Mistaken Identity Crisis by James J. Cudney

Author:James J. Cudney [Cudney, James J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Creativia
Published: 2019-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

“Gabriel won't be here for lunch today. He took off late last night to do some soul-searching. He left a note indicating he'd gone camping with Sam up in the mountains,” Nana D said as we fed the horses on Sunday morning while waiting for my parents to arrive from church. Although she was prepared to turn over the entire farm to her right-hand man, my nana wanted to cherish the last few days before getting bogged down with all the mayoral responsibilities she was about to absorb.

“He left because I confronted him yesterday. I didn't get a clear answer either.” I never expected him to confess everything he'd done while he was away from Braxton, but his explanations left more open holes than Nana D's favorite pair of worn overalls—and that was saying a lot, not to mention scarier than all get-out! “Did he tell you anything else?”

Emma held the bucket while her favorite horse gobbled his morning oats. One of her friends' mothers had picked them up this morning from the sleepover and dropped Emma off at Danby Landing for me. “Uncle Gabriel isn't gone for good, is he?”

“No, honey. He just needed to cool his jets,” Nana D said, comforting my daughter and looking at me. “He's clearing his head before talking to some important people.” Nana D grabbed Emma's hand and began walking back to the farmhouse.

By important people, Nana D had meant the sheriff's office. Although the police did not officially want Gabriel, he would need to discuss everything he'd known about the jewelry thefts now that Connor had found his name on the San Francisco pawn shop's reports. “Has Marcus finally conceded to you? Or is he just ignoring your inauguration?”

“He called yesterday to acknowledge I beat him. I also forced Marcus to explain why he'd been meeting with Imogene at the diner last week. Apparently, she requested the discussion to warn him that if his daughter continued to cause trouble for her fiancé as he was beginning his new role in Braxton, she'd sue Krissy for slander. Paul must've told her what Krissy had said in the park the night of my birthday party about Imogene cheating on him with Quint.”

Nana D tickled Emma as we crossed through a flower garden, then chased her for several feet before finally throwing her arms in the air announcing defeat. The flowers reminded me of the news Fern had shared the previous night about the calla lily's role in the historical courting processes of the Alpha Iota Omega sorority. I still couldn't figure out the connection between the flowers and the jewelry thefts or with Quint's death. If Imogene had cheated on Paul with Quint, maybe Paul was angry about being cuckolded and killed Quint in retaliation. Had Paul left behind a bouquet of calla lilies to get even with his friend for backstabbing him? Nonetheless, I still wasn't certain Imogene had cheated on Paul.

Nana D explained that Marcus had only told her because he'd gotten drunk in order to find the wherewithal to admit defeat.

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