Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack Read Free Book Online

himself. And what would Jack need to talk to Anne for anyway? He’d moved out
just weeks after Anne had moved in. To Sadie’s knowledge, they had never met
other than the brief introduction she had given them one evening. There were so
many missing pieces of this puzzle that Sadie didn’t even know where to start.
    “Please give me an hour,” Ron asked again. “Please.”
    Sadie just shook her head, as much to say no to his request as
to communicate how unbelievable this all was.
    “Can’t you trust me?” he asked. “Just a little.”
    “Trust you?” Sadie repeated.
    “I know it sounds crazy, but please. I love you, Sadie. I would
never do anything to hurt you. I promise to tell you everything I know—just
let me get a few answers first. Please.” He paused, looking at her, and she
could feel her resolve crumbling. They had shared so much, been so important to
each other. Didn’t that earn him an hour?
    She nodded before realizing she’d made the decision. He pulled
her into another embrace, and this time she found herself clinging tightly to
him, pushing away the defenses that had risen a few minutes ago, and choosing
to believe he meant what he said—that he wasn’t responsible for
Anne’s death and that through him, she’d get some answers. He pulled back and
she let him kiss her, but it was flat.
    “I’ll be back in an hour,” he said as he hurried for the
door.
    The timer for the applesauce started beeping. She ignored it,
shutting the door behind him and resting her back against the door. She looked
at the clock—10:48. For little more than an hour she’d known that Anne
was dead and Trevor was missing. She felt as if her entire world had been
turned upside down.

Chapter 6

    After
removing the hot jars from the canner, Sadie put another batch of jars into the
boiling water, wishing she’d been able to add ginger. Carrie’s car drove back
out of the cul-de-sac ten minutes after Ron had
left—reminding Sadie that she hadn’t talked to her
sister-in-law yet. A year ago Carrie would have been one of the
first people Sadie sought out. Jack’s leaving had changed everything. When he’d
been here, they’d all felt like one big family—at least to
Sadie.
    After Neil died, having Jack close had been such a blessing.
Neil had lost his own father when he was young, so he’d made sure that his
family would be cared for, should something happen to him. Jack had not only
helped manage and invest Neil’s insurance policy to ensure Sadie would have
financial security for the rest of her life, but he’d also been a shoulder for
her to cry on and strong arms to lift her children when she couldn’t do it
herself. Though ten years younger than Sadie, Jack had come to her rescue
better than any big brother ever could.
    The ringing phone brought to mind how silent the house was. The
caller ID read Garrison Hospital. She picked up the phone and said a breathless
“Hello?”
    “Sadie? It’s Mindy.”
    Her neighbor, Mindy Bailey, worked part-time at a
dermatologist’s office located in the medical complex connected to the
hospital; Sadie would have assumed the doctor’s name would have come up on the
caller ID, not the hospital.
    “Mindy,” Sadie said, “how are you?”
    “I’m just fine except for what I heard about Anne—is
it true?” Mindy was one of those hyperactive women who talked and moved faster
than everyone else around her. The fact that she had a horrible Dr. Pepper
addiction didn’t help. In a word, the woman was exhausting. Before Sadie could
answer the question, Mindy continued.
    “I just got off the phone with Steve who said he heard about
Anne on the police scanner they always have on in the back office. Can you
believe it? Do you know what happened? Steve just left to go talk to the
police, and I’m just sick about the news—and that poor boy! I
sure hope the police find out who did it—that’s why I’m calling
you. I told Dr. Paxton and he said he could call his wife to