Broken by Karin Slaughter

away.
    Sara said, “I hope I get to see him before I leave.”
    “Oh, Sissy, that’s so sweet. Thank you for lying.”
    Sara was about to respond with what she hoped was a more artful lie when she noticed a patrol car driving down the street at a slow crawl. The man behind the wheel tipped his hat at Sara. Their eyes met, and she felt herself tearing up again.
    Tessa stroked the dogs. “They’ve been driving by like that all morning.”
    “How did they know I was coming?”
    “I might’ve let it slip at the Shop ’n Save the other day.”
    “Tess,” Sara groaned. “You know Jill June got on the phone as soon as you left. I wanted to keep this quiet. Now everybody and their dog’ll be dropping by.”
    Tessa kissed Bob with a loud smack. “Then you’ll get to see your friends, too, won’t you, boy?” She gave Bill a kiss to even things out. “You’ve gotten two calls already.”
    Sara pulled out her suitcase and closed the lift gate. “Let me guess. Marla at the station and Myrna from down the street, both trying to milk every ounce of gossip.”
    “No, actually.” Tessa walked alongside Sara back to the house. “A girl named Julie something. She sounded young.”
    Sara’s patients had often called her at home, but she didn’t remember anyone named Julie. “Did she leave a number?”
    “Mama took it down.”
    Sara lugged her suitcase up the porch stairs, wondering where her father was. Probably rolling around on the plastic-free couch. “Who else called?”
    “It was the same girl both times. She said she needed your help.”
    “Julie,” Sara repeated, the name still not ringing any bells.
    Tessa stopped her on the porch. “I need to tell you something.”
    Sara felt a creeping dread, instinctively knowing bad news was coming. Tessa was about to speak when the front door opened.
    “You’re nothing but skin and bones,” Cathy chided. “I knew you weren’t eating enough up there.”
    “It’s good to see you, too, Mother.” Sara kissed her cheek. Eddiecame up behind her, and she kissed his cheek, too. Her parents petted the dogs, cooing at them, and Sara tried not to notice that the greyhounds were getting a warmer welcome.
    Eddie grabbed Sara’s suitcase. “I got this.” Before she could say anything else, he headed up the stairs.
    Sara took off her sneakers as she watched her father leave. “Is something—”
    Cathy shook her head in lieu of an explanation.
    Tessa kicked off her sandals. The freshly painted wall was scuffed where she had obviously done this many times before. She said, “Mama, you need to tell her.”
    Cathy exchanged a look with Tessa that raised the hair on the back of Sara’s neck.
    “Tell me what?”
    Her mother started off with an assurance. “Everybody’s fine.”
    “Except?”
    “Brad Stephens got hurt this morning.”
    Brad had been one of her patients, then one of Jeffrey’s cops. “What happened?”
    “He got stabbed trying to arrest somebody. He’s at Macon General.”
    Sara leaned against the wall. “Stabbed where? Is he all right?”
    “I don’t know the details. His mama’s at the hospital with him now. I guess we’ll get a phone call one way or another tonight.” She rubbed Sara’s arm. “Now, let’s not worry until it’s time to worry. It’s in the Lord’s hands now.”
    Sara felt blindsided. “Why would anyone hurt Brad?”
    Tessa supplied, “They think it had something to do with the girl they pulled out of the lake this morning.”
    “What girl?”
    Cathy cut off any further conversation on the matter. “
They
don’t know anything, and
we
are not going to add to these rampant rumors.”
    Sara pressed, “Mama—”
    “No more.” Cathy squeezed her arm before letting go. “Let’sremember the things we have to be thankful for, like both of my girls being home at the same time.”
    Cathy and Tessa walked down the hall toward the kitchen, the dogs following them. Sara stayed in the foyer. The news about Brad had been