Molly Dox - Annie Addison 02 - A Tangled Mess Read Online Free Page B

burning at a higher rate than a traditional house fire, he said.” She filled her in on whatever she could think of. “Oh, and he’s cute, I’m guessing in his fifties, salt and pepper hair, nice build, and…”
    “Stop. I get where you’re going with this description, but I’m just not interested.” Charlotte stopped Annie in her tracks.
    “Sweetie, you’ve been alone for so long.”
    “I’m still married,” Charlotte finally spit out. “Well, the divorce has been pending for years. He drags it out, caused problems, and after a while, I just stopped pushing, because every time I’d have my attorney contact his, it became about dragging it out. He didn’t care what it took. He’d refuse to sign, quibble. It got to be expensive.”
    “What?” Annie’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean? I thought your husband was gone.”
    “He is gone. Only the story is a little different than I first led you to believe.” She grimaced, realizing she was about to share something she’d never shared with a friend before. “The truth is that he’s not dead. He’s in prison.”
    “Claude?” The pieces were clicking together.
    Charlotte nodded, watching her friend’s reaction.
    “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you lost your husb and to an illness. You told me-”
    “That he was no longer with me. I know. I let you come to your own conclusion. Nobody wants to admit something like what happened. I found a stash . Annie, it was kiddie porn.” She lowered her head. “I was horrified. I didn’t know what to do. I finally did the only thing I could do. I turned him in. I’m the reason he’s in prison. When the search warrant came through, it was much worse than I realized. He was soliciting to meet people.”
    “Wow.” Annie didn’t know what to say. She stared at her friend.
    “Now do you see? How do you say something like that, and when is the right time?” She shook her head. “I was afraid he’d be eligible for early parole, but his own stupidity and fighting got time added to his sentence. He’s not due out for a while. I needed to check in with my kids. Part of the reason we have issue is because they know I’m the one who sent him to jail. It was the right thing, and they understand he needs help, but it was still their father and they had a hard time believing it was real. We had a falling out and I gave them space. Now they want me back there, but want to imprison me in an old folk’s home. Yeah, well, that’s how it feels anyway.”
    “Oh, Charlotte , the burden you carry.” She was still trying to wrap her head around the information. It was bigger than both of them.
    “Anyway, I was afraid the first fire, being so close , was meant for me.” She sighed heavily. “But the second house makes me feel more like it was a fluke.”
    “Right, but not quite a fluke; somebody knows what they’re doing and they’re doing a lot of damage.” Annie shook her head. She couldn’t even imagine somebody doing it on purpose, and in such a nice community. It had everyone on edge, wondering if their house might be next. Annie filled Charlotte in on the latest news, about the one homeowner she met, and other small details.
    The women filled up on good food and said goodnight. They both hoped sirens wouldn’t but cutting through the night air, alerting them another house was burning down.

Chapter 6
     
    Annie flipped through her wallet, pulling out receipts and what not when she came across Officer Nick Rossi’s card. He’d scribbled his personal number on the back, leaving her a note to call him. She’d avoided it until now. When she picked up the phone, she surprised even herself.
    His voicemail picked up. Annie quickly disconnected before leaving him a message. She kicked herself, realizing her caller ID would show up anyway. Her phone rang within minutes. “Hello?”
    “Annie?” It was Nick. “Did you just call?”
    “I did,” she said, not sure what else to say. She stumbled over her