AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"There are a couple of men who've approached me who seem to be friends with my mother," I interjected. "I noted them on the sheet. Mark Harrison said he met my mother at the Harding School of the Arts, where his stepdaughter goes. Tom Wells is a neighbor who said he dated my mother in the past, but he hasn't seen her in a while."
"I'll track them both down, and I will call you as soon as I learn anything."
I felt a wave of relief at his words. I knew the police were working on the case, but this man was working for me. "Thank you."
He got to his feet. "Take care."
As Jeremy left, I turned to Kade. "I feel like a weight just slipped off my shoulders. He seems like he knows what he's doing, right?"
"I don't know. He said little about his experience or his tactics."
My relief dimmed. "You're right. But my brother-in-law, Steve, knows him. He wouldn't send me to anyone who wasn't good. At least, we have someone digging into things."
"It definitely can't hurt."
As a burst of loud conversation rang out near us, I realized how crowded the bar was getting. "We should go."
"I agree. There's a pizza place on the way back to the house. Should we pick up some food? Or are you eager to find a hotel?"
"I never say no to pizza," I said. But as I followed Kade out of the bar, I wondered if I should start saying no to him. He was becoming very entwined in my life, and he had an odd connection to my mother. I could hear Dani screaming in my head not to ignore the big red flags.
But it was just pizza. And Kade was the only friend I had in the city, the only one who could understand what I was going through, because he was now going through it, too. It wasn't a coincidence that he'd ended up in my mother's house. She'd wanted him there, and we both needed to know why.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
After picking up pizza,we returned home around eight thirty. I walked up the steps with trepidation, seeing several boxes and bags on the front porch. The flowers that Tom Wells had given me were still there, as well as a second bouquet, a plastic-wrapped bag of cookies tied with a bright red ribbon, a fruit basket, and a couple of cards.
"My mom has friends who care about her," I murmured.
"Like I told you the first time you asked, Laura is a really nice person."
The sound of footsteps drew my head around, and Kade stepped in front of me as someone came up the path. Then he relaxed and moved to the side as a middle-aged woman came into view.
"Brenda," he said.
"I was hoping to catch you, Kade," Brenda replied. "Do you know how Laura is doing?" She halted when she saw me. "Oh," she said in surprise. "Who…who are you?"
"I'm Laura's daughter. Brynn Landry."
"Her daughter?" the woman echoed in surprise. "I heard someone was staying at the house, a young female relative, but I didn't know Laura had a daughter."
"She does," I said shortly.
"I'm sorry that I'm staring. You just look so much like Laura. I'm Brenda Palmer. I live a few blocks away. Laura and I are in book club together." She held up a book. "I thought maybe you could take this to her in the hospital. She can read while she's recovering."
I took the book out of her hand. "I can do that, but she's not conscious right now."
Brenda's jaw dropped. "She's not? I thought she was out of surgery and doing better."
"She's holding her own, but she's not awake yet."
"Well, I really hope and pray that will happen soon."
"Me, too. How many people are in the book group?" I asked.
"About a dozen. It depends on the day."
I looked down at the book jacket, which was a beautiful fantasy image. "She likes fantasy, huh?"
