Doubting Thomas (Tarnished Saints Series) by Elizabeth Rose Read Free Book Online Page B

plush apartment, soaking in a bubble bath reading a romance novel, sipping on champagne and eating bon bons. She wasn’t the kind to come traipsing through the woods just for a morning hike. She wanted something. She was looking for something. Well, whatever it was, he was going to make sure she didn’t find it.

Chapter 4
     
     
    Angel knew she should heed Thomas’s warning and not go back on his property, but she had no choice. She promised to call Tillie soon, and she had to get the information she needed to reassure her friend that her aunt and uncle were safe, and Thomas was not to be feared.
    She toyed with the idea of just marching up to the Taylor’s front door and announcing the fact she was from CPS, and that he needed to let her in so she could find out if she had to take his children away or not.
    Never, in a month of Sundays would that work. Thomas Taylor would never let her in then. He’d probably aim that shotgun right at her, and for all she knew, he may use it on her as well. No, she had to go back under false pretense, as much as she hated to be deceitful. It was either that, or call in the cops. But she didn’t want to humiliate the man if he really was doing nothing wrong. Besides, she reminded herself, this wasn’t a case yet. It was nothing more than an unofficial visit.
    She finished up lunch with Gabby and the Ainsleys, and met the other boarder. The man’s name was Nat Finster, and he just happened to be a newspaper reporter here on a few weeks of rest and relaxation. She didn’t dare bring up the subject of  Thomas Taylor now. Thomas had seemed leery of reporters. If Nat got wind of all the gossip on the lake, he was sure to head on over to Thomas’s place himself. But since he’d only arrived last night, she figured there was a good chance he hadn’t heard of Thomas yet.
    “You know,” said Agnes, cleaning up the lunch plates, scurrying around as usual. “Your little girl, Gabby, is a true pleasure to have around.”
    “I’m not little,” Gabby corrected her in her most grown-up voice. “After all, I am almost nine.”
    “You just turned eight,” Angel corrected her. “Don’t rush things, Gabby. Enjoy being a kid while you can. Believe me, being a grown-up isn’t as much fun.”
    “So, what do you do for a living, Ms. DeMitri?” asked Nat, pouring himself a glass of iced tea. The man was in his thirties, severely overweight, and had greased-back black hair and contacts that obviously didn’t fit right because he blinked twice as much as anyone should.
    “I . . . work with children.” It wasn’t an all-out lie. She just didn’t expound on her explanation. “I’m on vacation right now and decided to spend some time with Gabby.”
    “Oh, so you’re a school teacher,” said Clarence, getting up to help his wife clear the table. “I bet you see all kinds of things and hear all sorts of stories from those kids. And I bet they’re all doing drugs and smoking aren’t they? Things aren’t the way they used to be when I was in school.”
    Angel looked at Gabby with her ‘hush hush’ stare, hoping she’d keep her mouth closed. Angel had asked Gabby not to tell anyone at the lake what she really did for a living. She told her that would give them more privacy and time to be together. Gabby had agreed. Now, she hoped she wouldn’t go back on her word.
    “Well I . . .”
    “Now, Clarence, don’t start in again with your old school stories. Nobody wants to hear them,” Agnes scolded from the sink.
    Angel breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for the interruption. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go out for a walk.”
    “Can I come too, Mommy?”
    “No, honey. Why don’t you stay here and keep the Ainsleys company for a bit? I’ll be back soon, and then we can spend some time fishing or whatever you want to do.”
    “You can help me bake cookies,” said Agnes to the girl. “Then we can frost that chocolate cake I baked this morning.”
    Gabby gave her