Read an Excerpt
Tessa sits on the balcony. It’s cold but peaceful and she’s glad she’s here, away from the office with the sheriff’s deputies and their questions, away from Timothy’s frightened eyes. Poor Timothy. All he did was find the car, but he will worry that he’s going to get blamed for whatever happened to it.
The surface of the river, dark as it is, has faces etched on it. A woman’s face, a girl’s, with eyes as pale and endless as the sky. Tessa squints and searches for the ice-blue dress and thinks she catches a glimpse of it. Something out there is blue, that’s for sure.
She hears the French doors behind her open. ‘What are you doing out here?’ Eric asks. ‘And with no shoes?’
‘Just getting some fresh air. You’re home early.’
‘Actually, I’ve been here for almost an hour. I wanted to surprise you.’
‘With what?’ She jumps up from the wooden bench. The redwood deck might as well be covered with ice. It’s that cold. Her feet burn and then go numb.
‘Come on.’ Eric puts out his arms. ‘Let me carry you.’
‘I can walk.’
‘But you don’t need to when you have me.’ He lowers his arms, picks her up and she settles against him. It’s nice like this, safe, riding back to the warmth of indoors, hanging onto him and his scratchy jacket against her cheek.
Once inside, he lowers her to the floor. ‘Well?’ he says, and then she sees it.
Someone – Eric – has put up a Christmas tree so tall it almost touches the ceiling. Tiny lights blink silently.
‘Oh, Eric. It’s beautiful.’ For a moment, she’s forgotten what day it is, what month. ‘And it’s so tall. It must be ten feet. What a perfect surprise. Where did you find it?’
‘That’s my secret.’ His eyes change, but before she can try to figure out what he’s feeling, he pulls her to him. ‘I wanted you to have the best tree, Tess.’
She wraps her arms around his neck and says, ‘Looks like I do.’
Yet there is something wrong about the tree. Something familiar and very wrong.
