The Family Secret: A Cottonwood Springs Cozy Mystery (Cottonwood Springs Cozy Mystery Series Book 21) by Dianne Harman

Author:Dianne Harman [Harman, Dianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2022-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

Brigid found herself returning to Olivia’s street once again, only this time she also looked around at the nearby homes. Since she now knew she had a true investigation on her hands, she tried looking at the location with a fresh set of eyes. After all, the last time she’d come here, she’d come with the assumption that there wasn’t any need for a real investigation, and she was just trying to ease Olivia’s mind. This time, she had a different mission.

Cars lined the street, and there were plenty of trees and bushes that could easily conceal a person if they really wanted to be hidden from view. It also seemed fairly quiet for late afternoon, not a lot of people going by or being out and about. If someone was watching Olivia from a distance, it’s possible there might not be many witnesses, if any at all. It would be fairly easy to sit on this street and watch any of the homes without someone noticing.

Parking between Olivia’s house and the neighbor’s she was there to talk to, Brigid stayed mindful as she approached the modest white house. She was looking for any signs that this man could have been the one who assaulted Jason Noland. Would the man who lived here even be able to see that part of Olivia’s front yard from his porch or front window? She wasn’t sure.

Brigid noticed that the house was landscaped with various seasonal flowers, as Olivia had mentioned, and each flower bed had been meticulously cared for. There wasn’t one dead flower to be seen or even a wilted stem. They were very pretty, and she could easily see how a little girl like Ella would be drawn to them. They were almost picturesque, begging to be touched or smelled.

Plastic outdoor chairs sat on either side of a spiraling plant stand that held various types of plants Brigid didn’t recognize. Whoever lived here clearly had a green thumb. She knew that many people who were like that often felt a sense of protectiveness over their plants and flowers. After all, they’d clearly invested a lot of time caring for them and providing for their unique needs.

As Brigid approached the door, it opened without her having to knock.

“Can I help you?” a low, rough voice asked as a man stepped out onto the porch. He was tall with wide shoulders and an intimidating presence.

“Hi, my name is Brigid. I’m a friend of your neighbor, Olivia,” she explained as she pointed towards Olivia’s house. She held her hand out to shake his. “Do you have a minute? I’d like to speak with you.”

He shook her hand firmly. “Zach Cross. Sure, I have some time,” he said as he motioned towards the chairs on the porch.

Brigid took a seat in one while he settled into the other one. “You have some beautiful flowers,” she observed.

“Thank you, I’ve put a lot of work into them,” he said casually.

“I’ll get to the point,” Brigid began. “Olivia has been feeling as though someone is possibly stalking her.

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