Sleuthing at Sweet Springs (The Sleuth Sisters Mysteries Book 4) by Maggie Pill Read Free Book Online Page A

good reason. After looking around to be sure no one else was listening, Brandy slid the file into its metal sleeve with a snap and said, “She was quite the wacko when we first got her. Thought there were lizards crawling over everything. On the bed, on the walls, everywhere.”
    “She seems fine now.”
    She shrugged. “Twice since she came she’s had hallucinations and talked gibberish for a day. The rest of the time, she’s as sane as me—if that’s sane. Of course she insists she’s going home soon, but—” Brandy tapped her pen on the chart. “—wanting to go home isn’t exactly rare around here.”
    I left the building, glad there wasn’t a monitor on my ankle to stop me. It wouldn’t be a big job for the agency to look into whether Clara’s niece was up to something, and in addition, there were a few things I could do for Clara myself.

Chapter Eight
Retta
    Faye called me about Clara Knight’s case before she told Barbara anything. That was a first, since she and Barbara Ann are usually the Wonder Twins and I’m just Gleek. Clearly, Faye was looking for support. We all have to agree before we take a case on, and she was afraid Barbara would dismiss a nursing home resident’s insistence that her family was plotting against her. Since I’d met Clara, Faye thought I’d be less likely to reject her story out of hand.
    “I met the niece,” I reminded Faye. “She didn’t exactly come across as a criminal mastermind.”
    “When money’s involved, some families aren’t warm and fuzzy.”
    “I did sense Gail isn’t emotionally connected to her aunt.”
    “Then we should look into what she might be up to.”
    I promised to get to the office by eleven so we could present our argument to Barbara together. It was nine-thirty, so I had plenty of time to do a little online shopping before then. Making another cup of coffee in my Keurig, I settled into a soft chair and sipped pumpkin spice as I shopped.
    The next time I looked at the clock it was ten forty-eight. Now, some people can change and be out the door in fifteen minutes, but that’s not me. I mean, my nails were a mess and my hair needed attention from the curling iron. Anyway, it was eleven thirty-ish when I pulled up in front of their house, just a few blocks from Lake Huron. I made a little grimace in the mirror, knowing Barbara Ann would be all grumpy. The woman’s never been late for anything in her life.
    There was no way I was going to hurry to soothe her feathers, so I sauntered up the walk like I had all the time in the world. I paused to admire Faye’s mums, bursting with autumn colors. Some Bourbon roses she was trying to nurture were benefitting from the mild fall weather, filling the air with delicate scent from their round, pink blooms.
    The house was attractive, though I’m not a fan of older homes. Painted white with some dignified burgundy gingerbread on the corners, it had a wide front porch that led to a front door with narrow stained-glass side-lights. The door led to the offices, where Faye usually manned the desk in the foyer while Barbara sat in the room behind, prim and unapproachable.
    Both my sisters were in Barbara’s Ice Palace. While I don’t like to criticize someone else’s taste, the cream-and-pale-blue room doesn’t have a single scrap of fabric to soften it or a splash of brightness to dress it up. For once I got no flak for my lateness, because they were deep in conversation with a nice-looking man.
    “Hi,” I said, stopping in the doorway. “Sorry to be tardy.”
    Barb introduced me as Faye pulled up the extra chair. “Retta, meet Rick Chou from Grand Rapids. He’s interested in hiring us to do some work.”
    Mr. Chou stood and turned to shake my hand, and I reassessed my first impression. Not just attractive, he was gorgeous: dark hair with a little gray at the temples. A jaw square enough to cut corners with. And inky-black eyes you could fall right into and swim around in.
    “Nice to meet you,