Page 39 of Fractured Memories

“Our pleasure.”

“FEE!” Harper’s tiny voice carried across the yard. Her head poked out of the zippered entrance to the bouncy house and she screamed again, “FEE!”

“That’s my signal.” Felicity laughed. “I knew she was going to do that.”

She and Addison headed over to the bouncy house together. They were joined by Leah and Cassie. Like Addison, Cassie had her daughter tucked in a sling. Sophia, Leah’s daughter, was jumping in the bouncy house.

Jason spotted Nathan and Tucker manning the grill and deviated in that direction. Noah carried the pie boxes to the dessert table. He set them down and opened the top one. The smell of apples and cinnamon wafted from the box. The crust was a perfect golden brown, the filling visible through the lattice work, gooey. “Wow.”

“Whatcha got there?” Detective Jax Taylor appeared at his side. The lawman looked relaxed in faded blue jeans and a ball cap. He leaned over to glance inside the box and whistled. “Holy smokes, that’s a pie from Nelson’s? Okay, where are the plates? I’ve heard amazingthings about this place but have never eaten there. It’s in the middle of nowhere.”

“It’s off that old country road heading out of town, right?”

“Yep. The outside looks dodgy, but several people have said the food is amazing and the pies are the best in Texas.”

“Let’s find out.” Noah hunted up some plates and silverware. He sliced into the apple pie and gave a hearty piece to Jax before helping himself. The moment the first bite hit his tongue, he groaned with pleasure. “Oh man. That is good.”

He tipped up the other lids on the rest of the bakery boxes. “Looks like we’ve got pecan, chocolate walnut, some kind of strawberry thing, and a peach. Jason and Addison went all out.”

Jax patted his stomach. “Thank goodness I left plenty of room for dessert.” He glanced at Felicity and then lowered his voice. “Hey, man, I meant to ask. How is Felicity doing since the Ferguson trials? I know testifying can dredge up a lot of stuff.”

“She’s doing good. I am too.” Kurtis and Melanie Ferguson were convicted on all counts and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Daniel pled guilty, so there was no trial for him, and he also got a life sentence. Since he agreed to testify against Kurtis and Melanie, the prosecutor agreed to a potential parole. But that was a long way off. The man would probably spend the next forty years or so in prison. “Knowing Kurtis and Melanie won’t ever be able to hurt anyone is comforting.”

Investigations into Triple 6 were still ongoing. Uncovering the identities of the organization’s leadership would take time.

Jax’s gaze snagged on something and his expression darkened. “What’s she doing here?”

Noah was caught off-guard by the hostility in his colleague’s tone. Jax was laidback and easygoing even in stressful situations. “Who?”

“Megan Ingles.” He gestured to a blonde woman in a green dress standing near the bouncy house.

“Oh. Megan and Felicity attend bible study together.” Noah frowned. “I’m pretty sure Megan is also a friend of Leah’s. She’s a therapist, if I remember correctly. Do you know her?”

“Yep.” His mouth pulled tight and his shoulders were stiff. “She killed my brother.”

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