Let it Sew by Elizabeth Lynn Casey Read Free Book Online Page B

shrugged. “That always bothered
     me. It was like her words meant nothing any longer.”
    “You could come with me,” she suggested. “That way you could see the sketches with
     your own two eyes.”
    Despite her best efforts, Debbie’s squeal still managed to turn the heads of more
     than a few of her customers. “Oh, Victoria, thank you. I’d love that.”
    “Good. Then it’s settled.” Leaning to her left, Tori retrieved her backpack purse
     from the floor and hoisted it onto her shoulder. “And maybe, just maybe, Charlotte
     can rest easy knowing that someone saw what she saw at the end even if she couldn’t
     always put it into words.”

Chapter 5
    Despite the fact that Charlotte Devereaux’s address had them standing mere blocks
     from the town square, Tori couldn’t help feeling as if she were standing somewhere
     a lot closer to Beverly Hills, California, than Sweet Briar, South Carolina. The home
     itself was southern in so far as it was more plantation than modern mansion, but regardless,
     it was huge.
    The front columns that seemingly rose from the ground to support the two-story overhang
     were pristine white, gleaming against the brick exterior of a house more suitable
     for a family of ten than the four that had lived here for the better part of five
     decades.
    Yet as breathtaking as the home and the spacious grounds were, Tori couldn’t help
     feeling a sense of sadness for the woman who had died inside these walls, held captive
     until the end by a brain that had become traitorous.
    Tori lifted her finger toward the doorbell, only to let it drift back to her side
     without pushing the button. “Did she live here alone at the end?” she asked, turning
     to look at Debbie.
    “No. Both boys still live here from what I gather. Brian lives in one wing with an
     array of staff assigned to meet his needs, and Ethan pretty much rules the rest of
     the roost.”
    Inhaling a measure of comfort into her lungs at the news, Tori looked out at the line
     of oak trees that bordered the driveway and commanded the sight to memory so she could
     share it with Milo later that evening. “At least she wasn’t alone in this huge house.”
    “Mizz Devereaux may as well have been alone for as much time as those boys spent with
     her at the end.” Tori and Debbie looked to the left in time to see Frieda ascending
     onto the porch from a side staircase not more than ten feet from where they stood.
     Holding a bouquet of wildflowers to her nose, the nurse took in their fragrance before
     offering a sniff to Tori and Debbie. “Brian did what he could, but his mother’s condition
     tended to leave him agitated and out of sorts, prompting his caregivers to earmark
     his visits for those times when his schedule matched with Mizz Devereaux’s periods
     of lucidity.”
    “And Ethan?” Debbie asked as she handed the flowers back to Frieda. “He didn’t spend
     time with his mother?”
    A low, mirthless laugh escaped through Frieda’s expansive mouth. “His version of spending
     time with Mizz Devereaux extended to asking for larger and larger handouts. Only he
     timed
his
visits for the times when she
was
foggy and confused. That way she wouldn’t ask questions and he could get away with
     what he wanted.”
    “And that was different . . . how?” As soon as the words were out, Debbie held up
     her palms in surrender. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It was out of line.”
    Frieda shifted the bouquet to her left hand and touched Debbie with her right. “It
     was also the truth. Mizz Devereaux had a weak spot for Ethan, and he took advantage
     of it every chance he could. Funny thing was, she knew it. But with Brian the way
     he is and her husband gone, I think she was just too tired to try and change the way
     she’d done things for so long. It wasn’t worth wasting her rare bursts of energy.
     Besides, he avoided her at those times.”
    “Do you think she knew what was happening to