“No,” I said. “Mom asked me to keep you away from her coffin. You’re going to tell me why.”

Her hand dropped. She glanced toward Mom, and swallowed. “I’ve been investigating Lake Maren for months,” she said. “Does the name June mean anything to either of you?”

Chapter 9 — June

Pearl grabbed the nearest pew. “June was Dorothy’s cousin,” she said. “They looked like sisters. June vanished after you were brought home, Nicole.”
Nicole opened her purse and took out a folder of records.

Two ancestry tests showed we were close relatives but not full sisters — most likely first cousins.

Her birth certificate had been filed months after her birth, and named a clinic that had already closed by the date on the document.

“I thought the tests were wrong,” Nicole said.