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offered work right here at the Inn, and I think she’d almost convinced herself to take it. Anna-Louise—she’s a minister here in town—said Beth had been talking a lot about taking that final step so she could get back in touch with her family. She must have been talking about you. It was the only clue we had that she had anyone in her life other than Tommy.”
    â€œShe didn’t have to prove anything to me,” he said, though he was relieved if she’d done all of that for her own sake. And for her son’s.
    â€œMaybe she thought she did. I’m sure she knew she let you down.”
    â€œThat didn’t matter,” Walker insisted. “I just wanted my baby sister to be okay.” He looked at her. “And now she’s dead,” he said bitterly. “What kind of brother does that make me?”
    â€œOne who did the best he could, I suspect.”
    He frowned at being let off the hook so easily. “No lectures?”
    â€œNot my job,” she assured him. “We can’t change the past, much as we might like to. I prefer to deal with the here and now.”
    â€œMeaning Tommy?” he guessed.
    She nodded. “Meaning Tommy.” She slid a snapshot across the table. “I thought you might like to see this.”
    Walker hesitated before picking it up. His hand shook as he lifted it off the table. He sucked in his breath as Beth’s blue eyes stared back at him. The boy had her crooked, mischievous grin, too.
    â€œI’ll bet he’s a handful,” he said finally.
    â€œOh, he is,” Mrs. Jackson said fervently. “Not that it’s much of a surprise. A boy all alone in the world has to find some way to deal with the fear. He’s been better since he’s been living with Daisy.”
    â€œDaisy?”
    â€œDaisy Spencer. The Spencers were founders of Trinity Harbor—not Daisy, of course, but her ancestors. Her daddy, King, is still the most respected man in town. The richest, too, by all accounts, though my own father disputed that with his dying breath.”
    â€œBad blood between the Spencers and your family?”
    â€œMore like an unending rivalry. King Spencer is the kind of man who doesn’t like anybody challenging his supremacy.”
    â€œIs his daughter the same way?”
    â€œNot at all. Daisy is a wonderful person.”
    â€œAnd she’s a foster parent?”
    â€œNot usually, no.”
    â€œHow does her husband feel about this?”
    â€œDaisy isn’t married.”
    Walker was beginning to get a clear picture of the woman. A society do-gooder looking to gain a few more points.
    â€œHow exactly did Tommy end up with her?”
    â€œShe found him in her garage the other morning after he’d run away from another foster home. He’s been acting out a lot since Beth died…mostly mischief, but clearly cries for help.”
    â€œAnd despite that, this Daisy just decided to let him stay?”
    â€œDaisy is a remarkable woman, as I’m sure you’ll see. She knew your sister and Tommy from church. She never hesitated about taking him in.”
    â€œMaybe we should leave things the way they are,” Walker said, trying not to flinch under Mrs. Jackson’s immediate frown of disapproval. “If Tommy’s been behaving since he moved in with her, maybe she’s just the person to keep him on the straight and narrow, to give him whatever he needs.”
    â€œYou would turn around and leave here without even seeing the boy?” she asked. “Is that what you’re saying?”
    â€œIt could be for the best,” he insisted.
    â€œPerhaps so,” she agreed stiffly. “But I thought you were made of tougher stuff than that, Detective.”
    â€œI’m just saying that this woman sounds like a good role model for Tommy.”
    â€œYou’re his uncle, ” she reminded him. “The only family he has left. You would