“Wait,” Jane muttered. She pressed the button to go back to the footage from the previous evening. There, at a few minutes before eight, Jeffries was playing basketball. It showed him bouncing, tossing, raising his arms over his head, even performing a flying twist in the air for a basket. Everything he claimed he could no longer do.
Jane sent the video off to the insurance company with the message: Got him.
She’d proven Jeffries a liar, the Evers case had been resolved, and her CPA had all the tax information needed to file her taxes. Even Luke was no longer mad at her. He had told Neil about their parents needing to meet if Luke was to come over. His friend’s parents were all for it.
Sawyer had even called earlier to let her know another eight people who had policies with the Caldwell Company had been found dead. So far, the confirmed total of hit-and-run victims was fourteen.
There were still people unaccounted for, but the fact that some were homeless might make it difficult to know exactly how many people had truly been killed. Not that Yates would be punished in this world since his suicide. His name would always be associated with the murders, but there would never be a conviction.
She mentally shook her head to get all these thoughts out. With both cases finished, it was time to get moving on Terri’s wedding.
She got out of the car and headed inside, joining her sisters at Mom’s dining room table, ready to eat cake. Terri wasn’t sure what flavor she wanted, so Mom made four: chocolate on chocolate, all white, white with strawberry filling, and lemon. It didn’t matter which Terri chose; Mom was ecstatic to bake the wedding cake for her youngest daughter.
They all took a bite.
“What do you think?” Terri asked Poppy, who’d driven in for the weekend to help with decorating ideas and dress shopping.
“I prefer the lemon,” Poppy said.
“Me, too.” Jane couldn’t bring herself to try the strawberry. The red filling brought back memories of the blood in Trish’s house. She reached up and touched her chest. Pamela had caused a bruise where her fist had beaten.
“Are you okay?” Poppy asked.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’ve seen you touch your chest two or three times. Not having a heart attack, are you?”
Jane laughed. It was nice to be with the family. Helped her keep her mind distracted. “With all this sugar, more likely a diabetic coma,” she said.
“Ain’t that the truth. Poppy nudged Jane with her elbow.
“So, which is your favorite, Terri?” Mom asked.
“The lemon’s good, but I like the chocolate, too.” Terri stared at the pieces of cake in front of her. “Guess I’ll just have to test them again.”
“I’ve never seen anyone who can eat so much sugar.” Poppy shook her head. “You’ll be crashing from the high later today.”
“But I have to be sure.”
“Here, let me help you.” Jane picked up the chocolate piece and shoved it into Terri’s face, getting more on her sister’s chin than in her mouth.
“What did you do that for?” Terri cried.
Poppy was laughing so hard she almost fell off the chair.
“Girls!” Mom placed her hands on her hips, biting her lip, but her eyes shined with humor.
“What?” Jane did her best innocent act. “It was just good practice for the wedding.”
The End
Thank you for reading the first in my Black & Bayou Series. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, I would appreciate if you wrote a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or Bookbub (http://bit.ly/2kPVxUS). You may also follow me on Bookbub if you are a member.
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Thank you again.
Kathryn J. Bain
www.kathrynjbain.com
About the Author
Kathryn J. Bain’s first release Breathless came out January 13, 2012. She has won several awards for her writing including First Place in the International Digital Awards (IDA), First Place in the Royal Palm Literary Awards, Second and Third Place in the Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Contest, and more.
She became a bestselling author in 2020 when her book The Chain You Forge hit number one under Amazon’s Holiday Fiction category and stayed there for four days.
She is the former President of Florida Sisters in Crime and Public Relations Director and Membership Director for Ancient City Romance Authors.
She has been a paralegal for over thirty years and works for an attorney who specializes in elder law.
Kathryn grew up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In 1981, she moved to Boise, but it apparently wasn't far enough south, because two years later she headed Jacksonville, Florida and has lived in the sunshine ever since.
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Other Available Titles from
Kathryn J. Bain
To view all my titles, go to my Amazon Author page:
http://on.fb.me/1VdojFr
THE KT MORGAN SHORT SUSPENSE SERIES
A Touch of Suspense (Vol. 1-3 of the KT Morgan Short Suspense Series), pub. 2017, Amazon Digital Services
The Visitor, pub. 2014, Amazon Digital Services
Small Town Terror, pub. 2015, Amazon Digital Services
The Reunion, pub. 2016, Amazon Digital Services
Run Away, pub. 2019, Amazon Digital Services
The Game, pub. 2020, Amazon Digital Services
Sucker Punched, pub. 2021, Amazon Digital Services
Other FICTION books available
Fade to the Edge, 2019, Amazon Digital Services
The Chain You Forge, 2017, Amazon Digital Services, #1 Bestseller in Holiday Fiction
Beautiful Imperfection, 2013, Harborlight Books
Game of Hearts, 2012, Astraea Press.
The Lincolnville Mystery Series
Breathless, pub. 2012, Pelican Ventures Book Group.
Catch Your Breath, pub. 2012, Pelican Ventures Book Group.
One Last Breath, pub. 2014, Amazon Digital Services.
Take Her Breath Away, 2016, Amazon Digital Services
MIDDLE-GRADE
Seven Sisters Road, co-written with Jessi Bain, pub. 2020, Amazon Digital Services
NONFICTION
30 in 30, 2018, Amazon Digital Services
Holding the Hand of a King: Forming a Deeper Relationship with God the Father, pub. 2017, Two Stone Lions Press
Also, check out Kathryn J. Bain Paper Products for Prayer Journals and journal-sized notebooks at https://amzn.to/2Oh5sld including
The Grandmother’s Psalms Prayer Journal
A Mother’s Heart, a journal-sized quoted notebook
The Psalms Blessing Journal, and
Motivate My Day, a journal-sized quoted notebook
Chasing a Dead Man Page 20
