Tea house tights and tof.., p.6
Tea House, Tights, and Toffee (Sadie Silver Mysteries Book 11),
p.6
“Murphy obviously thought that Emma was Elle,” Kenwood finished. “They’re identical twins.”
“But still,” Sadie said as all the information crowded her brain. “If Richard is dead, why be so persistent in going after Elle. Even if she does have Richard’s baby, she wasn’t married to him. Does she have any right to Richard’s millions? Is it his father, Maxwell Player, who wants this baby out of the way?”
“It’s not about that,” Kenwood said. “I think there may even be a possibility that Maxwell Player would willingly take part in helping Elle take care of the baby.”
“Then, what is the issue?” Sadie said.
Kenwood looked at Elle who glanced up at him, clearly pained by the whole sordid story. “Elle happened to be a witness to Richard’s murder. Whoever put a hit on Richard wants Elle out of the way.”
Sadie gasped. “Damn. That’s rough.”
Biting her lip, Sadie looked at Elle with a whole new degree of respect for what she’d been through. The high of being in love, of finding out that you’re pregnant only to have the love of your life killed right in front of your eyes, then to have your twin sister killed in your place. It was all way too much for any one person to take.
If anything, it was a miracle that Elle was still standing at all.
Chapter 10
With the early morning sun warming her front porch, Sadie sat on the decorative bench with a fleece blanket wrapped around her shoulders and Orchid seated on her lap for additional warmth.
She had a long day ahead and was gathering her strength as she sipped her coffee. That afternoon, she had to go to her bakery to check on a few things, then she had her cookbook that she had to dive back into.
The thought of that cookbook alone was enough to bring her back to that dreaded afternoon. She wondered if she’d ever be able to finish it.
“Yes,” she said out loud as she set her coffee mug on the small wooden table beside her. “I will finish it, and I’ll dedicate it to Emma.”
“Meow,” Orchid let out. That’s nice. Hopefully you’ll get back to normal again?
“Yes, Orchid,” Sadie said as she pet the feline. “I’ll get back to normal. I just need to get through this grieving process. But I’ll go back to work. I’ll bake, I’ll write, I’ll rake the leaves, and things will find a degree of normalcy again.”
I hope.
Her heart heavy, she pressed a wan smile as Kenwood came up in front of the house and parked his car along the side of the road.
Tall and strong, he stepped out of the car and took long and confident strides as he walked toward her. A warm smile on his face, he looked up at her as he came up to the porch but remained down on the walkway.
“Good morning,” he said, his smile widening.
“Good morning, Kenwood,” Sadie said. She looked at him, waiting for him to give her information about Elle. Though she knew that he couldn’t tell her much, she was still eager to get some news... any news.
“Elle is far away and safe,” Kenwood said. “She has a new identity, a modest little house with a yard, a new yet unassuming car and a fresh outlook for the future with her baby.”
Sadie nodded.
“Through careful organization, she’ll also be financially taken care of. She won’t have to worry about her child’s future.”
“Maxwell Player?”
Kenwood nodded. “He’s devastated by the death of his son and, of course, is very much concerned about the welfare of his grandchild.”
“I can’t imagine,” Sadie said as she stroked Orchid’s back. “How awful this whole sordid story is.”
“Yeah,” Kenwood said. “It’s rough. Rough for everyone. It feels like the whole town is mourning.”
“I know you can’t tell me much about Elle’s new life but....” Sadie said. “But do you think that... I don’t know... someday, when the threat diminishes...? Will she be able to contact us?”
“That’ll be up to Elle,” Kenwood said. “For now, we recommend that she remain where she is for at least five years. We’ve instructed her to not come back to Fortune Falls, no matter the enticement. We’ve even told her to resist the urge to contact anyone. Any contact now could put her in jeopardy.”
“But Kenwood. How will we know that she’s all right?”
“We’ll know,” Kenwood said reassuringly.
“I have to admit,” Sadie said as she pulled in a long, cool breath of fresh air. “I’m really relieved to learn that Elle isn’t guilty. I hated the thought of Elle as the killer to her own sister. It just didn’t feel right. But she was acting so strange. I’m sure a lot of people had questions and doubts.”
“Well, she’s heartbroken, carrying a child and now completely alone in the world. It’s hard for any of us to say with any certainty how we would react in that situation.”
“Right,” Sadie said softly. “But she isn’t really alone anymore. She has her baby.”
“Yes, aother thing,” Kenwood said as he squinted at the reflection of the sun that came from the window behind Sadie. “I hate to bring this up, but...”
“Go ahead,” Sadie said. “I can take it.”
Kenwood came up one step to avoid the sun’s reflection. “It’s about Palmer.”
“Oh,” Sadie said. It wasn’t quite the topic that she expected him to bring up. It also wasn’t really a topic that she wanted to get into. She already felt town between the two as it was and didn’t like the idea of talking about Palmer behind his back.
“I know that he’s a good friend of yours and all, and I know that you two have worked on a lot of cases together and... Well, he may be good at lab analysis and all that, but he really got this one horribly wrong. It’s unfortunate that I wasn’t in town to catch his mistake sooner. And poor Joanne. She feels awful about arresting Elle and bringing her in. She admitted that she was a little rough with her because she was certain that Elle had just committed murder.”
“That’s still no excuse,” Sadie griped.
“Yes,” Kenwood said. “You’re right, and I told her as much. But the fact remains that she trusted Palmer and thought that he knew what he was doing.”
Sadie could feel her body tense up as Kenwood continued to speak. His tone was unnecessarily stern and condemning. Though she knew he was right, and that Palmer shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions so quickly, she also knew that Palmer did the best that he could considering the circumstances.
“Finding the culprit in situations like this takes a bit more than just analyzing one or two pieces of evidence. You have to dig further, delve deeper and widen the breadth of your research.”
