Read Online Bitter Sweets by G. A. McKevett - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: G. A. McKevett
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Women Private Investigators, California, Overweight Women, Reid, Savannah (Fictitious Character), Southern, Large Type Books
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her.
“What?”
“Never mind. Let me ask you a question,” she said. “First, why were you on my doorstep so early in the morning?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I was worried.” The dark circles under his eyes attested to the fact that he was weary, but Savannah wasn’t ready to believe anything too readily anymore.
“It’s a condition that’s going around,” she replied. “Why were you worried?”
“I talked to my wife, back in Orlando, Florida, last evening, about eight o’clock Pacific time. She told me that you, or someone from your office, called her.”
“That’s true.”
“She said that someone who looks like me came here and asked you to find my sister.”
“Someone did. We called her to verify that it was you, and we compared physical descriptions. She confirmed that you were in San Carmelita, searching for your sister, and that she wasn’t surprised you had contacted a private investigator. I’m very sorry, Mr. O’Donnell, if that’s who you really are. Everyone thought our visitor was who he claimed to be...specifically, you.”
“I think I might know who he was,” Brian O’Donnell said.
Yeah, you and me both, Savannah thought, but she kept it to herself. “Who?” she asked.
“I’m afraid it might be Lisa’s ex-husband, a guy by the name of Earl.”
“Is that right?” Savannah cleared her throat. “And why do you think that?”
“Because I’m afraid I may have made a mistake by talking to him about her. You see, I’ve been searching for my sister for a long time and about eight months ago I traced her here to San Carmelita. I contacted her husband-he’s her ex now, but I didn’t know it then-and asked him about her. He didn’t let on that they were even separated, let alone divorced. He said that if I’d come to town, he might convince her to see me.”
“You came then...eight months ago?”
“Yes. I flew right out, and he met me at LAX. We had a drink there in one of the lounges and he told me that she refused to see me. He asked me a lot of questions about our childhood, my life, our family. I was flattered that he was such an interested brother-in-law, considering that my sister wouldn’t even see me.”
“Yes. He can be quite convincing,” Savannah agreed, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. “Please, go on.”
“We continued to correspond, and when my father died recently, I asked him to talk to my sister again, to tell her how important it was that I see her. I was hoping that, maybe, the inheritance money would make a difference.”
He blushed, a deep, natural redhead flush and shrugged his shoulders. “I wasn’t proud. I wanted to see her any way I could, no matter what her motivation.”
“I can understand that. But you haven’t seen her yet?”
“No. I just arrived in town last night. And after I spoke to my wife, I decided I’d better come over here right away and ask you what was up. Besides, I don’t even know where my sister is. Last night I drove by the address that Earl Mallock gave me and it’s just one of those postal centers with PO boxes.”
Savannah felt the first spark of hope she had experienced since visiting the Blue Moon Motel last night. Maybe things weren’t quite so bleak, after all. Along with the bad news that she would have to deliver to Lisa Mallock in another hour and a half, she could bring her a blessing...a real, flesh-and-blood brother.
“I know where she is,” Savannah told him with a tired smile. “I’m going to spend the next ninety minutes making absolutely, positively sure that you are who you say you are. And if it’s true, I’ll introduce you to your sister. Believe me, you couldn’t have arrived at a better time.”
“Is this it?” Brian O’Donnell’s ruddy face glowed with anticipation as Savannah pulled the Camaro into the driveway and cut the key. “Is this my sister’s house?”
“That’s it. The unit ‘A’ on the left. And that’s her Tempest under
“What?”
“Never mind. Let me ask you a question,” she said. “First, why were you on my doorstep so early in the morning?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I was worried.” The dark circles under his eyes attested to the fact that he was weary, but Savannah wasn’t ready to believe anything too readily anymore.
“It’s a condition that’s going around,” she replied. “Why were you worried?”
“I talked to my wife, back in Orlando, Florida, last evening, about eight o’clock Pacific time. She told me that you, or someone from your office, called her.”
“That’s true.”
“She said that someone who looks like me came here and asked you to find my sister.”
“Someone did. We called her to verify that it was you, and we compared physical descriptions. She confirmed that you were in San Carmelita, searching for your sister, and that she wasn’t surprised you had contacted a private investigator. I’m very sorry, Mr. O’Donnell, if that’s who you really are. Everyone thought our visitor was who he claimed to be...specifically, you.”
“I think I might know who he was,” Brian O’Donnell said.
Yeah, you and me both, Savannah thought, but she kept it to herself. “Who?” she asked.
“I’m afraid it might be Lisa’s ex-husband, a guy by the name of Earl.”
“Is that right?” Savannah cleared her throat. “And why do you think that?”
“Because I’m afraid I may have made a mistake by talking to him about her. You see, I’ve been searching for my sister for a long time and about eight months ago I traced her here to San Carmelita. I contacted her husband-he’s her ex now, but I didn’t know it then-and asked him about her. He didn’t let on that they were even separated, let alone divorced. He said that if I’d come to town, he might convince her to see me.”
“You came then...eight months ago?”
“Yes. I flew right out, and he met me at LAX. We had a drink there in one of the lounges and he told me that she refused to see me. He asked me a lot of questions about our childhood, my life, our family. I was flattered that he was such an interested brother-in-law, considering that my sister wouldn’t even see me.”
“Yes. He can be quite convincing,” Savannah agreed, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. “Please, go on.”
“We continued to correspond, and when my father died recently, I asked him to talk to my sister again, to tell her how important it was that I see her. I was hoping that, maybe, the inheritance money would make a difference.”
He blushed, a deep, natural redhead flush and shrugged his shoulders. “I wasn’t proud. I wanted to see her any way I could, no matter what her motivation.”
“I can understand that. But you haven’t seen her yet?”
“No. I just arrived in town last night. And after I spoke to my wife, I decided I’d better come over here right away and ask you what was up. Besides, I don’t even know where my sister is. Last night I drove by the address that Earl Mallock gave me and it’s just one of those postal centers with PO boxes.”
Savannah felt the first spark of hope she had experienced since visiting the Blue Moon Motel last night. Maybe things weren’t quite so bleak, after all. Along with the bad news that she would have to deliver to Lisa Mallock in another hour and a half, she could bring her a blessing...a real, flesh-and-blood brother.
“I know where she is,” Savannah told him with a tired smile. “I’m going to spend the next ninety minutes making absolutely, positively sure that you are who you say you are. And if it’s true, I’ll introduce you to your sister. Believe me, you couldn’t have arrived at a better time.”
“Is this it?” Brian O’Donnell’s ruddy face glowed with anticipation as Savannah pulled the Camaro into the driveway and cut the key. “Is this my sister’s house?”
“That’s it. The unit ‘A’ on the left. And that’s her Tempest under
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