Page 116 of Jack

“The car’s parked at Loon Lake. Near the boatyard.”

“That’s ten minutes away from here.”

“Fifteen,” Steinbeck said.

“Not if I drive.” Conrad pulled out his keys. “Let’s go.”

“Wait—wait. Where do you guys think you’re going?” Austen had walked up with Doyle.

Oh.Conrad looked at Steinbeck, who looked at Jack.

“What about the dance?” Doyle said, clearly reading them.

Jack faced Austen. “We need to take care of something.”

“But the rehearsal is next. At the church.”

“I think we can figure out how to walk down an aisle. Just point and push.”

Her mouth made a tiny bud of annoyance. He’d lit something inside her. He met her gaze, no blinking. “Sis, I need you and Big D to stay here and keep Boo calm.” He glanced at Doyle.

Austen’s voice thinned. “Why?”

“Just . . . trust us.” He glanced at his brothers, back at her. “Trust me.”

She considered him for a moment, then smiled. “I never stopped.” Then she turned and hooked Doyle’s arm. “Let’s keep this show moving.”

Jack didn’t know why her words settled inside him, a boulder to ground him.

“Don’t drive like a grandma,” he said to Conrad.

“Do you even know me?” Conrad got into the driver’s seat.

Stein squeezed himself in back, and Jack kept his phone out as he strapped into the passenger front. “The Geo’s not moving. Let’s roll.” He looked over at the speedometer twice as Conrad pushed the Charger up the highway toward Loon Lake.

“How’d you get out of the clink so fast?” Steinbeck said.

Jack turned to Stein. “Where were you?”

“Just had a little chat with Job.” He wore a slight red mark on his chin. “They were paid to torch the car next to yours.”

“I got the same story.”

“He’s got a theory. It’s long,” Conrad said.

“My guess is that it involves Tommy Fadden?”

“He’s a suspect in the Sarah Livingston case. And Harper went to talk to him.” Jack said.

Stein looked over at the speedometer, nodded, then leaned back. “Why is she there?”

“I don’t know.” Jack turned. “A set of keys with a key from the Loon Lake boatyard was stolen from Echoes on Tuesday.”

“The day Penelope went missing,” Conrad said. “So, what does that have to do with your theory?”

“Maybe Tommy—the guy in the suit, who killed Kyle and kidnapped Penny—brought Penny to the boatyard to kill her. Except, why didn’t he just kill her when he shot Ty?”

“Maybe he didn’t want her found?”