The Legend of Tabby Hollow (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 5) Read Online Free Page A

something to Glenda before he left that could offer a clue.”
    Max returned with the stick and I took it from him again. “Okay, I’ll throw it, but this is the last time. My arm is getting tired.”
    I threw the stick as hard as I could and Max set off after it. If you let him, Max would play fetch for hours.
    “Did Finn mention how his interview with Bradley’s wife went?” Cody asked after the dogs had gone for the stick.
    “No. Once I mentioned Siobhan she was all he wanted to talk about.”
    Cody and I walked in silence for a spell. It was nice to feel Cody’s big hand covering mine as the wind sent chills through my body. The sound of the water as it rolled in and out with the tide provided a soothing atmosphere with which to leave behind the stresses of the day.
    “We should probably turn around,” Cody suggested. “I’d like to get back to the house to spend some time with Mr. Parsons before he goes to bed. I’ve been so busy I’ve barely had any time to spend with him and I know he appreciates the company.”
    “That’s fine. I have a busy day tomorrow, so I should have an early night anyway.”
    I called Max and Rambler as we turned and headed back down the beach toward my cabin. My place was small; really just a studio with a loft. But it was right on the beach, with some of the sweetest views in the area. It had originally been built as a summer cottage by Maggie’s grandfather, but when Maggie realized how badly I wanted to move out of my mother’s house, even though I had no money to do it, she’d offered to have the space converted into a year-round residence. It wasn’t as insolated as it could be, and it had a tendency to be drafty in the winter, but it had a good wood-burning stove that kept Max and me toasty warm on most days.
    “I noticed Destiny seemed a little down tonight,” Cody said, changing the subject once we’d settled into our return trip.
    “She had her appointment with the adoption agency. I think she’s really conflicted. I hate to see her so stressed out, but I’m not sure how I can help her any more than I already have. I feel so helpless.”
    “You and Tara are doing a lot for her. I’m sure she appreciates it.”
    “She told me that Tara told her she could stay with her for as long as she wanted, even after the baby’s born.”
    “That’s generous of her.”
    “Tara is a generous person, and it seems like she’s really bonded with Destiny. If she’s able to stay with Tara at least until she finishes school, it might allow her to keep the baby.”
    “I guess it’s good to have options.”
    I walked around a tree that had washed up onto the sand during the last storm. “I don’t know. In a way I feel like the fact that she actually has options is making this even harder on her.”
    “It’s a big decision.” Cody squeezed my hand in what I could only assume was a gesture of comfort and support. “Any decision she makes is going to affect the rest of her life. Do you remember Tiffany Barstow?”
    “Your huge seventh-grade crush. Yeah, I remember her.”
    “And do you remember she moved away when Danny and I were juniors?”
    “Yeah. So?”
    “The reason she moved wasn’t because she decided to do a semester abroad, like she told everyone; it was because she was pregnant.”
    I stopped and looked at Cody. “Pregnant? Was the baby yours?”
    “No. Tiffany and I were over by eighth grade and were just friends from that point forward. The point is, I ran into her a few years ago. She told me that she’d been sent away to live with an aunt until after the baby was born. She planned to have the child and then give it up for adoption so that no one on the island would know of her indiscretion. She even had a family picked out. Her aunt had arranged for the hospital to take the baby away as soon as it was born so she wouldn’t have to see it and risk bonding with it.”
    “I guess that might be easier,” I said.
    “It probably would have been, but