Polished Off Read Online Free PDF Page B

time.
    “Spoiled,” she muttered. “And selfish to the bone.”
    With her insides still churning, she marched into the kitchen and snatched up her supply carrier. Only later, after she was already driving up Prytania, did it occur to her that she should have told Patsy she had finished cleaning and was leaving.
    Just as well , she thought. In the mood she was in, she didn’t trust herself to even speak to another human being. Besides, Patsy was too caught up in her newest project to care one way or the other.
    The short drive home didn’t help to improve Charlotte’s mood a whole lot. She kept replaying the shouting match she’d had with her sister and fuming. Charlotte knew that it was more than just this particular incident with Maddie. It didn’t help that she was tired and didn’t feel well, but she was also feeling the effects of years of having to put up with her sister’s selfishness and pettiness. Today it was like a dark curtain had been yanked away to reveal the blinding sunlight—and the revelation was devastating.
    All this time, all these years, she’d been burying her head in the sand as far as Madeline was concerned. She’d purposely ignored just how selfish and shallow her sister could be in order to avoid dealing with it. How many times had she made excuses for her? How many times had she bailed her out of financial difficulties? All the while, she’d chosen to ignore Madeline’s hurtful and destructive ways, even though she’d had to step in and take over the raising of Judith and Daniel. The question was, why? Why had she put up with Madeline’s behavior?
    Charlotte steered the van down Milan as she grappled with the answer. That she loved her sister was the obvious answer. And she did love her. Yet, the answer was more complex than simply loving her. Other than herself and her own memories, Maddie was Charlotte’s only connection to her parents. So was the old saying true? Was any port in the storm better than no port at all? Maybe once it might have been true, but now...
    It wasn’t until Charlotte pulled into her driveway that she noticed Louis sitting on the front porch swing. She figured he was waiting for her. Still, it was such a beautiful day, he could be sitting there just enjoying the spring weather.
    “Nah,” she muttered. And if he was waiting for her, that meant he had something to discuss, something that couldn’t wait until later at dinner.
    “Please, not now,” she grumbled as she parked the van and shut off the engine. For a moment she was tempted to simply go inside through the kitchen door.
    With a sigh, she climbed down from the van and trudged toward the front porch. If nothing else, Louis could be persistent; it was just one of the traits that had made him such a good police detective. Knowing Louis, if she didn’t come in through the front, he’d just bang on the door until she answered it.

Chapter Three

    “W hat’s wrong?” he asked as she climbed the steps. “You look like you could chew nails.”
    “I’d rather not talk about it right now, if you don’t mind.”
    “Well, I do mind, but I know better than to push when you’re like this.”
    Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Was there something that you wanted in particular?”
    Louis nodded. “Actually, I’m going to have to cancel our dinner tonight Something’s come up, but I wanted to talk to you before I leave.”
    Charlotte couldn’t honestly say that she was disappointed about the dinner. Given the mood she was in, she wouldn’t have been fit company for anyone. She waved a hand at him. “So? Talk.”
    Though he gave her an odd look, he motioned toward the side of the double that he’d been renting from her. “I know I was supposed to move out at the end of the month, but I’d like to rent the place a while longer.” He rushed on to explain. “I’ve had a job offer from Lagniappe Security Company, and now that my son and his family are back in my life, I’ve decided against moving