Evidence Of Marriage. Ann Voss Peterson

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      “There’s only so much a man can do.” Lisa stood up from her chair and plopped her hands on her hips. “I’ve been friends with Sylvie longer than any of you. It’s my duty to help her through this.”

      Diana tried to tamp down her annoyance. Lisa might have known Sylvie the longest, but she had no clue about what they were dealing with. “Making sure the restaurant doesn’t give away our table will be the most help, Lisa. Really.”

      Lisa frowned. Apparently she wanted more excitement than securing a spot for brunch would provide.

      “Lisa, please.” Diana offered her best pleading smile, praying the woman had the sense to stop pushing. “It would really help out.”

      Reluctantly, Lisa nodded. “All right. But if the three of you don’t join us soon, I’ll be back to check on you.” She gathered her posse and headed out of Diana’s apartment.

      As soon as the door shut behind them, Diana set the card on the counter and rushed to check on Sylvie. She tapped on the bathroom door.

      Bryce stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him.

      “How is she?”

      “Sick. I’m sure all of us feel that way to some extent.”

      Diana couldn’t agree more. But Diana’s nausea was mixed with a heavy dose of guilt. “Is she going to be okay?”

      Bryce paused, studying Diana’s face. “We were going to wait to tell people, but you might as well know now.”

      “Know what?”

      “Sylvie’s pregnant.”

      “Oh, Bryce! That’s wonderful. I know how much you both want kids. Congratulations.”

      “Thanks.” Bryce smiled despite the concern still cloaking his brow. “But I’m worried about her. Especially with all this.”

      “You’re leaving on your honeymoon tomorrow. She won’t have to worry about it. At least not for a few weeks.”

      “If I can convince her to go.”

      “She has to go.”

      He shrugged. “You know Sylvie. She’s worried about you.”

      Diana shook her head. Her sister’s concern for her would be touching, if Diana weren’t guilty of bringing this evil into Sylvie’s life in the first place. “I’ll be fine.”

      He gave a shallow nod, as if he wasn’t so sure.

      “Trust me. I can take care of myself this time. You and Sylvie have a baby to think about.”

      He nodded, but again, his agreement wasn’t convincing.

      She knew he was remembering last October, when he and Sylvie had saved her from becoming the victim of a grief-stricken man’s revenge. But that wasn’t all that had happened during that time. There had been more. Far more. “You’re thinking of your brother.”

      “I promised him… I promised myself that I’d find his killer. Kane waving this Copycat Killer in our faces is a little hard to take.”

      Diana nodded. She knew Bryce believed the man who’d killed three women last fall was also responsible for his brother’s death. “Sylvie needs you. And she doesn’t need to be worrying about Dryden Kane.”

      He held up a hand. “I know. Believe me, my priorities are in order.”

      “What did the doctor say? You know, about her heart condition?” As a child, Sylvie had suffered from heart problems, the reason she had been left behind in the foster-care system while Diana had been adopted. In the year since they’d been reunited, Sylvie hadn’t had any health problems, but that didn’t mean the extra stress of dealing with Dryden Kane piled on top of her pregnancy wasn’t a recipe for disaster.

      “He said she should avoid extra stress. And I aim to make sure she takes that advice.”

      The bathroom door opened and Sylvie stepped out into the hall. Her cheeks looked flushed, her eyes a bit glassy. “If the two of you are done deciding my future, why don’t we see what is in that package?”

      Bryce cupped her elbow gently in one hand and searched her face. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”

      She shot him a resigned frown. “I’m pretty sure I’m not up to it. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to see what he sent. I’m sure my heart can take that much.”

      “I didn’t mean anything by that.” God knew that of the two of them, Sylvie was the strong one. Diana had only to think back to that cabin in the woods for proof.

      “I know. You’re just watching out for me. What families do, right?” Sylvie offered a smile. “I’m still getting used to that.”

      “Yeah. What families do.” Diana took a deep breath, trying to quell the nervous fear fluttering through her chest and stomach. After all she’d been through in that cabin last fall, she’d sworn she would never be a victim again. She’d be more like her sister. Strong. Independent. And eight months later, she finally felt as if she were making some progress. She’d completed her master’s degree and had landed a job teaching English literature that would start in the fall. After a lifetime of depending on others, she’d learned a bit about standing on her own.

      She sucked in another breath. If Sylvie was willing to face whatever was in the package, so was she. “Okay. Let’s open the thing.”

      She led Bryce and Sylvie into the living room. Bryce and Sylvie took their places on the couch. Diana propped a hip on the couch’s arm. Grabbing the corner of the gift wrap, Sylvie tore a corner of the paper free and slid out a simple black frame holding a family portrait. A father, a mother and two little girls around three years old smiled for the camera. Soft blond hair curled around the girls’ nearly identical faces. One of the girls cradled a clown puppet. The other tangled her fingers together in her lap, her face chalky and frail-looking. The mother held her blond head high, her lips pressed into a commanding smile. The father stood behind the three, staring directly into the camera with ice-blue eyes.

      The perfect family. The family of serial killer Dryden Kane.

      “It’s us,” whispered Sylvie. “My God, it’s us.”

      Diana stared at the portrait, a mixture of heat and nerves descending into her chest. “I’m so sorry, Sylvie.”

      “For what?”

      “For bringing him into your life.” She rubbed her forehead with shaking fingers. “What was I thinking? When I found out he was my father, why couldn’t I have just left well enough alone? Why did I have to see him in the first place?”

      “Because you needed to know where you came from. You needed to understand who you were.”

      “Which is what?” The daughter of a serial killer? Her mind shuddered at the thought.

      “Which is my sister.” Sylvie touched her hand to Diana’s arm, her trembling fingers belying the steadiness СКАЧАТЬ