WHEN NATHAN AND CALEB returned, it was around five a.m. I noticed that Mom wasn’t her usual perky self around the sheriff. I hoped that meant she was going to distance herself from him. Although she loved Caleb, she had to see that they’d never have a normal life together.
“Thank goodness, you’re all right,” he said, looking genuinely relieved to see me.
“Celeste didn’t tell you that I was?” I replied.
He looked confused. “No. I haven’t spoken to her all night. She knew we were looking for you, too. That’s irritating.”
I wondered if he was lying. His reaction seemed pretty legit, however. “She picked me up in your new car; I just figured you would have known.”
He raised his eyebrows. “New car?”
“Yeah. The Mercedes?” I answered. “She picked me up in it around three this morning.”
“Hu
