What She Doesn't Know by Pamela Crane

Author:Pamela Crane
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, General, Women Sleuths, Cozy, Thrillers, Suspense, Christian, Disabilities
Publisher: Tabella House
Published: 2023-11-25T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

The storm outside abated. The thunderclouds cleared out as the morning sun pushed its way in. But the tempest in Ginger’s kitchen had only begun.

No amount of morning coffee, or fresh doughnuts, or hugs would pull Ginger out of the funk she was in. When caffeine and sugar didn’t work, I knew Ginger was in bad shape.

“Ging, you ready to go?”

Neither of us had been able to reach Sloane, and an ambiguous call to Alika revealed she hadn’t spoken to her daughter either. We didn’t want to raise any alarm… yet, but it was looking more ominous by the hour.

Ginger shook her head against the inevitable. “What if going to the police makes things worse?”

After the floodwaters receded and the roads cleared, Ginger had promised me we’d go to the BBPD first thing in the morning—twice now!—but clearly I would have to drag her kicking and screaming.

After setting today’s Bloodson Bay Bulletin newspaper and a fresh fully-caffeinated coffee in front of her, I busied myself tidying up the clutter around her kitchen. Across her breakfast nook table Ginger had spread pictures of Rick and Benson, most of them obviously from the 1980s, judging by Rick’s neon geometric-patterned sweater and Benson’s Alf t-shirt. Lifting a stack of pictures, giving each one a long gaze, Ginger seemed to drift back in time further and further with each photograph.

“I keep waiting for it to get easier—losing Bennie without being able to say goodbye. But now Rick… it’s like I’m going through it all over again. I didn’t even get a last kiss.”

She was already referring to Rick in the past tense.

“We don’t know for sure that he is…”

For Ginger’s sake I didn’t finish the sentence. Now I knew just how awful a feeling it was to wonder if it was the last time I was going to see the man I loved. I didn’t want to hurt Ginger any more than she was already hurting, even if I did hate the guy for putting my best friend in this position.

“There was blood in the storage unit, Tara. That last note said he was killed. It could only mean one thing. Rick is gone. For good.”

With a frown of defeat, Ginger grabbed her purse from the table, sending a bundle of papers to the floor. It was the straw that broke Ginger’s back as she suddenly burst into tears.

“Hey, honey, I’ll get it. Just sit,” I soothed, picking up the mess.

On top was the photo of Benson, the one displayed at his funeral and again on the news at the announcement of his memorial fund. It clearly was Ginger’s favorite.

“Do you want me to frame this one for you?” I offered, staring at it.

Ginger’s shoulder lifted slightly. “Sure.”

Sticking out of a box on the table I found an empty picture frame, about the right size. “Mind if I use this frame?”

Ginger barely glanced at it before her eyes widened. Reaching out, she grabbed it forcefully out of my hands.

“No, no, not this one,” she mumbled, turning the frame over, examining it like it was a puzzle to solve.

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