On an impulse, he picked up the phone and dialed a number he found in the telephone book. He was relieved when Rachel answered.
“I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine, Lucas. I just sent my grandmother off to bed, and I was thinking about turning in early myself.”
“Tired?”
“Yes. I didn’t sleep very well last night, after finding...well, you know.”
“Yes.”
“Have you had a nice day with your family?”
“Not bad. I spent most of the afternoon watching Clay ride his new bike.”
“You’ve become very fond of him, haven’t you?”
“He’s a cute kid.”
“They’re going to miss you when you leave.”
“They’ll be busy starting their new life as a family. The don’t need me hanging around.”
“Are you...leaving tomorrow?”
> The faint break in her voice made him frown. Was it going to be as hard for Rachel to walk away as it was for him?
“I, er, don’t know,” he answered awkwardly. “There are a few more things I might check out here first.”
“What things?”
“I thought I might talk to the O’Brien kid. The one who broke into all those houses last fall. Wade said the kid admitted to all the other incidents, but swears he had nothing to do with the attack on Emily. Wade doesn’t believe him. I’d like to hear the kid’s denials myself—just to satisfy my curiosity.”
“Will you be allowed to talk to him?”
“I’ll talk to him.” Lucas had no doubt he could get to the kid, one way or another. “Did you go through the rest of your brother’s stuff this afternoon?”
“Yes. I didn’t find anything of particular interest. I didn’t have a chance to go through my father’s things, though. My grandmother said they’re all stored at my uncle’s house.”
Lucas scowled—as he always did when Sam Jennings’s name was mentioned. He’d always disliked the guy, and thought his unreasonable hostility toward the McBrides bordered on lunacy. The knowledge that Jennings had been causing trouble for Emily made Lucas want to find him and bash his teeth in.
But that wasn’t the way he behaved these days, he reminded himself, practicing the hostility-control methods he’d developed since he’d left Honoria. “You aren’t going to tell him what you’re looking for, are you?”
“What would I tell him?” she asked reasonably. “I don’t know what I’m looking for. But, no. I wasn’t planning to say anything to Sam.”
Lucas didn’t like the idea of Rachel having anything to do with Sam Jennings, even if he was her uncle. “Maybe it would be best if you leave your father’s stuff alone for now. After all, there’s probably nothing to find. And your uncle is bound to wonder what’s going on.”
“I’ll tell him I just want to look through the stuff for sentimental reasons. I have every right to my father’s belongings.”
“I know. I just can’t stand your uncle. I don’t trust him.”
She laughed softly, ruefully. “Really, Lucas, you should learn to be more outspoken about what you’re thinking. It can’t be good to bottle up your feelings this way.”
He chuckled reluctantly. “I guess that wasn’t very tactful, was it?”
“Tact has never been a word I’ve associated with you.”
“So you’ll leave your father’s things alone for now? At least until I’ve had a chance to look into this more?”