Free As Good as Dead by Patricia H. Rushford

thinking about sending me to some retirement home, are you?”
    “Of course not, Ma. Callen was just...”
    “We were wondering what you might want to do while we’re on our honeymoon,” Callen told her.
    “You’re getting married? Oh!” She clasped her hands, which wasn’t easy with a cast covering much of her right hand. “This is wonderful. You don’t have to worry about me.”
    Angel glared at Callen. “Honey, you shouldn’t get her hopes up like that. Ma, we were just talking. We’re not getting married for a long time. By the time we do, you’ll be back to your old self.”
    Callen winked at Anna. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. Maybe you can talk her into making it sooner.”
    Anna chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”
    “How about taking a ride with me?” Angel asked, trying to come up with a diversion. “Maybe we can pick up your granddaughters and get a cup of coffee and a treat at Joanie’s. Callen is hammering up a storm, and I’d just as soon not be around to hear it.”
    Anna sighed. “That sounds nice. I haven’t been out in a while, have I? And I’d love to see the girls. I’ll get my jacket.”
    When Anna had gone to her bedroom, Angel wrapped her arms around Callen’s waist. “Thanks. I didn’t want to lie to her.”
    Callen kissed her nose. “You did good. Hopefully the team won’t have to spend much time here. I’d rather you didn’t come out this way. Any chance you could walk along the beach?”
    “Sure. She should be able to make it there, but I may have to call you to come get us.”
    “Perfect. By the time you’re ready for me to pick you up, everything will be back to normal, and she’ll never know.”
    “Be careful,” Angel whispered as she left him. She guided her mother out the back door. “We’re walking,” she said. “We both could use the exercise.”
    “You’re absolutely right.”
    Once they were out on the hard-packed sand and walking toward town, Angel allowed herself to relax a bit. She’d have liked to hang around and watch the bomb tech at work but felt the trauma would be too much for her mother.
    “All right, missy,” Anna said in a decidedly maternal tone. “What’s going on? And don’t feed me that line about you and Callen getting married.”
    Uh oh. Angel rolled her eyes. She should have known better than to think they could hide anything from Anna Delaney. Angel had a mother with eyes in the back of her head and intuition that would put any psychic to shame.
    “A package came today, and it looked suspicious.” Angel’s gaze fastened on the shapes drawn in the sand by the incoming waves.
    “Suspicious in what way?”
    “It’s probably my imagination working overtime, but with what happened to Nick, Callen and I thought it best not to take any chances.”
    “You think it may be a bomb or one of those letters tainted with poison?”
    “There was no return address, and the way it was wrapped made me suspicious. At any rate, the police will check it over.”
    “Any idea who sent it?”
    Angel shook her head.
    “Hmm. Think it might be from those thugs who vandalized your apartment?”
    She was assuming the package had been addressed to Angel, and Angel didn’t bother to correct her.
    “You didn’t have to get rid of me. I’m perfectly capable of handling...” Her shoulders slumped forward. “On second thought, I’m not sure I am anymore.”
    Angel wrapped an arm around her mother’s shoulders. “You’ve been through so much, and we just thought it would be better if you didn’t have to deal with something else.”
    “Thank you for telling me. It’s important I know what’s going on.”
    Angel nodded, wondering what her mother would say if and when she learned that Luke had been at the funeral. She certainly wasn’t going to tell her. So far, at least, Ma hadn’t figured that one out.

ELEVEN
    C ade parked a block away from the Delaney house. He’d been right in estimating the arrival date. He’d called the post