Rizzoli & Isles 8-Book Set

floor. Out came Grace’s iPod, sunglasses, a sweatshirt, a cell phone. In frustration, she turned the backpack upside down, and loose change clattered onto the floor. “Where the hell is my purse?”
    “You really think Grace would take it?”
    “I can’t find it anywhere. It had to be her.”
    “Why would she?”
    “She’s a teenager. Can anyone explain teenagers?”
    “Are you sure you didn’t leave it somewhere in the house?”
    “I’m sure.” In frustration, Elaine threw down the empty backpack. “I know I had it with me in the Jeep when were driving up the road. But after the accident, we were all panicking. I was just focused on Arlo. The last time I remember seeing it, it was on the backseat, next to Grace.” She scanned the room, searching for any hiding place where the purse might be concealed. “She’s the only one who had the chance to take it. You ran down the hill to get the sled. Doug and I were trying to stop the bleeding. But no one was watching Grace.”
    “It could have fallen out of the Jeep.”
    “I told you, I looked all up and down the road.”
    “Maybe it got buried in the snow.”
    “It hasn’t snowed for two days, and everything’s crusted over in ice.” Elaine suddenly jerked straight as the front door opened. She was caught in an unmistakably guilty pose, kneeling beside the empty backpack, the contents strewn on the floor.
    “What are you doing?” said Grace. She slammed the door shut. “That’s
my
stuff.”
    “Where’s my purse, Grace?” said Elaine.
    “Why are you looking in my backpack?”
    “It has my pills. The bottle of codeine. Arlo needs it.”
    “And you thought you’d find it in my stuff?”
    “Just tell me where it is.”
    “How would I know?” Grace snatched up the backpack and began thrusting her belongings back into it. “How do you know
she
didn’t take it?” The girl didn’t have to name names; they all knew she was referring to Maura.
    “Grace, I’m just asking you a simple question.”
    “You didn’t even stop to think it could be anyone else. You just assumed it’s
me.
”
    Elaine sighed. “I’m too tired to have this fight. Just tell me if you know where it is.”
    “Why should I tell you anything? You wouldn’t believe me anyway.” Grace zipped up the pack and threw it over her shoulder as she headed toward the door. “There are eleven other houses here. I don’t see why I have to stay in this one.”
    “Grace, we need to stick together,” said Maura. “I promised your father I’d look after you. Please stay here.”
    “Why should I? I came to tell you what I found, and the first thing I hear when I come in the door is,
You’re a thief.
”
    “I didn’t say that!” Elaine protested.
    Maura rose and calmly approached the girl. “What did you find, Grace?”
    “As if you’re interested.”
    “I am. I want to know what you found.”
    The girl paused, torn between injured pride and her eagerness to share her news. “It’s outside,” she finally said. “Near the woods.”
    Maura pulled on her jacket and gloves and followed Grace outside. The snow, earlier churned up by all their comings and goings, had crusted over into knobby ice, and Maura navigated carefully over the slippery surface as she and Grace circled to the rear of the house and started across the field of snow, toward the trees.
    “This is what I saw first,” the girl said, pointing to the snow. “These tracks.”
    They were animal footprints. A coyote, thought Maura, or perhaps a wolf. Although blowing snow had obscured the prints in places, it was obvious that they moved in a direct line toward their house.
    “It must have left these prints last night,” said Grace. “Or maybe the night before. Because they’re all frozen over now.” She turned toward the woods. “And there’s something else I want to show you.”
    Grace headed across the field, following the tracks toward a snow-covered mound. It was just a white hillock, its features blending into the vast landscape of snow, where everything was white, where bush and boulder were indistinguishable beneath their thick winter blankets. Only as they drew closer to the mound did Maura see the streak of yellow peeking through, where Grace had swiped away the snow to reveal what was underneath.
    A bulldozer.
    “It’s just sitting out here in the open,” said Grace. “Like they were in the middle of digging up something and they just … stopped.”
    Maura pulled open the door and