Birthright

they’re coming back.”
    “They had to go somewhere, and wherever that is, they’ll leave some sort of trail. We’ll find them.”
    She only nodded, stared at the empty house in frustration.
    “Come on, Carol, let’s go get Alice and the kids and go home.”
    “Okay. Okay,” she grumbled and walked with him. If she was going to get through this, and she was, she needed to hold on to control, maintain her perspective. “So, do you think Carol Brady was hot?”
    “Oh man, are you kidding? She smoked !”

PART III
    The Finds
    When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
    SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
----

Twenty
    Y ou did the right thing.” Back in Maryland, Lana stood out by her car with Callie, jiggled her keys in her hand. She was reluctant to leave, though she’d imposed on Roger far too long that day.
    Knowing the Simpsons had evaded them was frustrating. She had to admit, she’d been revved up for a showdown, for the prospect of hammering the Simpsons with questions, twisting them up with facts and speculation.
    And the long drive back only to relay the scattered pieces of the puzzle to the county sheriff, leaving everything very much as it had been at the start of the day, was another disappointment.
    There should’ve been something more to be done. Something else.
    “Hewitt didn’t seem particularly dazzled by our deductive reasoning.”
    “Maybe not, but he won’t ignore it. Plus, now everything’s on record. And he’ll—”
    “Look into it,” Callie finished, and managed a laugh. “Can’t blame the guy for being skeptical. A thirty-year-oldcrime solved by a couple of diggers, a girl lawyer and a bookseller.”
    “Excuse me, two respected scientists, a brilliant attorney and an astute antiquarian book dealer.”
    “Sounds better your way.” Restless, Callie picked up a stone, tossed it toward the creek, where it landed with a sharp plop. “Look, I really appreciate all you’ve done over and above the call of billable hours and stuff.”
    “It’s not my usual kind of work, and I have to admit, it’s been exciting.”
    “Yeah.” She pitched another stone. “Getting burned out must’ve been a hell of a thrill.”
    “No one was hurt, I’m insured, and the fact that it pissed me off is to your advantage. I’m in for the duration. And the fact that this matters a great deal to Doug adds additional incentive.”
    “Hmm. Hey, look, there’s a black snake.”
    “What? Where?” In instant terror, Lana hopped onto the hood of her car.
    “Relax.” Callie picked up another stone, took aim. “Right over . . . there,” she said, and tossed the stone toward the creek again where it landed several inches to the right of the snake. Undoubtedly annoyed, it slithered along the bank and into the trees. “They’re harmless.”
    “They’re snakes.”
    “I like the way they move. Anyway. Doug. He’s an interesting guy. He brought me an Elvis beer cozy from Memphis.”
    “Did he?” The sigh escaped before Lana realized it was there. “Now, why should that just touch my heart?”
    “Because you’ve got the hots for him.”
    “True. Very true.”
    “Listen, that business in the car about your sex life was really just a . . .” She paused, whipped around, and even as Lana prepared to duck and cover, swatted a fat, buzzing bee away, the way a batter might swat a good fastball.
    The somehow fat sound of the contact had Lana shuddering. “Jesus. Are you stung?”
    “No. Those kind usually just like making a bunch of noise and annoying people. Like teenagers, I guess.”
    “Were you, by any chance, a tomboy as a child?”
    “I don’t get that name. I mean, Tom’s probably already a boy, so why is tomboy the word used to describe a girl with likes, skills and habits more traditionally ascribed to boys? It ought to be something like maryboy . Don’t you think?”
    Lana shook her head. “I have absolutely no idea.”
    “Makes more sense. Anyway, what was I saying before?”
    “Ah . . . about my sex life.”
    “Oh yeah. That bit in the car was really just a ruse.”
    Deciding whatever nature might wing their way, Callie would handle, Lana eased off the hood to lean against the door of her car. “I know.”
    “Not that I don’t like hearing about other people’s sex lives.”
    “Living or dead.”
    “Exactly. Every life has its defining moments.”
    Callie glanced back toward the house as someone inside turned on