Page 695 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

A shiver ran up Sydney’s spine. Was someone really watching them or was she letting Hazel’s paranoia draw her in?

Once inside, Hazel was back to her normal self. “I brought some cake from Wally’s house for you.”

“Wally?”

“Yes, Louellen and I always go to Wally’s for Thanksgiving, and he was so nice to us this year, but Maurene was really, reallyugly.” Hazel moved a stack of magazines out of the chair so Sydney could sit down.

“Maurene? Hazel, do you mean Walter and Maurene?”

“Yeah, you should have seen her. Every time I asked for seconds on the rolls and cheesecake, Maurene would roll her eyes at Wally and blow out her cheeks like a blow fish, but he just pretended he didn’t see. Wally knows I love rolls and cheesecake. That’s why he always has them for me on Thanksgiving. Louellen even got mad at Maurene this time.”

“Hazel, how are you and Louellen related to Walter and Maurene?”

She moved some pillows and sank down on the sofa. “He’s our brother, but we never call him Walter. We call him Wally.”

Sydney let the information sink in. The fact that she didn’t know that Walter was Hazel’s older brother was very unsettling. Why hadn’t she made that connection? There was really no reason why Walter or Louellen should have told her, but it just made her wonder what other connections she had missed. What other surprises did Stoney Creek have in store for her?

Hazel interrupted her thoughts. “Sydney, do you want some cheesecake? Wally gave me all of the cake that was left!” Hazel put her hands on each side of her mouth and giggled. “Ooh, this made Maurene really mad.”

“Yes, that would be great. I’ll take a small piece.”

“Good,” Hazel got up and went into the kitchen.

Doubts racedthrough Sydney’s mind. She ran her fingers through her long hair. Maybe she should have called Walter instead of just showing up on his doorstep. Her leg ached, and she willed the pain away as she held her breath and rang thedoorbell. Please let it be Walter, not Maurene who answers the door.

“Sydney, what a nice surprise,” Walter said and motioned her in.

“I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”

He waved her comment away. “Oh no. Maurene has gone to Glendale to shop.”

She followed him to the den where he settled into the sofa and crossed his legs. As usual, he looked impeccable in khaki pants and a plaid button-up shirt. He reached for the remote and clicked off the television. Sydney smiled, not surprised that he was watching a football game.

“What can I do for you, young lady?”

She could feel her palms going sweaty. “I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things.”

She began by telling him about Helping Hands and how she wanted to help people in the community. When she finished, he looked at her in admiration and shook his head.

“You’re so much like Avery. This is a wonderful thing that you’re doing. I would love to help. Do you have a building yet?”

“Well, no. I’m still working on that part.”

“I’ll hook you up with a friend of mine, Tess Lambert. She’ll find you a good deal.”

“Yes, I know Tess. She helped me find the house I’m renting.”

“Great. I would like to be one of your sponsors.”

“Wonderful. By the way, I just found out that I live next door to one of your sisters.”

“Hazel?”

Sydney nodded. “I didn’t know that she and Louellen were your sisters. I just love Hazel.”

Walter laughed. “That Hazel’s a character.”

All the while she and Walter were making small talk, Sydney’s heart was pounding. She cleared her throat. “There’ssomething else I need to talk to you about.” For the hundredth time, Sydney prayed she could convince Walter to believe her. He’d already done so much to help her, but she needed him now more than ever. She was up against a brick wall with nowhere else to turn. There was no dancing around the issue.

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