Gunpowder Chowder by Lyndsey Cole Read Free Book Online Page A

difficult age all right, and if he doesn’t figure something out, he won’t have to worry about what he’ll be doing for the rest of his life.”
    Silence filled the car. Hannah couldn’t help but think about the teenagers she saw on the beach the night before Vern was shot. What were they doing? Just looking for a place to hang out and get drunk? Or something more sinister?
    Hannah parked Jack’s car next to Cal’s truck in front of her cottage. Another car was parked to the side and she could see someone standing on the beach looking out over the ocean.
    “Are you expecting company?” Cal asked.
    Hannah puckered her lips. “No, but my life has been filled with the unexpected lately, so why not one more event for the day.”
    When she slammed the car door closed, the woman on the beach turned around and waved. She held the hand of a child. Her short brown hair blew around, covering her face. Hannah squinted, trying to figure out if she knew this person or if she was only being friendly.
    Suddenly, she put two and two together. Running to the beach with Nellie hot on her heels, Hannah embraced the woman and they stood joined together, squealing and doing a happy dance for several minutes.

Chapter 7
     
    Hannah picked up the little girl and twirled her around in circles. They both screeched and laughed.
    “I can’t believe you’re here, Olivia.” Hannah set her niece down, keeping hold of her hand, and wrapped her other arm around her sister Ruby. She looked at Jack and Cal watching her. “Come on.” She started walking back toward the cottages. “What a surprise,” Hannah said, still in shock that her sister showed up out of the blue.
    “Really Hannah? You’re surprised? I heard about the murder on the news and you never called to tell me you arrived safely. You haven’t answered my messages. What is going on?” Ruby scolded her younger sister.
    “Yeah, the murder. Everything’s been so crazy since I arrived. Sorry, I should have known you’d be worried, but without a T.V. blasting constant coverage of the murder in my face, I guess I forgot you would hear about it.”
    They walked through the sand in silence except for Olivia, now walking and holding Hannah’s hand. She chattered away happily to Nellie. “My name is Olivia but you can call me Liv. What’s your name?”
    Hannah laughed. “Olivia, the dog’s name is Nellie. Isn’t she adorable?”
    Ruby glared. “She’s allergic, you know.”
    “Mommy, I luv Nellie. Are we going to stay here with Aunt Hannah and Nellie?”
    “We’ll see, dear.”
    “You’ve got your first company, Hannah. What a surprise,” Jack said.
    Hannah introduced Ruby and Olivia to Jack and Cal.
    Cal crouched down, petting Nellie while he talked to Olivia. “Hi, my name is Cal. I see you have a new friend already.”
    Olivia’s face lit up and her grin went from ear to ear. She wrapped her arms around Nellie’s neck who was a good sport and didn’t squirm too much. Instead, her head twisted toward Olivia and her tongue traveled from Olivia’s chin to her forehead.
    Ruby picked her daughter up. “Hannah, where can I wash her up before she breaks out in a rash?”
    Hannah rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about her so much. Let her be a kid and enjoy herself. Let’s pull some chairs outside so we can enjoy the rest of this sunny afternoon. I don’t imagine this mild weather will last for the whole winter.”
    Ruby let out a deep sigh. “Okay. That’s probably the only way I’ll get you to fill me in on what’s going on around here.”
    Hannah said a silent thank you that Cal and Jack weren’t deserting her. As much as she loved her sister, she knew Ruby arrived with an agenda and it probably wasn’t a good one. Ruby always knew what was best for Hannah, at least she thought she did, and Hannah was definitely not up for any battles with everything else that was suddenly on her plate.
    Cal found four chairs and a small rocker just the right size for