6.2

“They had a younger sister, Josephine. Her husband died young, shortly after they’d all settled here. She wasn’t even twenty yet, had two babies already, both sons. Story goes that Jo’s husband died soon after Jed had taken off, so Jeremiah took her under his roof and helped raise her kids. Not as his own, per se, but they were Blues, nonetheless. And—Cove history is wishy-washy on this, though I’m sure Jonah has records somewhere—but whatever his sister’s married name had been, those kids used the surname Blue. Jonah descends from them.”

Calder took a moment, letting all the information settle a bit.

“You have family?” Owen asked.

“No kids, if that’s what you mean. I have three brothers. All younger.” He smiled at Owen’s wide eyes. “Two are married, two daughters apiece. The baby is still in college. Not a one of them cares a lick about what’s going on out here.” They’re too busy arguing with me. “So . . . yeah, we weren’t really raised to even think about this side.”

“Well, Brooks w