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“We are a private medical facility, and we require advance notice and appointments.” The door started to shut.

I stuck my boot-clad foot in the opening.

“I work with the Sheriff’s office.”

“Do you have a badge?”

“Nope. I’m their bone expert.”

The young man blinked at me before his eyes widened. He was probably in his late thirties, pale and tired. “Are you Hazel Dylan?”

“I am.”

“Oh.” He opened the door wider and cocked his head as he looked at me for a long moment. “Interesting. Well, without a badge, the rules apply. You need to be cleared, and an appointment needs to be made.”

“Do you know me because my aunt is Susan Shaw or is there another reason?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Look, I can go get the sheriff and we can come back together, or you can let me talk to Susan for just a few minutes and I’ll be on my way.”

“You should get the sheriff.” The door started to shut again.

“David!” A shrill voice called from behind him.

He frowned at me as if to say, “Now you’ve done it,” but he opened the door wider.

A woman stepped around David and filled the space in the doorway. If I’d seen her in public, I wouldn’t have immediately pegged her as my mother’s sister, but since I knew who she was, I could see the resemblance to the picture of my mother that I’d seen. We all had long, dark brown hair and light brown eyes. Our noses weren’t cute and petite but made a statement along with our strong chins.

“Hello, Hazel,” she said as a single tear rolled down her cheek. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for so long. I’m glad you found me.”

I wanted to say something like “I didn’t know you were lost” or “I haven’t been all that far away” or “Are they keeping you hostage?” but I simply nodded and said, “Nice to meet you.”

She smiled. “Oh, we’ve met before, but I understand why you wouldn’t remember. You were very little. Come in. Let’s chat.”

She turned and walked into the dark depths of the house. David, straightening even more, stood his ground as I stepped inside.

“She’s not well,” he said quietly but with gritted teeth. “Do not upset her.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said.

She seemed fine to me, but what did I know. I wasn’t even sure what questions I had for Aunt Susan, but I was sure something would come to me.

I took off my hat and followed her confident footsteps.

CHAPTER

26

THE HOUSE WAS a mishmash of décor. Bright, colorful art filled the walls, and an overload of knickknacks decorated tables. The floor was made of red clay square tiles with tan grout. It was as if the house was first put together with a southwestern flair in mind, but other things like porcelain cats and Asian fans just couldn’t be ignored, so they were included too.

The place was enormous, but I didn’t see much more than the rooms off the long hallway as we walked down the middle of the expansive home. I glanced into four open doorways that we passed before we walked through a fifth. I didn’t see anyone else in the house, but I saw a lot of stuff, too much to take any sort of quick visual inventory.

The room that Susan led us to was like the rest of the house, colorful and packed with things. The house was one tipped over ceramic cat away from being classified as a hoarder’s.

But it was clean, everything dusted, the floors spotless.

I didn’t know the right or polite way to ask Susan what was wrong with her. So far, I hadn’t noticed anything.