Pecked to Death Read Online Free

Sadie had asked for her opinion. It was a sign of their close bond that Sadie sometimes listened.
     
    It had been Aunt Abby who told Sadie how to grab Rick’s attention—an irony since Aunt Abby had never been married. But she possessed a keen sense about what made people tick, and she had a talent for rottenness and subterfuge—just one of many things the two women had in common. And now she was gone. Tears pricked at Sadie’s eyes and she dashed them away. Crying while driving was dangerous, but she couldn’t give in for another reason. If she gave in now and started to cry, she might never stop. She needed her wits about her to survive her homecoming. The way to do that wasn’t with tears. No one in Virginia knew of her disgrace. If she had her way, they would never find out. As far as anyone back home was concerned, this was a social visit and not one borne of desperation because she had nowhere else to go.
     
    The porch light wasn’t on when she pulled into the home where she had spent the first eighteen years of her life. The lack of welcome was indicative of her relationship with her intractable father. He could probably make the argument that she hadn’t called to let him know she was coming, but she had done him one better—she had called Maddie Sawyer, their longtime neighbor and go-between. Maddie would have told him Sadie was coming home. Maddie would have told everyone that Sadie was coming home.
     
    The door was locked. There was always the chance that Gideon Cooper might have changed the locks, but he hadn’t. Sadie’s key fit perfectly and granted immediate access, something that should have brought relief instead of additional anxiety.
     
    “Dad,” she called. “I’m home.”
     
    There was no answer. The silence was the type that told her the house was empty. That brought more relief than anxiety. Sadie had just carried her last bag through the door when her phone rang. She smiled as she checked the caller ID. No doubt Maddie Sawyer had been waiting and watching for her arrival, even if her father hadn’t.
     
    “Hi, Maddie,” Sadie said.
     
    “Hey, Sadie,” Maddie said. “Welcome home, sweetheart. We’re having a little get together here. Why don’t you come over? Your dad is here.”
     
    Sadie bit her lip. As much as she loved Maddie and her husband, Tom, she wasn’t ready to face her father in such a public setting. Or anyone else, for that matter. “Um,” she began, but Maddie headed her off at the pass.
     
    “I bet you haven’t eaten. There’s food here, and we’re talking about Aunt Abby, sort of a makeshift wake.”
     
    “So the f-funeral hasn’t happened yet?” Sadie asked.
     
    “Of course not, honey. We wouldn’t do that without you.”
     
    The rush of tears pricked her eyes and, once again, Sadie pushed them back. If everyone offered as much gentle love and support as Maddie Sawyer, the world would be a better place. “I’ll be over in a few minutes, Maddie. Just let me freshen up.”
     
    “I can’t imagine you ever looking bad, sweetie. See you in a few.”
     
    When Sadie inspected herself in the mirror, she thought Maddie might change her opinion. There were mascara smears under her eyes, her hair had a few flyaways, but otherwise she looked presentable. At least to someone who didn’t know her well and wouldn’t look too closely. If there was one thing Sadie had learned over the years, it was how to construct her outward appearance in order to camouflage what was happening in her heart. By this point, she could take a beating and still present a perfect pageant smile. But would that smile fool those who had known her since she was a child? There was a part of her that hoped so, and a part of her that didn’t.
     
    If Aunt Abby were here, Sadie would pour out her heart with a copious amount of tears to boot. Aunt Abby had always had a lot of patience for what she termed Sadie’s “passionate nature.” “There’s nothing wrong with being