Read Online Blind Trust by Sandra Orchard - Free Book Online

what she wanted to know. She’d kept her head down for too long already.
    Brian Nagy’s red sports car sat in Verna’s driveway next door.
    Kate hitched her purse up her shoulder, digging her fingers into the strap. The pleasant August afternoon suddenly felt a little too sticky. Brian never came by two days in a row. Something must be wrong with Verna again. He might need help. Kate strode toward Verna’s house.
    At the property edge her step faltered. What if Brian was there to get rid of evidence?
    She should call Tom. He was probably looking for Brian right now to question him about his visit to the hardware store. Kate turned back and dug her phone from her purse. Except . . .
    What if Brian was here because Verna had taken another bad turn? Tom showing up again would only upset her more.
    Phone in hand, Kate eyeballed Verna’s front door. She could pop over on the pretense of checking on Verna like any good neighbor would. If she happened to notice Brian up to no good, then she could call Tom. She zipped her phone in her purse and strode to Verna’s door before she could change her mind a second time.
    â€œCome in,” Verna called at Kate’s knock, sounding as chipper as ever.
    Kate’s heart thumped an erratic beat. Where was Brian?
    She let herself in, cocking an ear toward the basement forany telltale sounds. She might be able to warn Tom before Brian even knew she was here.
    Verna was pushing herself up from her recliner as Kate poked her head into the living room.
    â€œOh, it’s you, dear.” Verna relaxed her arms and let herself drop back into the chair.
    â€œHow are you feeling today?” Kate hovered at the doorway where she could keep both the basement stairs and the hallway leading to the bedrooms in view. A spicy aroma hung in the air. Verna must’ve been baking.
    The woman made a so-so gesture. “Water’s giving me trouble.”
    â€œWater?”
    Brian suddenly materialized in the hallway, a monkey wrench in hand, undisguised irritation creasing his face. “Oh, it’s you.” The lines slashing his brow rearranged themselves into a semblance of . . . gratitude? “I want to thank you. My son told me how you settled Mother down yesterday during one of her episodes.”
    â€œEpisodes? This has happened before?”
    â€œUnfortunately.” He bent down and pulled a P-trap from a small paper bag. That must’ve been what Verna had meant about her water and what Brian had been at the hardware store to buy. “But don’t worry, she’s signed a power of attorney granting me the right to act on her behalf. I’m going to make sure she gets the help she needs, whether she wants it or not.”
    Behind Kate, Verna let out a soft humph.
    Kate’s heart ached at the thought of Verna being put into a home, but after yesterday, she had to agree that the dear needed some kind of help. “I imagine that’ll take some time.”
    Brian lowered his voice. “She’s been on the waiting list fora while. But between the counterfeit money swindle and now this, they can’t help but see how necessary it’s become.”
    At the mention of the counterfeit money, Kate’s thoughts whirled back to her earlier suspicions. Was Brian overreacting to Verna’s “episode” to divert suspicion from the family? Was he the one running a counterfeit operation and using his mother as a front? “What if she still refuses to go?”
    â€œI’d have to apply for guardianship. I was hoping I could count on you to testify to her need for care . . . if I have a problem, I mean.”
    â€œOh, I don’t think I . . .” Wringing her hands, Kate glanced into the front room where Verna still sat. “I couldn’t do that to her.”
    Brian stepped closer, the monkey wrench still clutched in his hand. “But now that you’ve seen how she gets, how