as evil, as well.â
âWas that a dig at me?â Keith asked.
âNever. Science is something wonderful,â Melody said.
Melody stood. Jake jumped to his feet. âPlease, Jake, sit, youâre a guest. Iâm just clearing the table so we can bring out the dessert,â Melody said.
Keith stood, too. âMom, Melody and I will handle this. You sit for a change.â
âAll right, thank you,â Mona agreed.
Melody glared at Keith. He frowned, cocking his head. She hurried to the kitchen, carrying the used plates. When he had entered behind her and the connecting door had swung shut, she turned on him. âWhatâs the matter with you? You just left Jake in there alone with Mom and Dad!â
âJakeâs doing just fine. Hey, heâs a cool crazy, Mel. I like him,â Keith said.
âGet back out there, Keith!â Melody said, piling the plates in the sink to rinse for the dishwasher. âPlease, come on, please? Hey, Iâm the one who fought for you to keep Cleo, remember?â
âHeâs not a cat, Mel,â Keith said.
âGet out there!â
âGoing, goingâIâll grab the pie and plates. You bring the coffee.â
âAll right, go. Oh, Keith?â
âYeah?â
âThanks.â
He grinned. Her brother left with the fresh-baked blueberry pie Mona had made for dessert and a stack of plates. She quickly rinsed the dinner plates and put them in the dishwasher, then unplugged the coffeepot and headed into the dining room.
To her dismay, her brother was having some kind of exchange with her father; Jakeâs head was lowered and he was listening, fascinated, to her mother.
They all looked up when she arrived.
âThe cups are in the cabinet, dear. Do you want your old Disney mug? Forgive us, Mr. Mallory,â Mona said. âWe all have our favorite cup. What would you like? Traditional, a mugâor a Princess cup?â
âAny cup will do, thank you,â Jake said.
Mona passed out mugs and poured the coffee while Melody served the pie.
âSeen any good movies lately?â George asked.
A piece of pie nearly slipped onto the table. Melodyâs gaze flew to Jake.
âIâm afraid Iâve not seen anything I could recommend, sir,â he said.
âIâve got some DVDs up in my room Iâm going to show him,â Keith said. âHey, I brought a documentary for you, too, Dad. Itâs on radio frequencies. Youâre going to love it.â
âWonderful,â George told him.
Mona rose. Jake rose. She hesitated, and smiled. âItâs really all right, Jake. Please, Iâm just going to go get that diary that I found in the attic. I swear that that authorâs last name was Malloryâand that her brotherâs first name was Jake. What a coincidence that would be if you were related! Of course, to be honest, throughout the centuries, who knows who is really related to whom? You know, people didnât always steer the course of the higher road.â
âWhat?â Keith asked.
âShe means that women fooled around, so your father may not have been your father,â Melody said.
âOh, dear, thatâs putting it so crassly,â Mona protested, waving a hand in the air as she went to one of the bookcases.
âThis diary is amazing. I probably could sell it for a mint on eBay. Itâs authentic. And sad, reallyâit doesnât have an ending. Iâve been meaning to go to the hall of records, though, I believe, a lot was probably lost during the Revolution. And young men died in different places, soâ¦â
Melody sank into her chair. Mona produced an old leather-bound book from a bookshelf.
Melody started to reach for it. Mona held back. âItâs extremely delicate,â she said.
âIâd be honored to handle it quite gently,â Jake said.
Mona opened the book. âSerena Mallory wrote most of the diary here,
Peter Lovesey
OBE Michael Nicholson
Come a Little Closer
Linda Lael Miller
Dana Delamar
Adrianne Byrd
Lee Collins
William W. Johnstone
Josie Brown
Mary Wine