Tres Leches Cupcakes by Josi S. Kilpack Read Free Book Online Page A

home since her Land Cruiser was in the driveway. She knocked louder, and this time heard movement from inside. Several seconds later, the doorknob turned and the door began to open. It stuck slightly before being yanked all the way open. Margo looked as though she’d just woken up despite the fact that it was almost noon. Her hair was down, but tangled, and she wore mismatched sweats.
    “Hi, Margo,” Sadie said, giving a little wave with her free hand.
    “Sarah?” Margo said, using Sadie’s undercover name. She lifted a hand to her hair as though she could fix the damage. “What are you doing here?”
    “I just thought I’d stop in and see how you were,” Sadie said, feeling her instincts kick in. “And I brought you some dulce de leche bars,” she said, holding out the plate.
    “You didn’t have to do that,” Margo said, looking embarrassed. Sadie knew they were both thinking about Margo’s reaction at the dig site. “I’m all right.” Then she looked at the plate that Sadie had extended toward her. “I sure did like those, though.”
    Sadie smiled even wider. “I was also hoping you might have some info on the dig. I haven’t heard anything other than what’s been on the news.”
    Margo finally reached for the plate. “Do you want to come in? I mean, it’s a mess, but if you don’t mind.”
    “I don’t mind,” Sadie lied as Margo pulled the door open all the way and ushered her inside.
    Besides the stale and thick stench of long days of chain smoking, there were piles of clutter everywhere. Clothes, books, magazines. Things weren’t piled in a hoarding kind of way, just in an “I don’t care” attitude that often plagued people who lived alone. Though to a far lesser degree, Sadie herself had fallen victim to that same attitude once her children had moved out. Luckily, she’d nipped that particular bad habit in the bud. Margo’s house was a testament of what a good decision it had been for Sadie to cure herself years ago.
    Margo closed the door, but had to really push to get it to snap back into the frame, making the whole apartment shake slightly. “I left the door open one night and it rained—the water warped the entryway.” She waved toward the parquet flooring near the door, which was warped, dull, and lighter in color than the rest of the floor that was mostly covered with a large area rug in need of vacuuming. “The warped boards catch the door.”
    “Wood floors are tricky,” Sadie said, trying to ignore the puffy pillows of dust and hair accumulated by the baseboards. “Can you sand it down?”
    “Maybe,” Margo said with a shrug. “I haven’t tried. Don’t know how long I’ll be here, and I already broke a window lock so I won’t be getting my deposit back, whether I fix it or not.”
    Margo turned toward the small kitchen with the plate of treats, placing it on top of the dish drain, which was the only space free of dishes, pop cans, and miscellaneous papers. “I guess I fell asleep on the couch,” she said, reaching up to scratch her head. “When I’m not waking up at three a.m. my body tries to make up for all the sleep it’s missed over the years.”
    “No problem,” Sadie said, holding her purse with both hands in front of her.
    Margo lifted a corner of the plastic wrap and snuck part of one of the bars, popping it into her mouth and then nodding in approval before wiping her sticky hand on her sweatpants. One pant leg was pulled up to her knee.
    “So did you get called back, then?” Margo asked as she came back into the living room.
    Sadie pivoted to follow her across the room. “Called back?”
    “Yeah, to the site? Thursday?” Margo sat on the couch, waving Sadie into the recliner.
    “I didn’t get a call,” Sadie said, sitting down on the very edge of the chair. It was gray velour, but it had several stains that Sadie wasn’t going to take chances with. A 1980s style green-and-pink nylon jacket was thrown over the back. Had she missed the