Page 674 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“Well, it certainly came in handy today. Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome.”

Louellen’s soft, cultured voice had a musical quality about it that was as soothing as a lullaby. “Hazel has grown attached to you, Sydney. She loves having you next door.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” Sydney cleared her throat and placed her glass of ice water on a nearby table. “I went to the sporting goods store in Glendale the other day and ran into someone you know.”

“Oh?”

Sydney cringed as she watched Louellen’s eyes grow wary. “Lewis Jackson.”

Except for the slight tremor in her hand when she raised the glass of water to her lips, Louellen remained the picture of composure.

“I didn’t realize that you had an ex husband.”

“Yes.”

Louellen’s short answers weren’t going to make this easy. “I thought you told me that Lewis Jackson was dead.”

“I’m … um, I’m not sure what you mean.”

Sydney’s eyes caught Louellen’s and held them. “Remember the day I asked Barb about Cecil Prichard?” Sydney waited for Louellen to acknowledge her comment by at least nodding. When she didn’t, Sydney continued. “Anyway, I asked Barb how to get in touch with Cecil Prichard, and you told me. That’s when I asked you about Lewis. You told me he was dead.”

“Did I? I don’t remember saying that.”

Sydney tried to keep her voice kind. “Yes, you did. Why?”

Louellen shifted in her seat. “Well, if I told you that—which I don’t know why I would’ve—I apologize.”

“Are you and Lewis on good terms?”

“Well, no …” She looked like she was about to say more but stopped. “Why are you asking me questions about Lewis? To come to think of it, why were you asking about Cecil Prichard?”

It was time to give the pat answer that no one really believed. “I’m compiling an accident trend report?—”

Hazel burst into the room.“Don’t say a word, Sydney! Eyes are watching. Eyes are always watching … waiting.”

A shudder slithered down Sydney’s spine.

Louellen jumped to her feet. “Hazel, what in the world are you talking about?” She reached for Hazel’s arm, but Hazel jerked away.

“Ask Sydney.” She looked at Sydney. “You know, don’t you?”

Louellen looked at Sydney for an explanation, but Sydney was too shocked to do anything but nod. Louellen took Hazel by the arm again. This time she didn’t protest. “Let’s get you in the bed.” She looked at Sydney. “I’m so sorry about Hazel’s outburst. There’s no telling what triggered it.”

By this time, Sydney had collected her wits enough to formulate some questions. She looked at Hazel. “Whose eyes are watching? Tell me who you think it is.”

Hazel’s eyes darted back and forth between Louellen and Sydney. Before she could answer, Louellen intervened. “I believe Hazel’s had enough excitement for one day.”

Sydney’s eyes met Louellen’s for one long moment, and Sydney wasn’t sure if Louellen was trying to protect Hazel or herself.

“Hazel’s fine now. We’ll see you later, Sydney.”

A good hardjog would have been just the medicine to ease the tension from Sydney’s stressful day, but when she ploppeddown on the couch to put on her tennis shoes, she decided that a nap was more enticing. She was weary to the bone. Her blinking answering machine caught her attention. She had two messages, and the first one was from Kendall.

“Hey hon, it’s me.” She smiled. Kendall’s voice was like a warm blanket. “Just wondering if you have any plans for Saturday. Don’t make any. Give me a call when you get a chance.” Spending a day with Kendall was just the tonic she needed. He didn’t treat her like an outsider or expect anything from her that she couldn’t give. Her relationship with Kendall was … she struggled to find the right word … comfortable.

The second message was from Ginger. “Hey Syd. I’ve got some good news. All of Sean’s paperwork came back clean.” She laughed. “You can rest assured that he doesn’t have a criminal record. He’s as clean as a whistle. By the way, according to Mark, he had a 4.0 average in college. Looks and brains! What a combination! Oh, another thing, Mark hasn’t been able to get in touch with Dustin Akin, his buddy who attended Sean’s high school. He has been out of town. Anyway, I’m sure that’ll check out too, but I’ll let you know. Be safe and call me.”

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