Fatal Impulse: A Widow's Web Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

anymore.”
    “Do you trust her to help you close the business?”
    Andi put the gearshift in park and turned the engine off. She sat for a moment and took a deep breath, then got out before answering. “The practice needs to be closed. She knows more about it than I do, and I think she’ll do the right thing. So, yes, I trust her.”
    Martha swung out of the car. “With the business.”
    “Yes,” Andi said, “With the business.”
    “You ought to talk to Dana about the business stuff. She’s works for a lawyer, right?” The older woman rounded the front of the sedan, then ambled up the sidewalk, grunting with each step.
    “Yes, she does.” Andi trusted her best friend more than anyone. “She’s on vacation right now. I didn’t want to bug her, but I sent her a text that I need to talk to her when she gets back. I’ll ask her before I let Jennie do anything.”
    Andi inserted her key in the lock and pushed opened the heavy dark green door. Mama followed her daughter in and said, “I’m glad. Trust Dana. She’ll steer you right.”
    Martha followed Andi through the tiled foyer and into the living room. “Have you thought about what you want him to be buried in?”
    "They haven't even found him yet." Andi dropped onto the sleek gray couch. "I wonder if I should be out there. I should be, shouldn't I?"
    Martha shrugged, "They'll call when they find the body."
    "If they find the body."
    Martha shook her head. "Think positive, sweetheart."
    Andi let her head fall back and closed her eyes. Chad would want to look his best. His appearance and what others thought mattered to him. It seemed like such an odd thing, though, to worry about what a dead person would be wearing for eternity. How long would the clothes last? Would they rot, like his body would? Or did embalming keep the body from rotting? What would he look like if the insurance company questioned whether or not it was an accident and insisted that he be – what was the word they used? Disinterred? – in six months so an autopsy could be performed? 
    Andi took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “I guess one of his suits. He has a charcoal gray suit that looks nice. Guess I’ll go get it together so it'll be ready when they find him.”
    As if on cue, her cell chirped. She took a deep breath and answered.
    The detective's gruff voice greeted her. "Body washed up. Old couple walking the coastline up near Black Bear Cove found it."
    Andi's fingers turned white as she gripped the phone. She met her mother's concerned eyes and nodded.
    "You there?"
    She nodded, then said, "Yes. Yes, I'm here."
    "Medical examiner's takin' the body. After he's done, he'll send it over to the funeral home. Be a day or so."
    A chunk of ice settled in her gut and the cold spread throughout her body. A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed hard. "Do I need to identify the body?"
    He snorted, "No need. We got dental records waitin' at the morgue."
    The phone went dead. She lowered her hand and stared at the phone. No pleasantries whatsoever with that man.
    So, they found him.
    Her husband was dead.
    She shivered, then squeezed her eyes shut, but no tears fell. Maybe that would happen at the funeral.
    Martha cleared her throat and said, "Well, then. I guess we need to make sure those clothes are at the funeral home." She scooted forward on the sofa as Andi pushed herself to her feet. The two walked upstairs. Martha kept one hand under Andi's elbow as if she were the elderly person that might fall at any moment and break a hip.
    When they reached the master bedroom, Andi turned to her mother and said, “I need to do this myself. Alone. Okay?”
    Martha gave a quick nod and said, “I’m tired. I think I’ll go take a nap. Call me if you need anything.”
    What Andi really needed was to talk to Dana. She’d call when she got back. Andi didn't want to bother her or worry her. Hopefully she’d get back in time for the funeral. It wasn’t like Dana could do anything,