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When Matt flopped down on the comfortable bed in the clean, quiet room he went down like a boxer with a glass jaw. When Sady saw he left his cell phone on the bedside table she saw an opportunity that she couldn't let pass. The poor guy is slipping fast, she thought to herself. She didn't feel the least bit guilty as she slipped by and palmed the phone. Sneaking a candy bar past her mother had been more difficult. She headed for door and less than a minute later she smiled at the plop made when the phone hit the water of the canal that ran behind the B & B.
She was innocently fanning herself on the porch swing when Matt came charging out the front door less than a half hour later. He gazed at her suspiciously and she gave him the smile that had won several competitions. He wasn't buying it, but that didn't matter now.
"You haven't seen my phone, have you?" he asked.
She sent him a wide-eyed innocent look and shook her head. I haven't seen your phone since I threw it into the murky water of the canal. "Gee, I hope it wasn't a company phone. Bosses tend to get unreasonably upset over those little mishaps." She patted a spot on the swing next to her and invited him to have a seat. He continued to scowl and the look on his face told her he knew she was lying. Her smile grew, and she shrugged as he stomped off.
At supper time she asked if he was joining her at the diner. In a lofty voice he told her he had other plans. She left him to his other plans and headed to the diner. There was no way he would get better food, but if he wanted to have an introvert party without inviting her who was she to argue?
She peered through the window before entering just to make sure it was safe, then took a seat in the back corner, and ordered the special. A couple sitting over a few tables were complaining how they had lost their room at the B & B. The man blamed his wife for not reserving the room for Saturday night and she insisted she had. Sady felt bad, but not enough to give up the room. It was her uncle's fault. By all rights she should be sleeping in a house somewhere here in Sinful, a house she owned but couldn't claim.
When the food arrived she forgot about her uncle, the house, and even the motel room. She'd consumed more calories in the last 24 hours than she had in a whole week as a contestant. That thought didn't stop her from enjoying every bite. She waved to Ally and left a huge tip realizing this might be the last time she enjoyed a supper so much. On a whim she ordered meal to go. She wouldn't be enjoying Matt's company much longer either, and that was disturbingly disappointing.
Matt was sitting at the small table in their room when she returned. She ignored the plate with the remnants of a cold sandwich sitting there and waved the takeout bag in front of him. His eyes lit up appreciatively, and he grabbed the bag without a word. She went to sit on the porch swing again, ignoring the sweat that drenched her, while she soaked in the unique atmosphere of the town.
The front screen door gave a small creak and then Matt plopped down on the swing next to her. They didn't talk but sat in comfortable silence, swinging gently in the humid evening air... until the bug population became intolerable. After one final mosquito swat she headed up to the cool room and Matt soon followed. She breathed a sigh of relief at the comfort of the room and went to take a shower. When she came out Matt began complaining about the lack of a television. She snickered and told him to go back to the motel. "If you stand in the right spot, I'm sure you can listen to several stations at the same time."
"Never mind!" he said, folding his arms with a cross expression.
Sady reached into her purse for hand cream and knew he'd been in there again. Probably using her phone she thought with a grin. She ignored it- he already knew more about her personal life than he'd ever find in her purse. She climbed into bed. Ah, a delightful king-sized mattress. Sady finally got a good night's sleep, without resorting to the cough syrup. She didn't even hear Matt when he finally came to bed.
A discreet knock on the door awakened them in the morning. Their hostess apologized for the interruption and told Matt he had a visitor who insisted on seeing him. He was waiting on the side patio.
One look at Matt's face told Sady everything she needed to know. Matt's boss, her uncle, had come for a visit. What a surprise. The fact that he wanted to speak with Matt first sent her suspicion into overdrive. And what a lovely coincidence that the side patio was below their room.
Once Matt left, she raised the window. No screen was good. People didn't pay for a room at a B & B in southern Louisiana to enjoy the sounds of nature and ridiculous humidity through an open window. It was a wonder the window even lifted at all. She leaned out the window and eavesdropped on the conversation taking place below on the patio.
"Meadows," her uncle greeted Matt.
"Morrow. And don't even start in on the lost cell phone. I'm telling you that niece of yours stole it. If you think she's so innocent why don't you take over for a few days?"
"The phone's irrelevant at this point, Matt. Do you know if she's gone to the house or has knowledge of anything that's going on here?"
"I have no clue. She took her broom out on a cruise last night for all I know. Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"Because I'm paying you to keep an eye on her. Her early withdrawal from what should have been the vacation of a lifetime threw us into a speed wobble. You know I can't afford to waste a trained agent on her. I thought you'd be able to handle her."
