"But to anybody who knows us, it's crazy."
"I hope so."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the family hothead," Sage supplied, much to the consternation of everyone else present.
"So far," Chase said after directing a stern frown toward his sister, "we can't account for your whereabouts after you left the place last night, Lucky."
"And that automatically makes me a suspect for arson?" he cried.
"It's ridiculous, but that's what we're up against. We've got no problem if we provide ironclad alibis. The first thing they asked me is where I was last night. I was home in bed with Tanya. She confirmed that."
"Do you think they believed me?" she asked.
Chase smiled at her. "You couldn't lie convincingly if you had to." He dropped a light kiss on the tip of her nose. Then, giving his brother his attention again, he said, "You didn't spend the night at home. They're going to ask where you were all night."
Lucky cleared his throat, sat up straighter, and cast a guilty glance toward his mother. Sensing his discomfort, she resorted to her standard cure-all "Would you like something to eat?"
"Please, ma'am." His mother could make him feel humble and ashamed when no one else could. She turned toward the stove and began preparing him a meal of eggs and bacon.
"Naturally the first person we called this morning was Susan Young," Sage informed him, dropping into a vacant chair at the table.
"Oh terrific," Lucky mumbled.
"She was mighty p.o.'d when—"
"Sage," Laurie said warningly.
"I didn't say it. I just used the initials."
"It still sounds so unladylike."
Rolling her eyes, Sage turned back to her brother. "Susan wasn't too thrilled to find out you'd stood her up at dinner to go tomcatting."
Lucky muttered a curse, careful to prevent his mother from hearing it over the sizzling sound of frying bacon. "I forgot to call her."
"Well," Sage said importantly, twirling a tawny strand of hair around her finger, "you'd better be thinking up a sympathetic story, because she is steamed." Pinching her light brown eyes into narrow slits, she made a sound like steam escaping the tight lid of a kettle.
"We have much more to worry about than Susan's jealousy," Chase said.
"Besides," Laurie added, carrying a plate of food to the table, "Lucky's affairs are no concern of yours, young lady."
Lucky attacked the plate of food. After a moment he realized that the sound of his fork scraping across his plate was the only noise in the kitchen. He raised his head to find them all staring at him expectantly.
"What?" he asked, lifting his shoulders in a slight shrug.
"What?" Chase repeated more loudly. "We're waiting for you to tell us where you were, so that if the badge-toting guys in the dark suits and opaque sunglasses come asking, we'll have something to tell them."
Lucky glanced back down into his plate. The food no longer looked appetizing. "I, uh, spent the night with a lady."
Sage snorted as derisively as Lucky had when Pat Bush had called Dovey that. "A lady. Right."
"What lady?" Chase asked.
"Does it matter?"
"Ordinarily not. This time it does."