Blue Twilight Read Free Page B

car. He left room behind the van for Maxie’s Bug. When he got out, he moved behind it to mess around with the tow bar.
    Stormy came walking over to join Max in the garage. “He’s coming with us, isn’t he?” she asked.
    Max smiled. “Well, he couldn’t very well let me drive, once he saw how likely I was to get killed on the way. Could he?”
    â€œThat was pretty risky, Max. Suppose Mr. Robbins had smashed into you?”
    â€œHe had plenty of room to stop. I’m not stupid.”
    â€œNo, no, you’re far from stupid,” Stormy said, shaking her head.
    Max tossed her a set of keys. “Do me a favor and pull my car out of the garage and around behind the van, so Lou can hook it to the tow bar?”
    â€œSure.” Stormy got into Maxine’s car and pulled it carefully out of the garage, past her own and into the road. Then she pulled it along the shoulder, behind the van.
    Max went out to where Lou’s car was parked and saw that the keys were still in the switch. She started it up and drove it into the now-empty spot in the garage. When she got out, she glanced into the back seat. There was a big satchel there, stuffed to bursting, along with a cooler of beer and plenty of fishing gear. She glanced outside.
    Stormy and Lou were busy behind the van, hitching up Max’s car.
    Licking her lips, Maxine reached into the back seat and snatched the satchel. She took it into the driveway and tucked it into Stormy’s car. “Quick and sly as a fox on a caffeine high,” she muttered. Then she went back to the garage to close it up. By the time she finished, Lou had her car ready to go. She waltzed out to the van and handed him his keys.
    â€œYour Buick is in my garage, Lou. It’ll be safe and sound there until you get back.”
    He looked at her suspiciously.
    Stormy tapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t lose me. I’ll be right behind you guys, okay?”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œKeep the cell phones turned on.”
    â€œWill do,” Maxie said, wondering why Stormy seemed nervous about the trip. “Honey, are you worried about something?”
    Stormy denied it a little too quickly. “I have the directions and everything, I’m just worried I’ll get lost. So don’t drive too fast.” She hurried to her car and started the engine. As far as Max could tell, she didn’t even notice the extra bag behind the passenger seat. Not that she would say anything if she did. Storm was on her side in this.
    In everything. She was Max’s best friend—which was why Max knew her well enough to be worried about the drive. Storm was not herself, and hadn’t been, not since the coma.
    Max reached for Lou, deciding to take advantage of another opportunity for physical contact. “Help me into this thing?” she asked, standing next to the passenger door.
    He pursed his lips, but she didn’t care, because he put his hands on her again to do as she asked.
    â€œI’m not staying, Maxie,” he said, one hand on the small of her back, the other bracing her forearm as she climbed into the truck.
    â€œQuit saying that, Lou. I got it already.”
    Lou walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. Maxie fastened her seat belt, settled in for the long ride, and told herself she had the next eight hours to figure out how she was going to convince Lou to stay with her in Maine.
    Failure was not an option she even bothered to consider.

2
    S tormy drove along behind the yellow van and told herself everything was going to be fine. She visualized a bright future, she and Max with their own private investigations agency: SIS. Supernatural Investigations Services—because that would be their specialty. Max had assured her, though, that they wouldn’t turn down ordinary types of cases. The acronym “sis” was, Max said, as much in honor of her own newfound twin sister, Morgan, as it was in