To Darkness and to Death by Julia Spencer-Fleming

her parents, and she still looked to Bonnie as the conduit, the place where the family’s lines of communication crossed.
    The Liddles lived in a small ranch, flanked by houses that had been identical when they were built in the 1950s. A half century of tinkering by owners had personalized them, although their tightly controlled lawns and greenery still gave them a certain sameness. Becky parked behind Bonnie’s Taurus, walked up the drive, and let herself in.
    Her younger nephew, Patrick, sprawled pajama-clad on the couch, gazing slack-jawed at a hyperkinetic Japanese anime on the tube. “Hey,” Becky said.
    His eyes snapped into focus. “Aunt Becky!” He jumped up and hugged her.
    “How are you, Squirtle?” The nickname wasn’t going to fit him much longer. It looked like he had shot up at least three inches since she last saw him.
    He wrinkled his nose in scorn. “Nobody’s into Pokémon anymore, Aunt Becky.”
    Uh-oh. Better rethink her Christmas gift. “Where are your folks?”
    Patrick collapsed back onto the couch. “Dad’s taking Alex to a meet. Mom’s sewing.”
    Just then, her sister bellowed, “Patrick! You had better be in your clothes, young man. You’re going to Grandma’s in five minutes!”
    “Okay, Mom!” Patrick didn’t move.
    Becky crossed through the kitchen to the sun-splashed addition James had built four years back. It was a dining room–family room–sewing room ell, and she could hear Bonnie before she could see her, the sewing machine whirring, her sister muttering under her breath.
    “Don’t let me startle you,” Becky said.
    Bonnie whipped around in her chair. “Good grief, what are you doing here?”
    “I’m on my way to Mom and Dad’s.” Becky slid a pile of folded fabric to one side and made herself at home on the built-in bench. The bright fabric, the sunshine, the hominess of the room lifted her spirits again. She smiled smugly. “I’m going to be at the signing of the Haudenosaunee land transfer to the conservancy tonight.”
    “Believe me, I know. Mom hasn’t stopped talking about it. Neither has Dad.”
    “Is he still pissed at me?”
    “Who knows. He’s tearing what hair he has left out over selling the lumbering company. But he’s also bragging about ‘our college girl.’” Bonnie turned back to her machine. “While you’re wining and dining with the upper crust, be sure to check out these curtains. Made by yours truly.”
    “You’re making curtains for the new hotel?”
    “Linda Van Alstyne got the contract. There are two other seamstresses besides me on the job.”
    “Shouldn’t they be done already? I mean, the grand opening is tonight.”
    Bonnie looked at her sideways. “Thanks for the reminder. Yes, they should already be done. I’ve got at least two carloads to run up to the spa, and I still have to take Pat to Mom’s.”
    “He can come with me.”
    “Really? That would save me a half hour.”
    “Sure. I don’t have anything to do until later this morning.” She opened her mouth to tell her sister about her other responsibilities for the Haudenosaunee land transfer, then closed her trap. Her sister got the brunt of their parents’ opinions on Becky’s life. Bragging about how great she was would be uncool. She needed to be sensitive to her sister’s position. Like Millie, who had always been careful not to draw attention to the fact that her family was richer than Croesus. Millie.
    “I tried to call Millie this morning, and she’s gone missing.”
    Bonnie raised her eyebrows without taking her eyes off the raw silk gliding beneath her needle.
    “According to the housekeeper, she went out for a walk last night and got lost. The search and rescue team is looking for her.”
    “What’s the big deal?” Bonnie stopped the machine. “She’s probably out there somewhere with a knapsack on her back. Val-de-ree, val-de-rah.” She pulled the curtain forward and snipped the trailing threads with her scissors.
    “She