If the men had looked up, they'd possibly have seen the smoke rising from the window where Sady listened. If she had any doubts about abusing any authority her uncle had... well, that was part of the rising smoke.
"Morrow, I don't know what you've got going on down here but as far as I know she hasn't been to the house. We crossed paths briefly with, uh, the blonde woman at the diner- once. That was it. She hasn't been asking questions. I followed her to the cemetery. She looked at old headstones and picked wildflowers. She hasn't taken a stroll through town."
Morrow heaved a sigh and said, "I have to get her out of this town. You've spent more time with her than anyone I know, Matt. Any ideas on where I can send her to keep her out of the way?"
With a snort Matt said, "Yeah, send her to Hell."
"That's not funny, Matt. She's still my niece."
"I wasn't trying to be funny. Send her to Michigan and find something for her to do there. Get her a PI license. I'm not kidding when I say she'd be good at it. It's a wonder she held onto the librarian job as long as she did. Whatever you do, find something that will keep her busy or she's going to blow up in your face."
"Thanks, Matt. I still can't believe that little Sandy-Sue is the spitfire you're describing."
"Morrow, call her Sassy- it's fitting. Now, I'm going to the diner so you can have a little one-on-one with your niece. If you'd taken the time to do this sooner, you'd have saved yourself a lot of grief. Oh, get me a new cell phone will you?"
Sady watched Matt leave. Then her uncle paced the patio for a few minutes. When he headed inside she shut the window, not surprised when there was a knock on the door.
"Sandy-Sue, you came back early!" Her uncle smothered her in a fake hug. He pulled back, "Or should I call you Sassy?"
"Actually, it's Sady now," she said with an annoying giggle as she smacked his arm.
He frowned. "Oh. Of course, Sady. I guess I should have known that. So why did you cut short your vacation?"
"Oh, wow, like it just got so confusing. I mean trying to understand those languages and if you can believe it, my blow dryer wouldn't work! I had to buy a new one. They have those funny plugs, you know," she told him, her eyes big with wonder. "Sometimes I got lost and you wouldn't believe the food!" She shuddered.
Morrow's head was spinning. "So did you, uh, stop by your great aunt's house while you were here, Sand... Sady?"
"Oh, no. I was afraid to!" Her eyes got even bigger. "I heard someone say they heard voices and saw lights at that house." She leaned closer and whispered in a hushed voice, "I think it's haunted." She looked around the room like she expected a ghost to appear at any second.
"Uhm, well... perhaps it's for the best. Say, how would you like to visit Michigan? You might even find a job as a librarian there."
Sady squealed loudly and made him cringe. She grabbed his arms in a vise-like grip and dug her nails into his forearms with excitement. "Oh, wow! Really? I mean, like, WOW! But I'm bored with being a librarian," she pouted. Then she brightened and asked, "Hey, do they like offer FBI spy classes in Michigan? I always wanted to be a spy!"
Morrow dug her claws out of his arms and said, "Well, I'm not sure but if you no longer want to work at a library, I'm sure we can find something that will suit you." A bead of sweat formed on his brow. He'd faced deadly assassins without wrinkling his starched shirts. His own niece had him panicking like an amateur. He forged ahead. "Sady, I have a little surprise for you." He closed his eyes while she let out a little scream. "I've arranged for a car to pick you up and take you to New Orleans. Soon you'll be on your way to Michigan." He'd give up his own car and driver and stay in this forsaken hole a few more hours as long as she was out of his hair.
Sady closed her eyes and held her hand to her chest. When she opened her eyes tears welled up, and she had a hard time catching her breath. "Really?" Her voice was shaky with shock. Oh, I can't believe I just won the beauty contest!
"Uhm, really. Does that sound good to you?" He heaved a sigh of relief as she nodded eagerly. "Okay, well pack your things dear. Your car is waiting and you're going to Michigan." He made a hurried exit before she could puncture his flesh with her talons.
What was wrong with Matt, anyway? If Morrow didn't know him personally, and work with him frequently in the past, he'd think the man was losing his mind. But Matt was no fool, and the woman he described was at such odds with the one he just encountered that Morrow suspected they'd both been played by Miss Sandy-Sue Morrow. He didn't expect to be caught off guard by his own niece.
Maybe Matt was right and he should send her to Hell... Michigan. Morrow pulled out his phone and started the ball rolling toward Michigan while the yet to be defined young woman upstairs packed her bags. He had to find a life for her in Michigan. Now who did he know in Michigan that owed him a favor?
Morrow left the B & B and headed toward the diner, jumping out of the way at the sound of feet pounding the pavement behind him. Hell's bells- he was nearly flattened by a stampede of church ladies!