Donovans 01 - Amber Beach

disappeared along with Kyle?”
    “Who said anything about a shipment of amber pearing?”
    “The cops.”
    Archer grunted. “Not good. Someone is telling tales out of school.”
    “Don’t look at me. You haven’t told me anything except to come here and wait. Is it true?”
    “What?”
    “Did Kyle disappear along with a fortune in stolen Baltic amber?”
    “I don’t know. Is that what the cops are saying?”
    “Implying,” she said distinctly. “There’s a difference. The difference between being questioned and being charged. What about Lawe? Where is he?”
    “Last I heard, he was still in Lithuania.”
    “What about Justin?”
    “Kaliningrad,” Archer said. “Is Faith with you?”
    “No. She’s on her way back to San Francisco from Tokyo. She’s going to spend a few weeks in Hawaii along the way.”
    “For these small things, Lord, I am grateful.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means that you and your dear twin get into more trouble together than apart.”
    “The same could be said of Lawe and Justin,” she pointed out. “But look on the bright side.”
    “Show it to me.”
    “Mom could have had three girls. Faith, Honor, and Chastity. Can you imagine being saddled with a sister called Chastity?”
    Her brother laughed, surprising both of them. “Thanks, I needed that.”
    “What?”
    “A laugh.”
    Honor’s smile was as sad as her eyes. “Archer?”
    “Yeah?”
    “You think he’s still alive, don’t you?”
    The static had never sounded more unnerving. She held her breath, waiting.
    “Until I see the body . . .” Archer’s voice faded.
    “Yes.” She took a harsh breath. “Kyle isn’t a thief or a murderer!”
    Silence stretched. A chill went over Honor.
    “Archer?”
    “Kyle was thinking with his hormones.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “Some little prick tease had him tied up in knots.”
    “Are you saying that Kyle wanted this woman enough to steal for her?” Honor asked.
    Eyes closed, breath held, she waited for Archer’s answer. All that came was silence followed by static. After too long her brother swore wearily, drowning out the static. In her mind she saw him raking his fingers through his dark hair in a gesture of frustration that all of the Donovan men shared.
    “We don’t know what happened,” he said. “The evidence against Kyle looks good. Too damned good. Almost like . . .”
    Again, Archer’s voice faded into static.
    “Keep talking,” she said. “Tell me you don’t think what the cops think about Kyle.”
    “That he’s guilty of theft?”
    “And murder.”
    “Whatever happened, I think that the explanations I’m hearing are too tidy.”
    “What makes you say that?”
    “Too long and involved. Just take my word for it.”
    “But—”
    “Have you checked the boat?” Archer interrupted.
    “For something smaller than my six-feet, two-inch brother?” she asked sweetly.
    “Never mind. I’m sending you back home.”
    “What? I just got here.”
    “You’re leaving.”
    “What about Kyle’s boat?”
    “Stay off it. Even tied at the dock, the Tomorrow is way out of your league. Pack up, Hornet. Go on back home and design gemmy little knickknacks for Faith.”
    Honor hated that particular nickname. She also hated being treated like she was addicted to all-day suckers.
    “Archer, you—”
    “If the cops bother you before you leave,” he said, talking over her, “sic one of Donovan International’s lawyers on them.”
    “What about reporters?” she asked tightly.
    “No comment.”
    “No problem. I don’t know anything.”
    “That’s the whole idea. Start packing.”
    “But—”
    She was talking into a dead phone. With a disgusted word she dropped the receiver back into the cradle. It would be a cold day in hell before she tamely packed her bags and left. She wasn’t some schoolgirl to be ordered around.
    “Trouble?” Jake asked.
    Honor jumped. She had forgotten she wasn’t alone. She spun around. Jake was standing a few feet away with a local newspaper in his hand. She wondered if he had read the mixture of half-truths and breathless speculation about Kyle Donovan, a mysterious corpse, and missing amber that passed for news in the morning edition of the Fidalgo Island Patriot .
    “Family,” she said tersely. “Can’t live with them and they won’t let you live without them.”
    Jake made a sound that could have been understanding, but it was hard to tell with a growl. She chose to believe the