"Well?" Piper"s question was loaded with many small questions, and she waited for Joel"s answer.
"Coffee first," he replied.
Piper knew he was stalling, but she played along. She had no idea what he had seen inside the house, or whether it was something that bothered him. Since she didn"t want him to clam up on her, she gave him the space he needed and grabbed a cup from the cupboard. Busying herself, she prepared his drink the way he liked it, giving him a few moments before she asked any other questions.
Taking the coffee from her, Joel joined the rest of Piper"s family and neighbors sitting around the dining room table. After taking a few sips, he looked up at them and asked his own questions, rather than answering Piper"s.
"Who was the first to find Lily Strauss?" was his first que
