A Flight of Fantasy (Sarah Woods Mystery 12) by Jennifer L. Jennings Read Free Book Online Page B

were all kinds of classy outfits.  Most of her attire was casual, like one would expect of a guidance counselor. Some of the dresses were brand names that I could never afford in a million years. I wondered if she bought these outfits herself, or if she had a sugar daddy somewhere who bought her expensive gifts. Might even be one of her Johns. Or maybe she purchased them used at a second hand store. At any rate, she had style and a great body to wear it well.
    I spent a good ten minutes sifting through her things and found nothing. Not one shred of evidence to suggest she was doing anything nefarious, other than selling her body illegally. I had never really considered prostitution to be a crime, considering both parties were consenting adults. As long as they practiced safely, it was just another business transaction. In fact, some women loved having sex with lots of strangers. Why not get paid for it?
    Not that I’d ever consider doing it myself and I’d certainly never encourage someone I loved to do it. Frankly, the thought of it disgusts me. I’d had enough creeps proposition me while I was a massage therapist. It was one of the reasons I wanted to leave the profession.
    Paying attention to the time, I realized I had been inside Rita’s house for almost twenty minutes. Time to go before my luck ran out.
    As I exited the front door, I made sure to lock up. I removed my gloves and stuffed them in my purse. I confidently walked down the front steps and made my way across the street toward the car, but the Buick was gone.
    I stopped in my tracks and looked around the neighborhood, as nonchalantly as possible. Where had Carter gone?
    I decided to keep walking up the street to where the Buick should have been. Maybe things didn’t work out with the neighbor, and Carter had to leave the area immediately.
    I checked my cell phone and realized that he had left a text message.
    I moved the car. Walk three blocks toward the main street and you’ll find me there.
    When I finally caught up to him, he was leaning on the front bumper, a cup of coffee in each hand. “How’d it go?” he asked, handing me one of them.
    “The house is pristine.” I took a long sip of the hot liquid. “But I couldn’t find anything. If she’s been stealing identities, she keeps all that information in a safe place. Maybe she has a storage unit. Or maybe she keeps stuff at her work office.”
    “I was able to get some information from the neighbor who calls herself Bunny. She wears bifocals and must be in her late seventies. I don’t think she can see beyond three feet. There was no chance she would have seen you going into Reece’s house.”
    “Who did she think you were?”
    “I told her I was from the Town Water District, checking the quality of the tap water in the neighborhood. Poor woman doesn’t get many visitors. She offered to make me lunch.” He patted his belly. “I’ve had worse peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
    “You ate the old woman’s food?” I teased. “How could you stoop so low?”
    He shrugged. “What can I say? It’s not often you get a free lunch in this world.”
    I rolled my eyes, knowing just how Carter could endear himself to a total stranger in a matter of minutes, especially the sweet old unsuspecting ladies. “Did you get any other information from her?”
    “Yes. She told me she watches the neighbor’s daughter a few nights a week. She really seems to love the girl. Hand painted pictures all over her fridge.”
    “Did you ask her about Reece?”
    “Sort of, without trying to sound too nosy, but all she said was that Reece’s husband had left them a few years ago. She seems to think it was because of the daughter’s condition.”
    “That’s interesting,” I said. “Because I noticed that Rita had a dozen credit cards, all maxed out. Her husband’s name was on all of them. I wonder if he racked up all that debt right before he left. What a jerk.”
    “No kidding.”
    After I finished