Obsession & Eyewitness. Carol Ericson

mother, like daughter?

      Different unknown sender from last month, same message. And just like last month, she deleted the email without opening it or reading it and then cleared her delete folder. She didn’t know if the message contained more content than the insidious question, and she didn’t want to find out.

      She jumped at the sharp rap on her front door and slammed her laptop shut, as if that could banish the disturbing email from her mind. She dropped the math quizzes she had to grade on top of the computer and crept to the door. Twitching back the curtain on the window, she blew out a deep breath and waved at Amanda, her best friend.

      Amanda banged on the door and yelled, “Don’t just stand there gawking. Let me in, already.”

      Michelle swung open the door, and Amanda charged across the threshold, gripping her upper arms, a sweater draped around her shoulders. She gave an exaggerated shiver. “This June gloom sucks.”

      Michelle peered outside at the once-sunny day now shrouded in a slow-moving fog rolling in from the beach. June days in the little coastal town of Coral Cove usually started out overcast and ended that way.

      She snapped the door shut and turned to survey her friend. “What are you doing here, and why are you all dressed up?”

      “This old thing?” Amanda glanced down at her shimmering summer dress and plucked at the floral skirt as her sweater slipped to the floor.

      “Since you usually work at home in sweats and a T-shirt, there must be some special occasion.” Michelle crossed her arms, waiting for news of Amanda’s next harebrained scheme. She adored her friend, but she was as flighty as a butterfly in a gust of wind.

      “You have to point that out, don’t you?” She adjusted the bodice of her dress and spread her arms out, pausing theatrically. “Colin Roarke is back in town.”

      Michelle raised one brow. “Colin Roarke?”

      “Oh, please. Even you with your bookish ways and band of nerds must’ve heard of the Roarke brothers in high school.” She tousled her blond-streaked hair and took a twirl around the room. “Colin was four years ahead of us and Kieran was six years ahead.”

      “Of course I’ve heard of them.” Michelle dipped to scoop up Amanda’s sweater from the floor, her hair sweeping across her suddenly flushed cheeks. She hadn’t given Colin Roarke much thought since she’d had a mad, useless, crazy crush on him in high school.

      “I know they both got football scholarships to college. The family lived down the road from here.” Michelle tilted her head. “Didn’t the parents retire to Hawaii or something? The dad made a killing in the dot-com industry and pulled out before it all went bust.”

      Amanda’s mouth hung open. “Who cares about their parents? Colin is back in town, and he’s hotter and hunkier than ever, or so I’ve heard. I haven’t had a peek at him yet, but we’re about to remedy that.”

      “You’re going to check out Colin Roarke?” Michelle laughed. Amanda and her husband had separated exactly two months ago, and she spent all her time trying to make him jealous.

      “And you’re coming with me, so I don’t look too obvious.”

      Michelle smirked. “Yeah, wouldn’t want to look too obvious. Where is this rare specimen of hunky manhood and what’s he doing back in town? We’re the ones with the ten-year reunion this summer.”

      Amanda formed a pout with her lipsticked mouth. “Too bad Colin wasn’t in our class. Maybe I could’ve snagged him instead of that loser Ryan.”

      Michelle clicked her tongue feeling like a schoolmarm. “Ryan is not a loser. He’s a good cop and he loves you.”

      “He cheated on me.”

      “Not exactly. He sent some inappropriate emails to a woman in another state.” Michelle’s gaze darted to her closed-up laptop. Those inappropriate emails seemed to be contagious.

      Amanda brushed her hands together. “Whatever. Are you coming with me or not? Colin’s at Burgers and Brews, but we’ll miss him if you dawdle.”

      “Early dinner?” Michelle dropped Amanda’s sweater across the arm of a chair and checked her watch.

      She really had to get those quizzes graded so she could enjoy the rest of her weekend, but she welcomed Amanda’s interruption. That email, the second in two months, had spooked her, and she didn’t relish the thought of hunkering down in her beach cottage alone as the fog pressed in on her.

      “Sure. That’s a good excuse.” Amanda grabbed Michelle’s purse from the table by the window and tossed it to her.

      A short drive later in Amanda’s Mercedes, they rolled into the center of town. Michelle rubbed a circle in the condensation on the window and peered outside. “You can actually see more than ten feet in front of you here, but that’s not going to last long. The fog’s on its way.”

      “And I’m on my way to meet Colin.” Amanda threw her car into Park and cut the engine.

      Michelle struggled into her sweater as she climbed from the car. “You never did tell me what he’s doing back in town. Visiting old friends?”

      “That’s what he’s doing at Bryan’s restaurant.” Hunching forward, Amanda dabbed at her lipstick in the side mirror. “He was good friends with Bryan Sotelo, but I think he’s here on a case.”

      “A case?” Michelle hugged the sweater around her body against the cool, moist air seeping into her skin. From the town grapevine, she’d heard that Colin had become an FBI agent after returning from Afghanistan to a hero’s welcome. There had been some tragedy over there involving his older brother.

      “Something about Tiffany Gunderson’s accident.”

      Michelle wrinkled her nose. “The FBI doesn’t investigate accidents. She fell down an elevator shaft and broke her neck. It didn’t even happen here in Coral Cove. Do they suspect foul play?”

      “How am I supposed to know that? You sound exactly like my husband.” Amanda grabbed Michelle’s arm. “Let’s go before Colin leaves.”

      “Hi, Ms. Girard.”

      Michelle turned toward the two voices, the greeting spoken in unison. Four of her students lounged on the bench outside the local pizza place. The two girls waved, their long, skinny legs encased in short shorts and furry boots. The two boys perched on the arms of the bench, their hoods pulled up over their heads, matching teenaged smirks on their faces.

      Michelle’s heart lurched for a moment before she waved and pasted on a smile. “Enjoy your weekend.”

      Could one of her students be behind the annoying emails? They probably wouldn’t know her history, but their parents might. She hadn’t thought of reporting the emails to the police, but a third one might constitute harassment.

      Amanda sighed. “Sorry. I forgot it was dollar night at Vinnie’s, and some of your snot-nosed students would be hanging around. Just didn’t think they’d be here this early.”

      “Sydney and Maddie are nice girls. I don’t mind running into my students as long as I’m not doing something stupid.”

      “You never do anything stupid, Michelle. Remember dollar nights at Vinnie’s? We just used it as an excuse to hook up with guys in the back parking lot.” Amanda clapped a hand over her mouth.

      Michelle shrugged. “Yeah, I never spent a lot of time at Vinnie’s in high school.”

      “I’m sorry, sweetie.” Amanda pulled her close in a one-armed hug. “Teenagers can be so cruel.”

       Cruel enough to send hurtful emails?

      Laughing, Michelle returned the hug. Amanda had been one of the girls who’d shunned her in high school, but they’d become good friends since Michelle had helped Amanda set up an accounting system for