Page 7 of Veil of Silence

May had been the key word.

Nora had pushed for details, but Donnelly refused to give her any until he knew his theory was right. He’d promised to call Monday with an update.

Then nothing.

Nora set down the phone and pulled her cardigan tighter.

She’d spent her whole life protecting her sisters. Deciding what they could handle. What they needed to know. She called it love. Wisdom.

But lately she wondered if she was confusing protection with control.

Ecclesiastes said there was a time to speak and a time to be silent. Nora prayed for wisdom to know the difference. She prayed that her doubt about Christian came from spiritual wisdom and not from fear.

She told herself that each of her decisions was for her family’s sake. But part of her knew her choices were also for her own sake. She wanted to avoid being the person who destroyed another carefully constructed version of normal. She only wanted to protect the people she loved.

The door opened behind her, and Christian stood in the doorway holding two plates. “Mom wants to know if you want pie.”

She forced a smile. “Looks like she already decided.”

“She’s bossy like that.” He handed Nora one of the plates and sat beside her on the step.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Christian glanced at the phone in her hand. “Was that about me?”

“No.” Nora hated how quickly the lie slipped out.

Christian lifted an eyebrow.

She sighed. “Okay, sort of.”

“Everything’s sort of about me now.” The dry edge returned to his voice.

Nora’s mouth almost twitched. “You’ve noticed?”

“How could I not?” He scraped his fork through the crumb topping. “Who were you calling?”

“Jeff Donnelly. He’s the FBI agent who worked your case ten years ago. He’s been in touch with me a few times recently.”

Christian’s fingers tightened slightly around his plate. “What did he want?”

“He asked if he could talk to you.”

Christian looked at her. “And?”

“I told him not yet.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve had enough people asking you questions lately.”

He nodded slowly, his gaze distant. “Did he find something?”

“He thinks he might have.”

Christian’s shoulders went rigid. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t answer when I tried to call him just now.” Nora studied him, curious about his reaction. “Are you okay?”