Secrets Among the Cedars (Intertwined Book 2) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Sherri Wilson Johnson
hammered, and the knot in her throat prevented her from swallowing. Had something happened to Sadie? Had someone followed her here to Cedar Key? Tears slid down her cheeks, and she swiped them away with the side of her hand.
She wiped the beads of sweat off her upper lip, and her gaze landed on one of her crumpled business cards stuffed in the console—her name and title etched in thin black ink. What was it that put her on the verge of throwing that card and all her other ones in the trash and slamming her office door forever? Whose life and dream was she living anyway?
She’d do anything to make Daddy proud. It was Daddy that wanted her to be the first female judge in "good old boy" county and then ultimately Supreme Court Justice one day. Was that what had pushed her to where she was now? Or had she really wanted the position she held? Whichever it was, it was what had put her life in danger and had given her reason to doubt her dog's safety too.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "You just need to solve this case and take a real vacation. That's all. You've come too far to turn back now." Kathryn tucked the note in her glove compartment in case she needed it for evidence later and then put her car into drive and headed back to the condo. The grocery store would have to wait.
#
Sadie scurried to meet Kathryn when she returned to the condo after lunch with Phil. Kathryn’s heart skipped a beat like an amateur drummer as relief flooded her to see the dog alive and well. She ran her hands along her coat searching for a missing lock of fur. Everything looked fine. Who'd have left such a disturbing note on her car? Was it someone connected to the Ezzo case?
After two hours of working on the case, pacing the ceramic tile floor, and talking to herself about the unlikelihood of Louie Ezzo's guilt, Kathryn needed a break. Her mind screamed for the missing piece of this puzzle. The Ezzo family was famed for crimes of all kinds, but rarely was a family member found guilty, especially of murder. Someone always took the fall while the suspected Ezzo went free. Four men were dead because of a botched drug deal, though, and Kathryn couldn't let him walk this time if Louie was guilty. She’d make sure he and anyone else involved went away for life.
Kathryn slipped her feet into her flip-flops and grabbed Sadie's leash. "Come on, girl. Let's go for a ride to town." Sadie abandoned her spot on her bed, where she watched the sea gulls and pelicans, and ran to Kathryn. Her bushy tail beat out a rhythm on the bar.
In the entryway, Kathryn caught her reflection in the mirrored clock, shaped like a ship's wheel, and gasped. Why did she look like the victim in a domestic abuse case instead of an Assistant D.A.? Couldn't she at least look good on the outside even if she felt like wet Georgia clay on the inside? If she'd known she looked this ghastly, she wouldn't have eaten lunch with Phil.
Phil? What did it matter? No matter how attractive he was, he was Maria's ex, and she was here to work.
She pulled her compact out of her purse and powdered her nose then smoothed on a bit of Dusty Rose lip balm. She smacked her lips and ran her fingers through her hair. "This will have to do, Sadie. I do believe you look prettier than me." Sadie woofed.
After Kathryn stopped for an iced cappuccino, she pointed her midnight blue Honda toward the city park next to the yacht club. She didn't need a heavy drink like this if she intended to keep the figure she'd worked so hard for, but she craved it because of the heat. Besides, ice cream had proven to be the wrong choice. The cappuccino would do the job. She needed the sugar surge if she was going to muddle her way through the details of this case.
The sky looked like ashes and billowy cotton. Hopefully, an evening storm wouldn't crop up before she got back to the condo. But storms had been brewing all week out in the Gulf, so there was no guarantee.
She pulled her car under the massive
She wiped the beads of sweat off her upper lip, and her gaze landed on one of her crumpled business cards stuffed in the console—her name and title etched in thin black ink. What was it that put her on the verge of throwing that card and all her other ones in the trash and slamming her office door forever? Whose life and dream was she living anyway?
She’d do anything to make Daddy proud. It was Daddy that wanted her to be the first female judge in "good old boy" county and then ultimately Supreme Court Justice one day. Was that what had pushed her to where she was now? Or had she really wanted the position she held? Whichever it was, it was what had put her life in danger and had given her reason to doubt her dog's safety too.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "You just need to solve this case and take a real vacation. That's all. You've come too far to turn back now." Kathryn tucked the note in her glove compartment in case she needed it for evidence later and then put her car into drive and headed back to the condo. The grocery store would have to wait.
#
Sadie scurried to meet Kathryn when she returned to the condo after lunch with Phil. Kathryn’s heart skipped a beat like an amateur drummer as relief flooded her to see the dog alive and well. She ran her hands along her coat searching for a missing lock of fur. Everything looked fine. Who'd have left such a disturbing note on her car? Was it someone connected to the Ezzo case?
After two hours of working on the case, pacing the ceramic tile floor, and talking to herself about the unlikelihood of Louie Ezzo's guilt, Kathryn needed a break. Her mind screamed for the missing piece of this puzzle. The Ezzo family was famed for crimes of all kinds, but rarely was a family member found guilty, especially of murder. Someone always took the fall while the suspected Ezzo went free. Four men were dead because of a botched drug deal, though, and Kathryn couldn't let him walk this time if Louie was guilty. She’d make sure he and anyone else involved went away for life.
Kathryn slipped her feet into her flip-flops and grabbed Sadie's leash. "Come on, girl. Let's go for a ride to town." Sadie abandoned her spot on her bed, where she watched the sea gulls and pelicans, and ran to Kathryn. Her bushy tail beat out a rhythm on the bar.
In the entryway, Kathryn caught her reflection in the mirrored clock, shaped like a ship's wheel, and gasped. Why did she look like the victim in a domestic abuse case instead of an Assistant D.A.? Couldn't she at least look good on the outside even if she felt like wet Georgia clay on the inside? If she'd known she looked this ghastly, she wouldn't have eaten lunch with Phil.
Phil? What did it matter? No matter how attractive he was, he was Maria's ex, and she was here to work.
She pulled her compact out of her purse and powdered her nose then smoothed on a bit of Dusty Rose lip balm. She smacked her lips and ran her fingers through her hair. "This will have to do, Sadie. I do believe you look prettier than me." Sadie woofed.
After Kathryn stopped for an iced cappuccino, she pointed her midnight blue Honda toward the city park next to the yacht club. She didn't need a heavy drink like this if she intended to keep the figure she'd worked so hard for, but she craved it because of the heat. Besides, ice cream had proven to be the wrong choice. The cappuccino would do the job. She needed the sugar surge if she was going to muddle her way through the details of this case.
The sky looked like ashes and billowy cotton. Hopefully, an evening storm wouldn't crop up before she got back to the condo. But storms had been brewing all week out in the Gulf, so there was no guarantee.
She pulled her car under the massive
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