The Cardinal & the Crow by Alice Kanaka

Author:Alice Kanaka [Kanaka, Alice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery, Cozy, Traditional Mystery, Southwestern, Medical Examiner
Publisher: Alice Kanaka
Published: 2022-06-01T06:00:00+00:00

AFTER SEEING THE PHOTOS of her father and Melissa, Sam was a lot more shook up than she let on. She needed to take some time to process what those pictures meant, so she rode Ghost to her favorite place along the river. She dismounted and let her graze while she sat on a boulder and watched the water flow by.

Her first thought was that they had both been keeping a huge secret from her. She felt angry and betrayed that the two people she was closest to didn't feel like they could confide in her. Sam stood and paced as she mulled that over. Would I have been understanding? Angry? I don't know the whole story since they never told me. She sat down and took her boots off, gasping as she plunged her feet into the freezing water.

She let her mind drift to her second thought regarding the blackmail. Melissa was so afraid that Sam wouldn't understand that she let Peter control and abuse her. On the one hand, it showed Sam how important their friendship was to Melissa. But on the other hand, the lack of trust and faith in their relationship was heartbreaking. Melissa had been hiding what happened for a year and hiding the relationship for much longer. She had hidden her grief and pain during the funeral and afterward when Peter got his claws into her.

If Sam was honest with herself, she had returned home brokenhearted from college and wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her. I didn't confide in her either. Have I been a terrible friend? Should I have noticed what was going on? It would never have occurred to me. She put her head in her hands. Her eyes were dry, but her brain felt snarled with guilt and confusion. I need to talk to her. She's the only one who can help me understand.

Sam put her boots back on and called to Ghost. She snuggled her face. “I’m so lucky to have you.” Then she mounted and rode her home at a leisurely pace, letting go of her thoughts and focusing on her surroundings.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.