Oven Baked Secrets (Eugeena Patterson Mysteries Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

Creek with the intentions of starting on the Sunday dinner I’d planned for Amos and me. I couldn’t wait to show him the photo, quiz him about Jocelyn and get his take on my suspicions. I did like to hear that man talk. Kind of like my Ralph, he wasn’t full on words, but when he did talk, he had plenty to say.
    I guess most men are like that, only choosing to say what’s most important. Women tended to chit chat and be all over the place in a conversation.
    When I pulled up to the front of my home, to my surprise there was a very familiar aqua blue car in the driveway.  I don’t know why I would be surprised. My one and only daughter showed up at random.
    I parked beside my daughter’s car and looked over to my right to see Leesa and her children on my porch. I love seeing my grandchildren, but was feeling suspicious about the Sunday visit. I babysat last week and there was no mention of a need for my free services. Leesa was known to drop off her kids and take off. A few months ago when she did this, I had no idea where she had gone and was worried sick enough to report her missing. Since that incident Leesa had moved to Charleston. I watched my grandchildren on occasion at an agreed upon time because while I was retired, a woman liked her freedom.
    Besides I wasn’t that lonely anymore with my empty nest. After my friend Mary was killed this past summer, I inherited her spoiled Corgi. That little dog was like another child, just with four legs.
    I climbed out the car and headed towards my porch.
    Kisha came running down the steps. “Grandma, we came to visit you.”
    For just a few hours, I hope.
I held out my arms to my one and only granddaughter. My other grandchildren were boys. Girls seemed a dime a dozen in my family. It was just Ralph and the two boys for the longest time until I had Leesa at age thirty-eight.  It certainly helped to mix up the testosterone monopoly with some estrogen. “How’s my girl doing?” I squeezed Kisha and then placed my hands on her small shoulders. “My, my I believe you’ve grown since the last time I saw you.”
    Kisha jumped up and down. “Mama, let me mark my height on the kitchen door.” She stopped jumping and held her hand up next to the top of her head. “I grew this much.”
    “You’re going to be tall as your mama and grandmamma soon.” I glanced over at my other grandchild, Tyric, who was now sitting up grinning. Almost six months old, Leesa’s son was a bundle of joy too. As I walked up the porch steps, I looked my daughter up and down to make sure we had some type of understanding. “Well, it’s good to see you. I’m about to make dinner.”
    Leesa grinned. “I know. We were hoping to join you.”
    I shook my head. I was just planning dinner for Amos and me, but I usually fixed extra because I never knew when my man child, Dr. Cedric Patterson, would stop by. Lately, now that he and his girlfriend, Carmen, were shacking, I didn’t see him as much. Cedric knew to stay away from me because I had some choice words to say about a man so close to forty not marrying a woman. Really, I thought I raised that boy better than that.
    As I opened the door, my housemate came running and barking. My dearly departed husband, Ralph Patterson, would have never allowed any animal in the house. My little furry friend gave me some normalcy. While Kisha and Porgy went off to play, I changed out of my church clothes into a warm velour outfit that was suitable for comfort and entertaining guests.
    I had laid the photo that I had acquired from the young woman on my dresser. Jocelyn’s comment about not stirring up the past still bothered me.
Why did the young woman feel compelled to see Louise today?
Why wouldn’t she let her mother know?
Maybe Louise’s long lost daughter had also tried to reach out to Louise but with unfavorable results.
 
    I placed the photo in my trouser pocket and tried to put my thoughts on hold.  I had a Sunday meal to pull together in a few