Indelible by Karin Slaughter

Tessa snickered. “She’s dyed her hair this awful yellow.”
    â€œOn purpose?”
    â€œWell, you wouldn’t think so, but it’s not like she doesn’t have access to two damn aisles of hair-care products.”
    Sara threw a pair of pants at her sister. “Help me fold some of these.”
    â€œI will if you tell me about Jeffrey.”
    â€œWhat’d Jill-June say?”
    â€œThat he’s sex on a stick.”
    Sara smiled at the understatement.
    â€œAnd that he’s dated every woman in town worth dating.” Tessa paused, mid-fold. “There’s an obvious joke in there, but I’m gonna let it go because you’re my sister.”
    â€œSuch a price to pay.” Sara threw a sock back into the laundry basket, recalling from the last time she’d washed clothes that it didn’t have a mate. She tried to change the subject, asking, “Why is it that you never lose the socks you want to lose?”
    â€œIs he good in bed?”
    â€œTess!”
    â€œDo you want your underwear folded or not?”
    Sara smoothed out a shirt, not answering.
    â€œY’all’ve been seeing each other for two months.”
    â€œThree.”
    Tessa tried again. “You have to be sleeping with him or he wouldn’t have invited you to the beach.”
    Sara shrugged off a response. The truth was that she had slept with Jeffrey on their first date. They hadn’t even made it out of her kitchen. Sara had been so ashamed the next morning that she sneaked out of her own house before the sun came up. If not for a robbery-homicide that forced them to work together three days later, she probably would never have spoken to Jeffrey Tolliver again.
    Tessa turned serious. “Was he your first time since . . . ?”
    Sara gave her sister a sharp look, making it clear that topic was off-limits. “Tell me what else Jill-June said.”
    â€œUh . . .” Tessa dragged it out, giving a sly smile. “That he’s got a great body.”
    â€œHe’s a runner.”
    â€œMmm,” Tessa approved. “That he’s tall.”
    â€œHe’s three inches taller than me.”
    â€œLook at that grin,” Tessa laughed. “All right, all right, you don’t have to give me the speech about how horrible it was being six feet tall in the third grade.”
    â€œFive eleven.” Sara threw a dishrag at her sister’s head. “And it was ninth grade.”
    Tessa folded the rag, sighing. “He has dreamy blue eyes.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œHe’s incredibly charming and has very nice manners.”
    â€œBoth true.”
    â€œExtremely good sense of humor.”
    â€œAlso true.”
    â€œHe always pays with correct change.”
    Sara laughed as she pushed more clothes toward her sister. “Talk and fold.”
    Tessa picked the lint off a pair of black slacks. “She says he used to be a football player.”
    â€œReally?” Sara asked, because Jeffrey had never told her this. As a matter of fact, he had told her very little about himself. His general dislike of talking about the past was one of the things she enjoyed about him.
    â€œI hope he’s worth it,” Tessa said. “Is Daddy talking to you yet?”
    â€œNope,” she answered, trying to sound as if she did not care. Though her parents had never met Jeffrey, like everyone else in town they had already formed their own opinions.
    Tessa pressed on. “Tell me some more. What do you know about him that Jill-June doesn’t?”
    â€œNot much,” Sara admitted.
    â€œCome on.” Tessa obviously thought she was teasing. “Just tell me what he’s like.”
    From the hallway, Cathy Linton said, “Too old for her, for a start.”
    Tessa rolled her eyes as their mother walked into the room.
    Sara said, “You’d never guess this was my house.”
    â€œYou don’t want people walking in,