Page 89 of Smoke Screen
Stressing over it wouldn’t help. She’d have to suck it up and trust that she’d be vindicated.
That’s all.
Leaving Lynette’s note in place, Maddy moved to the stove and lifted the cover from the pot. Beef stew. Meat and vegetables, all uniformly cut, rose almost to the top. Clearly, Phin and his brothers hadn’t made it from their offices.
She closed her eyes, let the spices tickle her senses. Her tummy waved a white flag. Begging for mercy.
Food.Amazingfood that Maddy’s body nearly swooned over.
She pulled a bowl from the stack on the counter and using the ladle from the spoon rest, helped herself before grabbing silverware and a dinner roll from the basket Lynette had set behind the bowls.
Rather than sit at the giant table alone, she opted for the island, settling in to savor Lynette’s cooking. Living alone, Maddy didn’t bother with cooking much and her own mother was … well … not a gourmet chef. But she tried. Always.
The first spoonful of Lynette’s stew hit Maddy’s tongue in epic fashion. The truth was, she should have popped it in the microwave, but even lukewarm the savory meat nearly melted on her tongue.
“There you are.”
She swallowed and spun her stool to find Phin and Cruz heading toward her. “Hi. Sorry. I was hungry.” She pointed to the note. “Your mom left food.”
“Nice,” Cruz said, already lifting the lid off the pot. “Stew. She makesthebest stew.”
Maddy waved her spoon. “I just found that out. Good thing you got here when you did, or I might eat all of it.”
“Dude.” Phin pointed to the pot while he read Lynette’s note. “Hook me up there. Mom and Grams went into town.”
While Cruz doled out food, Phin slid onto the stool beside Maddy. “I tried your cell. You didn’t answer.”
She sat straight. Her phone. Had she …
For whatever reason, she patted her pockets, knowing full well she wouldn’t find it. In the middle of a crisis and she forgot her phone?
“I’m sorry. I must have left it in my room.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Did you need something?”
Cruz passed the first bowl of stew to Phin. “Your brain.”
“Actually,” Phin said, “your eyes. I can’t give you too many details, but Thompson has a lead on the jewels.”
She dropped the spoon, sending it clattering into her bowl. “What lead? Do you think it’s the real thing?”
Phin held up a hand. “We have to vet it. Sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up. We’re setting up a meeting for tomorrow at noon to feel it out.”
“Thus,” Cruz said, not bothering to sit and digging into his meal from the opposite side of the island, “the meeting.”
Calm. She’d have to stay calm and not expect too much. Wasn’t that always her problem? Expecting things to go a certain way and then being disappointed. Her standards, her mother would say, were too high. She put thoughts of her mother—and her avoidance of said mother—out of her mind. When this was over, she’d apologize and explain. Right now, she couldn’t talk about it. About the embarrassment and shame she’d brought to her family by being a suspect in a jewelry heist.
She focused on Phin and this possible lead. “How can I help?”
“This person,” Phin said, “claims he knows where the jewels are and has photos. The plan is to meet in town. There’s a sidewalk sale this weekend. That’s where our mom went tonight. They’ve closed off Main Street to vehicles. The restaurants are setting up outside food stations and dining, so it’ll be busy. “
Maddy thought of all the movies she’d seen where kidnappers have their victims hold up newspapers as proof of life. Did people even read newspapers anymore? What would the guy do? Show them an online article with a pic of the missing jewels?
“You want me to go with you?”
“Uh, no.”