“Okay,” Sadie said. “Fair enough. So, Palmer isn’t a natural born sleuth.”
“Thank you for at least admitting that.”
“I’m open-minded and honest enough to know when to agree... or when to argue. As it turns out, Kenwood, you’ve proven yourself to be quite an investigator.”
He shrugged. “I guess it helped that I was already aware of other elements regarding the case. I think that’s also a big difference between Palmer and me. I’m already knee deep in everything that’s going on around here. There might be a cat burglar that we’re keeping a close eye on, or a string of petty crimes that we’re keeping in check. Sometimes these things blow up and becoming much larger and more evident. That’s when we can sweep in with all our prior knowledge of the situation and really bring the criminal to justice.”
Sadie nodded and smiled as Kenwood came up onto the porch and came to her side.
With Kenwood too close for comfort, Orchid jumped off of Sadie’s lap and with an indignant purr/meow, strutted away to find a quieter place to nap.
“Didn’t mean to scare her off like that,” Kenwood said sheepishly.
Sadie stood and tugged the fleece blanket more tightly around her shoulders. “That’s okay. My legs were becoming numb under her weight, and it was about time she got off me.”
She stood facing him, feeling the heat that emanated from his body, and smelling the sweetness of his breath. His smile was warm and inviting as he looked down at her and took a step closer.
“I think that we could really be great together,” he said. “Just think about it. With my connections and with your knack for finding that perfect little piece of evidence... no one in Fortune Falls will ever get away with a crime.”
Sadie chuckled. “That sounds pretty good.”
He took a gentle hold of her arms and kept her close. “And think about this...” He leaned in to kiss her. The chaste kiss was warm and tender, but as he leaned into it, his lips became more insistent.
Feeling the need to yield completely to his embrace, Sadie forced herself to step back instead.
“Think of how good we could be together... beyond the investigation of crimes.” He looked intently at her. “Tell me that this doesn’t feel right.”
She held his gaze. Everything about him did feel right. They were clearly suited for one another. They had so much in common and simply being with him was easy and pleasant.
But then again, everything about him confused her. She somehow felt that she was betraying Palmer. They’d known each other for so long and they had so much history together.
She trusted Palmer. She knew him inside and out. And he knew her.
As she leaned into Kenwood for another warm kiss, she closed her eyes and saw Palmer’s pained eyes gazing down at her.
Torn and confused, she pulled away and reached for the doorknob. “I really should get going,” she said. “I have a big day ahead.”
He looked at her for a resigned moment, then nodded. “Right,” he said as he stepped down from the porch.
Taking one last glance at him as he walked back to his car, Sadie was once again torn between these two men who both had so much to offer.
She was glad she had them both in her life, though. Having them there for her in Fortune Falls made life there much more exciting than anywhere else in the world. But what would happen if she ever had to choose between them?
Get the next Book in the Silver Mystery Series!
Collect the Series
Catalina, Crimes, and Coconut Pies (Sadie Silver Mystery #1)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L8HKH6G
Paris, Poison, Pain Au Chocolate (Sadie Silver Mystery #2)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L83V6DJ
Paris, Ice Pick, and Petit Fours: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery
(Sadie Silver Mystery #3)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LC11NB9
Fortune Falls, Felons, and Fudge: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #4)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LBY6NHZ
Apple Valley, Ax, and Ambrosia: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #5)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LBZ1FRJ
Staying Inn, Scarf, and Sugar Cookies: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver #6)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LBY5FP8
Sin City, Shoes, and Sundaes: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver #7)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LC12213
Haunted Castle, Hanging Doll, and Honey Ham: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver #8)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LC28BQP
Dog Park, Dagger, and Donuts: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #9)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LC451NQ
Costume Party, Cuffs, and Cupcakes: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #10)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VFR6J2N
Tea House, Tights, and Toffee: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #11)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VFT6YSM
Mom’s Manor, Mop, and Macaroons: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #12)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VFVK779
About the Author Kailin Gow
From visiting Romania, ALA YALSA Award-winning and Million-Selling Author Kailin Gow was asked to write stories about vampires; visiting the Black Forest in Germany and seeing the castles of Europe inspired her to write fantasy; visiting Asia's mystical mountains inspired her to write action adventure and mythological dystopians. From her experience in college as a peer counselor and her volunteer work with women's shelters, she was inspired to write contemporary romance with social issues for women, new adults, young adults, and teens. Having faced adversity, including battling stereotypes and bullying, Kailin Gow has become a well-known speaker and influential figure in media. Her adventurous bold spirit has taken her around the world, where she has ridden on top of elephants through jungles, hand-fed sting rays, studied kung fu from a Shaolin Temple monk, and learned cooking from a celebrity chef. She is a USA Today Bestselling author and has been a #1 Amazon bestselling author over two-hundred times. Her Bitter Frost Series is in development as a TV Series, and her contemporary romance Loving Summer is set to become a feature film. An multi-award-winning filmmaker, director, and actress; Kailin’s films have premiered at Cannes, Los Angeles, Rome, England, Paris, Korea, Japan, and even in India’s Ministry of Culture.
Compelled to write her first fiction book because of 9/11, Kailin Gow now has over 400 fiction books published under Kailin Gow and various Pen Names in many genres. As a speaker and host, she has hosted international shows at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, been a celebrity judge at beauty pageants, been a judge for writing contests, and hosted television series. She was featured as an Indie Author Success Story on the homepage of Amazon.com for a month and is also included in Amazon’s book called Transformations. She is the first Asian American to have been featured on Amazon’s homepage as an Author Success Story, and the first to have sold over a million books.
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Gow, Kailin, Tea House, Tights, and Toffee (Sadie Silver Mysteries Book 11)
