Heavenly Highland Inn 05 - Suffocating the Sunflowers Read Online Free PDF Page A

if either of you need anything,” he added as he looked from Vicky to Sarah and back to Vicky again. “You know that I'm here to help.”
    Despite the fact that Sarah and Mitchell knew each other fairly well, Vicky felt the tension rise between them. It was an emotional situation, Vicky knew, but it bothered h er a little that Sarah seemed to be concerned about Mitchell's presence.
    “ I know,” Vicky replied, but she was getting more worried by the moment, especially because of how apprehensive Sarah looked. As Mitchell walked off down the hallway, Vicky turned to Sarah.
    “ Are you okay?” she asked her with a deep frown.
    “ I'm not sure,” Sarah replied, her voice wavering as she spoke. “This is a very serious problem, Vicky. You need to be careful how much you say to Mitchell,” she added.
    “ Sarah, I trust Mitchell,” Vicky said sternly.
    “ This isn't about trust, Vicky,” Sarah explained as patiently as she could. “This is about protecting the inn and ourselves from what is about to turn into a circus.”
    Slowly it began to dawn on Vick y that Sarah was expecting the inn to take full responsibility for Sandy's death. Vicky hadn't fully considered that.
    “ Oh, Sarah,” Vicky sighed as she ran her fingertips across her forehead and tried to settle the quick anxiety that rushed through her.
    “ I want you to call Aunt Ida and get her here for a meeting. I want all of us to be on the same page,” Sarah said firmly. Though there was panic in her voice, she seemed determined to handle the situation before it got any worse.
    “ I'll have her meet us in my apartment,” Vicky suggested.
    “ Perfect,” Sarah nodded and lowered her voice. “A terrible tragedy has happened here, Vicky, but the circumstances of Mrs. Holstead's death are going to put the inn and everyone who works in it under deep scrutiny.”
    “ I understand,” Vicky nodded as her stomach twisted. She felt terrible about Sandy being dead, but it felt even worse to see fear in her older sister's eyes.
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    The i nn was buzzing with movement as the officers came in, followed by the medical examiner. There wasn't much that Sarah could do to prevent the other guests who were staying at the inn from seeing the commotion that was occurring. She remained at the front desk to answer any questions and explain the situation as well as offering to make arrangements for guests to stay elsewhere if they felt uncomfortable. Vicky called her aunt repeatedly. She was sure that her aunt wasn't answering because she couldn't hear the phone over the roar of the engine of her motorcycle. Vicky was getting more frustrated with every moment that passed as she knew that it was important to Sarah that Aunt Ida be there.
    She paced around her small living room as she waited for Aunt Ida to arrive.
    “ Did you get hold of her?” Sarah asked when she stepped into the apartment a few minutes later.
    “ I've left a few messages,” Vicky replied helplessly. “She must be on her motorcycle.”
    Sarah rolled her eyes at that. Ida was known for her antics, but buying a motorcycle was taking it further than either Sarah or Vicky had expected.
    Sarah perched on the edge of the couch and pretended to be calm. Vicky frowned as she could tell her sister was very out of sorts, no matter how well she was covering it up.
    “Sarah, we'll figure this out,” she said gently. Before Sarah could answer, they heard the door knob wiggling back and forth. When Ida opened the door to Vicky's apartment she did so with a flourish. She whisked off her leather jacket as she stalked inside revealing a neon-green, tube-top shirt underneath. Sarah didn't even flinch, which led Vicky to believe that she was in a severe state of shock. Vicky couldn't help but admire her aunt's abs of steel with some jealousy.
    “ Oh, you two look absolutely horrid,” Aunt Ida said with a frown as she tossed her jacket onto the back of the couch and dropped down onto the couch