The Bracelet Read Free Page B

the way Zara had drooled over the bracelet in the bakery. Piper felt her throat tighten as she recalled seeing her sister-in-law’s car parked on the street near the apartment, the purple ski jacket and the Teaberry gum.

    The desk nurse at the emergency room was not quick to give out information to non-relatives.
    â€œPlease,” said Terri. “His son is out of state, and he has no else, as far as I know, nearby.”
    â€œAll I can say is that his condition is serious,” said the nurse.
    â€œCan we see him?” asked Piper.
    The nurse shook her head as she checked the computer screen. “No, not yet,” she said. “He hasn’t been cleared for visitors.”

    Serious? Poppy’s condition was serious?
    Piper’s mind raced as she steered the car toward home. Poppy was elderly and old people didn’t bounce back so easily. What if he didn’t get better? What if complications set in? What if this was the beginning of the end?
    â€œDon’t worry, honey,” said Terri, seeing the expression on Piper’s face. “He’ll be all right.”
    â€œI hope so, Mom,” she murmured glumly. “I really hope so.”
    When they pulled up in front of the Donovans’ house, Piper left the car running.
    â€œAren’t you coming in?” asked her mother.
    â€œI have an errand I need to run,” said Piper.
    â€œCan’t it wait?” asked Terri. “Why don’t you stop and have something to eat? Your father will have dinner all ready.”
    Though her stomach was grumbling, Piper didn’t want to go in and face her father or his inevitable drilling. She knew the retired police officer would ask too many questions, wanting to know every detail of what she had seen at Poppy’s apartment. She didn’t want to tell him what she was worried about.
    As she considered the possibility that Zara was involved, Piper understood that the repercussions would affect her whole family. Her brother would be devastated. Robert had fallen hard for Zara. To find out that the woman he loved was a thief and perhaps responsible for an old man’s death would absolutely destroy him. Her parents would be shocked and overwhelmed too. Of course, they’d be there for Robert as he tried to rebuild his life, but they didn’t need the stress of watching their son’s heartbreak. They had worked hard and deserved the chance to enjoy life rather than be involved in this drama.
    Piper didn’t want to see her family struggling to put their world back together. But for herself, the thought of a world without Zara wasn’t all that hard to take. Still, she would never, ever wish for something like this.
    â€œThanks, Mom,” said Piper as she kept her gloved hands on the steering wheel. “I’ll just heat up the leftovers when I get back.”
    She knew she had to tell the police about finding Poppy’s door open and the empty red-velvet box. She had to describe what she had seen and the person she had observed running down the stairs moments before she had found the old man, unconscious and bleeding. When a crime was committed, the police had to know. That’s what her parents and after-school TV specials had always taught her. But by going to the authorities with her suspicions, she could be opening a Pandora’s box, unleashing a chain of events that would wreak havoc on her family.

    Piper could hear the rock music playing behind the door of apartment 2A. She knocked once and then again, harder. The third time, she actually pounded.
    The music was turned down and a moment later the door opened. A thin blonde woman peered out, her eyes like slits. The air behind her was cloudy and Piper detected the pungent, earthy smell of marijuana.
    â€œHi, I’m Piper Donovan. My mother owns the Icing on the Cupcake bakery downstairs.”
    The woman smiled. “I wish I had a cupcake right now.”
    Piper couldn’t help