craftfield 01 - secrets untold Read Online Free PDF

She sometimes couldn’t remember the flavor of the day. Her fingers were permanently numb from digging into vats of ice cream.
    “Oh.” He scratched his balding head. “Guess I’m forgetting things lately.”
    “No, I-I didn’t tell many people.” She reached over and patted his age-spotted hand. “Besides, Martha usually does these runs. I think she’s crushing on you.”
    His face brightened. “Really? Your aunt does come by here a lot, except when she’s on vacation.”
    She laughed. “Right. I’ll tell her that you asked about her.” Her joy stopped as her vision went black. An image warped into focus. Her mom in the ice cream store, panic on her face. Then being pushed and her head smacking against the edge of the counter. Blood pooled around her. No, no no! Her gut clenched as her body broke out in a sweat.
    “Lily, you all right?”
    Joe’s store flashed back into focus. What the heck was that ? Her headache returned, this time pounding against her skull so bad she gasped. “I-I’m fine. Sorry.” What was going on? An aneurysm? She’d never had a headache this blinding before.
    Before he could ask any questions, she dashed out of the shop into the falling snow. It had to be a coincidence. Her mind playing tricks on her. Fiddling with her keys, she yanked out her cell and hit the ice cream shop’s number. No answer. She started the car and took a breath as her hands shook hitting the speed dial number. After several rings, the voicemail clicked on.
    “Hey, it’s me. I-I just give me a call as soon as you get this. Okay? I’m on my way back from Joe’s.” Lily ended the call and tossed the phone beside her on the passenger seat. Why was she freaking out? Her mom was fine. Lily would race back to the shop to find out her mom was still talking with crazy Camie. She’d scold Lily for taking too long, then hug her. Still, Lily couldn’t keep her hands from shaking as she fishtailed her car down the street.

Chapter Six
     
    Stuck in traffic, Lily couldn’t stop shaking. Her mom hadn’t called her back and now her voicemail said the mailbox was full. With her eyes wide open, Lily had a vision of her mom laying in a pool of blood. Shit! Was she going crazy? She had to know if her mom was okay. The traffic around her was at a standstill. If she wasn’t ten miles away, she’d get out and run. Lily punched the town’s sheriff office on her phone.
    “Hello, Sherriff’s department. How may I help you?”
    “I-I can’t get ahold of my mom.” What could she say? She had bad dreams and knew her mom was… No, she couldn’t think that.
    “When was the last time you saw or spoke with her?” the operator asked.
    Lily gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. “This morning, but—you don’t understand. Something terrible has happened. I know it. Please, can you send a cop over to the shop to check on her?”
    “Of course. What’s the address?”
    “It’s at Ice Dreams downtown. Here’s the address.” She blurted out the address too quickly and had to slow down to repeat herself.
    ***
    Thirty minutes later, Lily parked down the street from the ice cream shop. An ambulance and a police car blocked half the street in front of the store. Her throat closed so hard she couldn’t swallow. Despite telling herself that it was something simple or someone else, panic snaked through her fast steps as she darted closer. She was only yards away, yet it seemed like she raced for miles.
    Mom ! Her insides quivered, and she couldn’t run fast enough. She dodged around people. A bus blared its horn as she darted in front of it. Her vision tunneled to the blinking neon ice cream sign that swung in the wind.
    Yellow tape blocked off the front of the store.
    “Hold it, this business is closed for an investigation,” a police officer said, blocking her path.
    Her eyes burned. She felt like she was going to burst into tears. Please let the cop say it was a neighbor or customer. Anyone, but Mom.