"Sit down and I'll pour some coffee," she said over her shoulder.
"I can get it." He poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. For a few minutes he sipped it in silence. Finally he spoke.
"I thought I heard you crying this morning. Was it something I said last night?"
"No. I just had a bad dream."
"Was I in it?"
"No. Well yes, but so were other people." She started placing biscuits in the waiting pan. It wasn't something she wanted to talk about. "It wasn't about you." More likely it stemmed from the fact that she had not gone to the house yet. "I'm going to go to the house this evening and get a few things."
"Do you need help?"
"No. I only wanted to pick up a few pictures and pay some bills."
"I'll go with you if you want me to."
"Thanks, but I'd rather go alone. No offense intended."
"None taken." He picked up his coffee. "It's a nice cool morning. Why don't we all eat out on the patio?"
"Sure."
After he left the room, Tammy came in, rubbing her eyes. Lisa smiled at her.
"Good morning Tammy. Are you wiping the sleep from your eyes?"
Without a word, Tammy ran to her. Lisa washed her hands and put the biscuits in the oven before picking her up. Tammy wrapped an arm around Lisa's neck and laid a soft curly head on her shoulder. Lisa kissed her forehead. They had grown so close. Maybe that was what the dream was about - shifting from one family to the next. Allen was the past and Yancey the future. Dream interpretation certainly wasn't her forte'. In fact, until the death of her family, she rarely ever dreamed - or at least didn't remember them.
After breakfast she started the laundry while Sarah and Tammy watched a morning children's program. Yancey was down the trail to whatever he did for a living. As she picked up one of his shirts, she smelled the same odor she had smelled last night. She stood for a moment, trying to remember what the smell was. A small plastic bag fell out of the pocket. She bent over and picked it up, discovering that it had a little white powder in the bottom. Tucking the clothes into the washer, she opened the bag and smelled the contents. It had a sweet smell. She tucked it in her pocket. Today while she was in town, she'd ask Connie if she knew what it was. Asking Len might get better answers, but it also might get Yancey in trouble. If he was guilty, he probably deserved it, but is family didn't. And she still found it hard to believe he was guilty. If she could only get inside that building. Maybe next time Sarah went shopping . . . and Yancey wasn't at home. That might be never.