Cinnamon Twisted by Ginger Bolton

Author:Ginger Bolton [Bolton, Ginger]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2023-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

I tiptoed down the stairs and into the sunroom.

Kayla swept a long-handled tool over the grass near the flower border where I’d found the stone donut. As if she’d just come down from working on the garage roof, she was wearing her leather tool apron and safety harness over her jeans and T-shirt.

Preventing Dep from escaping outside, I opened the back door. The screen door squeaked.

Kayla jumped and whirled to face me. “Oh, it’s you, Emily.”

Who else might she have expected? I reminded myself that she was my parents’ friend. Also, like the other builders, she could have had a good reason for being farther from the garage than expected. I walked to her.

Kayla flushed from heat or embarrassment. “Sorry for intruding, Emily. I lost an expensive drill bit.”

Below the handgrip of her tool, a curved shaft held a digital screen angled for the operator to see. A flat thing shaped sort of like the paddles for our industrial electric mixers at Deputy Donut was at the tool’s base. I asked, “What’s that, a metal detector?”

“Yes.”

“Any luck?” Maybe I should have been more specific and asked if she’d found anything. I’d dug up pennies and marbles while planting bulbs. The most valuable treasure, besides the Viking relic, if the soapstone donut actually was one, might have been the 1936 silver quarter containing more than twenty-five cents’ worth of silver.

“No.” Kayla waved toward the new garage. An aluminum ladder was propped against the wall. “I started over there. The bit, um, flew out of my hand, so I kept searching and ended up over here.”

“Did you hunt for it on Tuesday, too?” I pointed at the dirt surrounding my flowers and shrubs. “Those holes appeared, and I didn’t dig them. I don’t think my cat did, either.”

“No. I lost the bit this afternoon when we were finishing up.” She prodded at dirt near one of the holes. “I figured you’d been getting ready to put in some plants. I did wave the metal detector over the holes, but it didn’t find anything. I guess I’ll have to give up.”

“Keep trying if you like. And I’ll watch for it. Did you use that ladder to get over my wall?”

“I climbed the ladder to your garage roof, pulled the ladder up after me, and then lowered it into your yard. There were keys for that door, but I guess you have them now, and I didn’t know you’d be home this soon, or I would have waited and asked. I should have. Sorry I didn’t.” She started toward the ladder. “I’ll buy a new bit. Maybe that one was reaching the end of its useful life, anyway.”

I followed her. “How about if I let you out through the door in the wall? Pulling that ladder up onto the roof can’t be easy.” I was strong, but she must have been really strong. She was also taller than I was, which probably helped.

“I’m used to it, but it would be easier to go out through the garage.

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