Airtight Case by Beverly Connor Read Free Book Online

had washed the dishes. She kissed Lindsay on the cheek. “Call if you need me. I won’t be leaving for Spain for about a month.”
    “Thanks for being here. I’m sorry I don’t remember you.”
    “All the research says you’ll remember in a few days.” She smiled. “You’re a very research-oriented person, so that should fill you with hope.”
    Lindsay watched from the porch as Harper drove down the long driveway.
    “Maybe you should go through all the albums,” suggested Sinjin. The three of them sat on the porch looking out over Lindsay’s woods.
    She nodded, but was a little afraid. What if she should see something that scared her again? She wanted to stay away from that.
    “Is that the stable down there?”
    “Yes. I’ll be staying there tonight. John can have the guest room.”
    “I’ll stay in the stable,” offered John.
    “Wait,” interrupted Lindsay. “Neither of you should have to sleep in the barn, for heaven’s sake. Can’t someone sleep on the couch?”
    Sinjin laughed. “You have a bedroom with all the amenities in the stable, in case you have to stay all night with Mandrake. It’s quite comfortable.”
    “I sometimes sleep with my horse?”
    “If he’s sick. You’re very fond of him, and he’s very valuable. Ellen, your mother, would have your hide if anything happened to him.”
    “My mother, not yours?”
    Sinjin shook his head. “I’m your half brother.”
    Lindsay felt a stab of disappointment. She didn’t know why. It must have shown on her face, for Sinjin grabbed both her hands.
    “But we’re close. I’m going to stay here until you’re recovered. So is John.”
    John nodded. “You have lots of friends. They’ll visit you when you’re ready. Many people want you to get better.”
    But there are a few who don’t, thought Lindsay.
    She went to bed early, bidding John and Sinjin good night from the stairs. She found a nightshirt in the chest-of-drawers and settled into what felt like a down mattress.
    * * *
    She awoke just as the sun was coming up, while it was still twilight outside. She dressed and started down the stairs. The smell of bacon, fried apples, and hot bread rose from the depth of her house. John? She grinned and bounded downstairs.
    “Sinjin, John.” She was still grinning as she walked into the kitchen. “My two main men. What a nice surprise. What are you doing here?”
    They both stared at her.
    “What?” she said. “Did I forget to put my clothes on?”
    “You recognize us?” asked Sinjin.
    “Yes, of course.” She laughed. “Are you supposed to be disguised?”
    John raced over to her and put his arms around her, picking her up off the floor and kissing her. Sinjin dropped the skillet on the counter and it skittered across the surface, knocking a potted plant to the floor, breaking the clay pot and scattering the dirt and plant.
    “Oh, I’m sorry . . .” Sinjin went for a broom.
    Lindsay squatted, taking the plant and root ball into her hands.
    “It’s all right.”
    The smell of fresh damp earth saturated her senses until it was the only aroma in the room—as if the room were filled with freshly dug soil. Her heart pounded. She dropped the plant and stared at the black dirt on her hands. She backed away and crouched in the corner, shaking.
    “What, Lindsay? What?” John and Sinjin came to her, squatting in front of her, pulling her hands away from her face.
    Lindsay took great gulps of air and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, as if that would make her breathe easier.
    “They tried to kill me. They thought they had. They buried me in a hole in the ground. Oh, God, they buried me alive.”

 
    PART II
    JULY 5

 
    Chapter 6
    That Bitch Stole My Truck
    LINDSAY STOOD NEAR Helget Pond surveying the site, a patchwork of square holes dug out of a grassy landscape, each revealing various arrangements of rocks and other unearthed objects. Like detectives studying a crime scene, archaeologists reconstruct past events using