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keep anything from you?”
    He held my face in his hands. “I’ll show you,” he whispered and then his mouth came down ruthlessly on mine.

Chapter Three
     
    The following morning, after Dallas had gone for his daily run and my father had left for the office, I was alone in my room reading through the press releases for my new novel, Unfinished Business. I thought I was finally going to get some work done, but a gentle rap at my bedroom door interrupted me. With a frustrated sigh, I got up from my bed and headed to the door.
    “ Hello, Uncle Lance,” I said cheerfully on seeing my uncle standing outside of my bedroom door. I stood on my toes to kiss him on the cheek and then walked back over to my bed. “Did Dad call you to come over and keep me away from all sharp objects, or are you here to raid the bar again?” I asked as I reached for my papers.
    Uncle Lance followed me into the room and took a seat on the chair next to my bed. “After your scene at the wedding yesterday, your old man thinks you have lost it completely. He asked me to stop over on my way to Val’s and check up on you. Where’s spy boy?”
    “ Running. Maybe you should stop calling him that, Uncle Lance. Dallas is a boat builder now and not a spy.”
    “ Yeah, well, boat boy just doesn’t seem to suit a man like Dallas.” He stared at me for a moment. “Are you still seeing dead people?” he casually asked.
    “ Not yet, but the day is young,” I replied, smirking. “So why are you going to Val’s?”
    “ I’ve got to pick up her keys. She asked me to keep an eye on her place while she’s away on her cruise.”
    I looked over at my uncle for a moment. I was almost afraid to ask the question that was poised on my lips.
    “ Do you think I have lost it, Uncle Lance?” I hesitantly asked.
    “ I can’t help you there, kid. I lost it years ago and never want to find it again.” Uncle Lance leaned back in his chair. “Your father told me what you said happened in the morgue when you went to identify David’s body. He said you seem to think David is still alive. Do you think that, Nicci?”
    I smiled for my uncle. The same fake yet reassuring smile I had given to my father the night before.
    “ I’m just tired, Uncle Lance. I know that David is dead and I guess I was just…stressed about everything I have going on in my life.”
    Uncle Lance raised his perfectly shaped dark eyebrows at me. “Nice acting job, kid. If the writing gig doesn’t work out, try Hollywood.” He leaned in closer to me. “If you really feel David is still alive then let’s go and find out if it’s true.” He winked at me.
    Now there are a few rare moments in life when you have to let your guard down and, for an instant, trust another person. I carefully analyzed my uncle’s tan face and wondered if this was one of those particular moments or, if like most experiences in life, it was a trick to discover my true intentions. I folded my arms across my chest and watched my uncle’s green eyes dance with mischief.
    “ What did you have in mind?” I finally questioned, hoping I had found an ally.
    Uncle Lance jumped up from his chair, clapping his hands with glee.
    “ I’m glad to see you have got some of me in that pigheaded brain of yours. Trust me, Nicci, crazy is my department and not your old man’s.” He thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “Now you think you didn’t bury David in Hammond. Right?”
    I raised my eyebrows warily. “So?”
    Uncle Lance smiled. “Why don’t you let me do a little digging? Find out if that’s really the case.”
    “ How do you propose to do that?”
    “ I’ve got connections.”
    I glared doubtfully at my uncle. “You’re connections usually do prison time for racketeering,” I commented, referring to my uncle’s notorious underworld friends.
    “ Don’t need those kinds of connections to do this type of digging. I called someone this morning to look over the police reports on David’s murder.” He