Free Cloaked in Malice by Annette Blair

he’d used his weapon as bait.
    She took a step back. “Guns don’t make me feel better.”
    Relief visibly washed over Nick as he urged us out the door and toward my car. “Maybe that’s something we should discuss—your fear of guns,” I suggested. “Do you remember more than you’ve told us?”
    “No. I don’t know.” She buckled her seat belt. “I’m afraid to get stuck there for another lifetime, but if you promise not to leave me there, I’ll go with you. You’ll need somebody to lead you to the house. Why , again, did you say we’re going there?”
    “For clues to your past,” Nick said, taking a road I recognized as the way to one of our favorite restau-rants.
    “Do you think Dolly is a clue to my past?” she asked.
    “I don’t know,” I said. “But I do know, for certain, that the universe has a way of leading us around by our darning balls, without telling us why.”

Eleven

I adore the challenge of creating truly modern clothes, where a woman’s personality and sense of self are revealed. I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman.
—VERA WANG

    “I’m not sure I want to know about my past,” Paisley said later that night, after a wonderful seafood dinner, as we pulled into the driveway of my father’s house. “Maybe I’d rather forget the past and just have a future.”
    “Pardon me for sounding philosophical,” I said as we went into the house together, “but, Paisley, I’m not sure you can have a future without making peace with your past. Especially if…”
    “If what?” she asked at my hesitation.
    Nick raised a finger, like he wanted to field that question. “ If there’s an honest to Teddy Roosevelt reason why you’re afraid of guns,” Nick said.
    I nodded. “And a reason you’re nervous about being safe.I mean everybody worries, but you were afraid of this house, even after you got the local police detective’s approval of me, before and after you agreed to come home with me.”
    “I’m going overboard? Is that not normal? How would I know from normal? Why Teddy Roosevelt?”
    “He started the FBI so he’s somewhat of a hero to me,” Nick admitted. “You were smart to talk to Detective Werner before agreeing to stay at the home of someone you didn’t know. Smarter than most. However , I believe that you need to look into your past to find out what your normal is and why .”
    Paisley sighed heavily. “That makes sense, but don’t expect me to sleep tonight,” she said at the doorway to her room.
    I squeezed her arm. “The way you were forced to work today, I think you’ll sleep just fine. Take a hot bath first, and don’t spare the bubbles.”
    “Good idea,” she said, turning on one foot, already bubbly, even before the bath. “Thanks.”
    Nick cupped my shoulder and pulled me along. “Very good idea,” he whispered, but we fell into bed still dressed, and the alarm rang ten minutes later, or so it seemed. I tried to throw the clock across the room, but Nick stopped me. “Up, up, right now. Stewart McCreadie is an early riser.”
    “How do you know that?” I rolled over and pulled my pillow over my head.
    Nick removed it. “McCreadie’s a guide. You know, he takes out sport fishermen. I read the posted list of departure and return times on his website. The Concertina leaves the dock at five A.M .”
    “The damn fool.”
    Nick chuckled. “Nothing designer today.” He opened my door, stood in my doorway, and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Paisley, can you hear me? Wear ratty clothes. Nothing designer today.”
    “I hear you!” she called back. “Maddie’s father can hear you four houses up.”
    Paisley stepped into the hall, arms crossed, a long blonde curl hanging above one eye.
    Nick chuckled. “Good, both of you wear clothes that can get muddy, wet, dirty, spiderwebby, and cellar dusty.”
    “Ugh. Cut it out, or we’ll barf before breakfast.” I poked him in the chest.
    “Oh, it’s worse than that,