He shook his head and pushed his chair back.
"I know you're serious, Dad, but I'm okay. Really."
"I just ... I understand you might want to start dating more seriously, and that means dating someone from town. But if you're going to do that ..." This time he took a long drink of coffee, and the mug was still at his lips when he said, "I like Daniel. He takes care of you."
I blinked. "Oh my God. Did you really just say that? He takes care of me?"
Dad flushed. "I didn't mean it like--"
"Takes care of me? Did I go to sleep and wake up in the nineteenth century?" I looked down at my jeans and T-shirt. "Ack! I can't go to school like this. Where's my corset? My bonnet?"
Dad sighed as Mom walked in with her empty teacup.
"What did I miss?" she said.
"Dad's trying to marry me off to Daniel." I looked at him. "You know, if you offer him a new truck for a dowry, he might go for it."
"Apparently, I said the wrong thing," Dad told Mom. "Again."
"Never hard with our daughter." She walked over and slid my sandwich into a bag. "Leave your father alone and get going before you miss your ride."
"They're still looking for next of kin," Daniel said as I climbed into the truck. "But they found her cell phone so I'm glad I came clean on that."
I nodded. "Last night, when I was about to raise the possibility she was murdered, you stopped me. Was it because of Serena and the meds?"
"Because the medication caused her death and Mina found out, so the St. Clouds killed her? No. That'd be crazy. But all it takes is one person to be a little crazy, decide the research has to be protected at all costs, decide to take matters into his own hands ..."
We drove along in thoughtful silence before Daniel said, "So I might not be completely nuts?"
"Not yet. I think
we need to break into the Braun place tonight. They won't clear it out until her next of kin shows up, and it sounds like that won't be anytime soon. It'll be our last chance to find out if she knew anything about Serena's death."
TWENTY-FOUR
WE DECIDED TO VISIT the Braun place after dark. As we reached town, the truck bounced from the dirt road to the pavement, and something underneath made an ugly cracking sound.
"It's been doing that," Daniel said. "Just ignore it. Corey says he'll take a look on the weekend."
"Well, no matter how dire the situation, if my dad offers you a new truck, don't do it. There's a serious string attached."
"Huh?" he said.
I told him what my dad had said. That got him laughing and as we pulled into the school parking lot, even the sight of Rafe waiting for me only made him roll his eyes.
We got out. I glanced at Daniel.
He sighed. "Go on."
"You sound like you're giving a five-year-old permission to play with an unsuitable friend."
"If the shoe fits ..."
I flipped him off.
"Watch it or I won't marry you," he said. "Truck or no truck."
I laughed and jogged over to Rafe.