Selling Sabotage (A Flamingo Realty Mystery Book 9) by CeeCee James

Author:CeeCee James [James, CeeCee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

True to my promise, right after my first cup of coffee (which I needed to form a coherent sentence), I called Charity Valentine. My coffee turned bitter when it went straight to voicemail. I wondered if she would be at the nursing home teaching her classes.

“Mom, you working today?”

When Mom first came to live with me, she made me breakfast every morning. Or at least she tried to, while I tried to get out of eating it without hurting her feelings. I wasn’t a breakfast person. She’d given up by now and was perched on a barstool at the end of the counter, feet tucked up on the bottom bar, eating yogurt. She looked about seventeen, and it made me smile.

“Later this afternoon, why?”

“I need to talk with Charity, and she’s not responding.”

“Want me to ask her to call you?”

I shrugged, not happy that my gratification for an answered question had been denied. “I guess I can text her.”

I wasn’t ready to give up on a quick answer though. I decided to go ahead and give the school near Acorn Lane a call. Mr. Winchell was a famous alumnus, maybe the most acclaimed. Surely someone would know something.

But when I asked the secretary, her voice changed from sweet to sharp in a heartbeat. “Mr. Winchell? Are you with one of those tabloids? We don’t give interviews about our students, no matter the year they were enrolled.”

“I’m actually not with the press. I… I’m the one who found Mr. Winchell.”

“Oh!” The word came out as a gasp as she realized what I meant.

“So the neighborhood he was found in, his old friend said that he grew up in that area, but I can’t seem to find any documentation of his parents living there.”

“Well, that was a long time ago. I’m sure we don’t have any records like that. But you know who might know? Our librarian. She’s a jewel.”

I clutched the coffee cup. Finally! “Can I talk to her?”

“Unfortunately, she retired a few years ago. But if anyone would know, it would be her. Now is that all?”

“Can you give me her name?”

“I don’t think that would be appropriate, do you?” She answered, all sweet again, and hung up.

Back to the drawing board. I sighed. Then something came to me. Both my Uncle Chris and Dad grew up out here. This would be a good excuse to call him.

“Hi, Dad!” I said when he answered.

“Hey, chickee. How are you? Get that house on the west end of town sold yet?”

I cringed. I’d assumed he already knew what happened. Maybe I’d secretly hoped Mom would tell him. Taking a deep breath, I gave him the news.

He took it as well as could be expected.

“Anyway,” I continued when his breathing quit resembling someone blowing up a balloon and had finally calmed down. “Because he was her friend, Charity asked if I could help. Just dig around a little bit. Because of her, I thought I had a lead at the school. The receptionist even told me she believed the librarian could answer my questions.

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