, “Could be it’s the next step for everyone.”
    â€œNext step where?”
    â€œNext step on life’s journey.”
    Becca scowled. “You’re doing that Yoda thing again, Mrs. Kinsale,” she told her in warning. “Next you’ll start sounding like a fortune cookie.”
    Diana laughed. “There are worse things,” she told her. “I quite like fortune cookies.”

TEN
    T he fiddler who’d joined Seth and his group during their rehearsal at South Whidbey Commons turned out to be in town for Djangofest. His name was Parker Natalia, he was from Canada, and he’d been a longtime member of a Canadian group called BC Django