Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments by Denise Grover Swank

Author:Denise Grover Swank [Swank, Denise Grover]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Cozy, Women Sleuths, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery & Suspense, Suspense
Amazon: B00SXP1FIK
Publisher: DGS
Published: 2015-04-27T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Neely Kate covered my hand with her own. “Are you sure you want to do this? Maybe some things are better left in the dark. What happened twenty-five years ago doesn’t have a lick to do with who you are right now.”

I shook my head. “My entire life has been a lie, Neely Kate. Maybe if Momma had been kind and loving, I’d be content to let things lie, but we both know she wasn’t.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I just have to know.”

She patted my hand. “Then we’ll find the truth. Because I’m convinced the two of us can solve any mystery.”

“Thank you.”

She slid the journal between us and flipped through the pages. “Where do you think we should begin?”

I reached for it and turned the pages. “She started talking about the man she was seeing here.” I pointed to the first entry. “See?” I said. “In December, she writes that she started seeing the married man she met at work. And she says they ignored each other as much as possible to avoid suspicion.”

Neely Kate groaned. “That doesn’t mean she was seeing Henry. She could very well have been talking about your father.”

The front door creaked open and I jumped in my seat. I almost jumped again when Joe walked in, looking official. I was struck again by how handsome he was in his uniform, but more noticeable was the change in his demeanor. He seemed so much more at home with himself than he’d been while we were dating…or even back in November when he and Violet sprung the news of his investment on me. But it was there now and it made me happy for him. Maybe he was finding peace.

He grinned as his gaze landed on me. “Do you want to explain why you’re wearing a guilty look, Ms. Gardner?” he asked, but there was a teasing glint in his eyes.

I shrugged and grinned back. “Habit.”

Muffy raced to him, barking with excitement, and he bent down to rub her head. “Hey, girl. I’m happy to see you too.” He glanced at the journal, then back up at my face. “You’re not going to hide what you’re doin’?”

I gave him a haughty look. “I don’t see any reason to. Last I heard there’s nothin’ illegal about reading your birth mother’s journal.”

Joe stood, then grabbed the office chair from Neely Kate’s desk. He rolled it back over to the table and sat down. “I hope you’re finding the answers you’re looking for, Rose,” he said softly.

I let out a sigh. “More questions than answers, honestly.”

“Oh?”

I cast Neely Kate a glance, then turned back to him. I was tired of secrets. Mason had the right to know first, but Joe was sitting in front of me and might be able to offer some advice. “Dora worked at Atchison Manufacturing here in Henryetta as a bookkeeper until about a month before I was born. Then the factory burned down at the beginning of December. Dora died in the car accident a week later and her boss hung himself days later.

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