Cast Iron Motive (The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries Book 4) Read Free Page B

overcome by what Aunt Della had told me about her situation. She hadn’t gone into great detail, but it was clear that she was afraid for her life. If Pat and I could help her, I didn’t see any way that we could decline the request.
    “I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. I just seem to be having trouble getting past everything,” Pat said. “Have you told Timothy what we’re doing yet?”
    “I gave him the news, but I’m not exactly sure that he heard me,” I said with a smile.
    “Is he being distracted by his construction project? How’s the cabin coming along?” Pat asked me. My boyfriend, Timothy, had bought land next to mine, and with the proceeds from a windfall too detailed to get into, he’d used the money to put up a cabin of his own. It had become an obsession with him, and with me as well, since I also chose to live in a cabin in the woods. My brother preferred living in town, though how he handled living in an apartment above the store was beyond me. I needed space around me, room to breathe, and a chance to get away from being constantly reminded of work, but to each her own. It seemed to work for him, but it would have driven me mad.
    “It’s right on course,” I said. “He’s hoping to start stacking logs this week.”
    “Wow, that’s real progress,” Pat said. “Are you okay with missing that?”
    “It’s not ideal,” I confessed, “but what choice do we have?”
    “I just hope this isn’t some wild-goose chase,” Pat said.
    “Do you think that’s possible?” I asked.
    “Annie, what are the odds that someone is really trying to kill our aunt? What could the motivation possibly be?”
    “I don’t know, but she sounded pretty convincing to me on the phone.”
    “I know,” Pat said with a sigh. “I’ll have the deposit ready in ten minutes. How long will you need before we get out of here?”
    “I’m just about finished. Don’t worry about directions to her place. She gave me pretty detailed instructions,” I said as I reached over and turned the ovens off. The pots, skillets, and lids would all cool there overnight and be ready for use the next day. I jotted a quick note to Lindsey to that effect, since I’d already called her three times with further instructions. What it boiled down to was that I either trusted her, or I didn’t. It was just harder than I’d thought it would be leaving my precious grill to someone else, even if it was only for four days max.
    “Okay. Should we take your car or my truck?” Pat asked me.
    “Why don’t you follow me out to my place, and we can leave your truck there until we get back?” I suggested.
    “That sounds like a lot of trouble to me. You could always go home and pack a bag, then drive back here and pick me up. I need to finish up a few things around here and then run out and make the deposit. Go grab some stuff and meet me back here.”
    “Coward,” I said with a grin. “You just don’t want to tackle my driveway.”
    “I’m not denying it,” he said with a grin of his own. “That road is treacherous.”
    “It’s cute that you think it’s a road,” I said. “I prefer to think of it more as a beaten path.”
    “And not a very beaten one at that,” he said. “On second thought, would you mind dropping off the deposit for me? It’s on your way.”
    “No worries, little brother. I’ll handle it,” I said.
    Five minutes later, I’d stopped off at the bank and was on my way home to pack enough clothes for four days. It would be strange seeing Aunt Della again. I wasn’t even sure that I’d be able to recognize her. After all, Pat and I had been small children the last time she’d been in our lives. We had a lot of catching up to do, but this wasn’t just some kind of awkward family reunion.
    We were going with a purpose in mind, and that was to see if someone was actually trying to kill our estranged aunt.

    “Howdy, stranger. Climb on in,” I said as I pulled my Subaru up in front of the Iron to