LITMIR.BIZ

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had awakened her longing to find out about her parents. She thought she had dealt with that issue years ago, yet here she was again, hoping for some clue that would lead to their identity. She realized now that the only closure would come from finding them.

      She had her birth date to start with. It was listed on the state-issued delayed birth certificate she’d had to get when she first applied for a passport. Social services had registered it. The parents’ name fields had been “Unknown.” But from some of the stories Jack had told, he’d often started with less.

      Maybe she should reconsider contracting the private detective who had traced her for Maddie. She’d have more confidence in the man’s abilities if he’d found Jo.

      April headed for the main desk of the library. While she was here, she’d stop to speak with Etta Williams. The librarian had recommended books for April to read when she was younger. Would Etta remember the little girl she’d befriended so many years ago?

      Etta was delighted to see her.

      “I recognized you the minute you walked into the room, but didn’t have a chance to greet you. You look lovely, April. What have you been doing?”

      April filled her in briefly and said she had come back to be with Maddie.

      “It’s a shame about Maddie Oglethorpe. She didn’t deserve all the hardship she’s had in her life. I’m right glad you and Eliza have rallied around when she needs family. I do hope she makes a complete recovery. Tell her I asked after her, will you?”

      “I’ll do that.”

      “Need any books today?” Etta asked with a smile.

      “I have a bunch of classics on my old bookshelf at the house,” April said, “so I thought I’d start rereading them. But if I get the urge for a mystery or something more recent, I’ll come back.”

      “Anytime.” Etta smiled warmly. “I’m always glad to see you.”

      Feeling a bit as though she’d stepped back in time, April left the library and continued her walk home. Family, Etta had said. Eliza had said that, as well. The three girls and Maddie made a family. Not a conventional one, not a biological one, but a family nonetheless.

      However, April had always railed against Maddie’s restrictions, longing to see what was beyond the horizon. Now she’d done that, and found it was pretty much the same as anywhere else—still lonely without a family.

      All her life she’d missed having relatives of her own. Why hadn’t she just appreciated the family she did have? The old saying, blood was thicker than water, wasn’t always true.

      As she approached the house on Poppin Hill, her annoyance with Jack Palmer grew. He didn’t have to be so rude, dismissing her before he’d heard her out.

      Okay, he had no obligation to help her. And at least he hadn’t tried to put the make on her the way most men did. She could almost respect him for that. But his attitude sucked.

      Eliza was out when April reached home. She tried to remember whether her friend had a catering event, but there were so many she couldn’t keep them all straight. Bypassing the men working in the hall, she headed for the kitchen. An iced tea sounded perfect. As she was getting a large glass, she saw the note on the counter. Eliza and Betsy would be back soon and cook dinner on the grill. They’d gone to scope out the location for their next assignment.

      April shook her head, still amazed her friend had started a business in Maraville when she’d only come back for a visit. She took her tea and headed for her room, doing her best to ignore the construction workers.

      She could start reading one of her books, but she knew she’d fall asleep. If she didn’t get back to feeling like normal soon, she was going to see a doctor here in Maraville, or a specialist in New Orleans. She hated not having any energy.

      Starting up the stairs, she glanced at the phone. Maybe she should try that private detective. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t afford him. And there was a chance he would be able to help her. It was worth a shot.

      CHAPTER THREE

      CADE WAS THE FIRST to show up later that afternoon. He rang the doorbell, but before April could get downstairs, he opened the door and walked in.

      “Hi, Eliza home yet?” he asked when he spotted April.

      It was late afternoon. Work had stopped on the renovations. The house was quiet and covered in dust.

      April shook her head. “No, she and Betsy had to check out the location of some job coming up. She said they’d be home for dinner.”

      “Sounds good. I think we’re grilling outside. Maybe I’ll start the coals.”

      April followed Cade out to the backyard. There was a new stainless-steel barbecue grill on the worn, uneven brick patio. She knew Eliza or Cade must have bought it. Maddie would never use something like that.

      “What did you do today?” Cade asked as he began to work.

      “I went to see Maddie, then stopped at the library to hear Jack Palmer.”

      “I wanted to get to that but got caught up in a meeting in New Orleans. I met him at Sam’s the other night.”

      “Sam is the sheriff?” April remembered the old sheriff who had questioned Eliza and her years ago.

      “Right,” Cade said. “He’s been here two years. Came from New Orleans.”

      “Quite a change. Is he as stupid as Sheriff Halstead was?”

      Cade glanced over. “Eliza doesn’t hold the old sheriff in high regard, either. Sam’s younger, seems smart enough to me. After he read the files, he told Eliza he thinks Maddie got a raw deal.”

      “Well, duh.”

      Cade laughed softly. “Can I get you something to drink?”

      April looked at him and smiled. “Sure. I’ll go in with you. I’d love some iced tea.”

      It was obvious Cade knew his way around the kitchen. He took down four glasses, filled two with ice and then poured tea from the large pitcher in the refrigerator.

      “Sugar already in,” he said, handing her the drink.

      Taking a long sip, she sighed. “Delicious. Hard to get it this good in France.” She glanced around. “How long will this renovation take?”

      “The men should be finished the first floor by the end of next week. We’re starting the second floor next. Depending on how much work we find we need to do on the plumbing, that could take a while. Sooner or later you and Eliza are going to have to vacate your rooms so I can have bathrooms built. I want one en suite between every two bedrooms.”

      “So tell me more about this project, and why Maddie is involved.”

      “Remember my sister?” Cade asked.

      April nodded. She was the one who had committed suicide the same day Jo had been beaten so badly.

      Cade explained something that hadn’t been common knowledge at the time. His sister Chelsea had been pregnant when she killed herself. He thought part of her desperation was due to fear of the future and lack of support. He surprised April when he said he’d told Maddie about his proposal for a home for pregnant teens and the older woman had immediately latched on to the idea, offering the house on Poppin Hill as the perfect facility.

      “Not everyone in town wants the home,” he added.

      “Like the banker. Eliza told me about him. What I don’t understand is why he’s opposing Maddie. They were dating when I last lived here. What happened?”

      “No one seems to know. Remember Edith Harper, Maddie’s friend?”

      “I do.”

      “She might know more, but if she does, she hasn’t told Eliza.

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