Unbinding Love: An Angela Panther Mystery Novella (The Angela Panther Mystery Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

it.”
    “That’s kinda cool,” Ma said. “I think you should start callin’ m e Petronilla. Sounds a lot better than Fran, dontcha think?”
    I didn’t have time for that, so I ignored her. “And your family?”
    “Mary Sue and Daniel John. DJ for short.”
    I grabbed Mel’s pen and wrote down the information.
    “DJ,” she said, and sighed. “We need to find this boy.”
    “Is there anyone your wife or son might have contacted since entering witness protection? Someone from their previous life that could help us find your son?”
    Bill, er uh, Dan, or whatever he went by, floated around and then said, “Her mother. I can’t be sure, but I suspect she kept in touch with her mother. They were close. Small town southern women who didn’t miss a day talking until this all happened. Perhaps you can contact her.”
    Aaron showed up and kissed Mel on the top of her head, and though I rolled my eyes, I secretly adored their connection.
    I filled him in on what we’d learned.
    “Son of a —“ He stopped himself. “Backyard burger.”
    Mel smirked. “He’s trying not to swear around me.”
    “And you came up with ‘backyard burger’ instead?” I asked, giggling. “That’s pathetic.”
    “Ah, Madone, a good barbeque sounds tasty right about now. Maybe your Uncle Ernie could grill me up some chicken.”
    I shot my mother a look. “Can you not right now?”
    She shrugged. “So testy.”
    Bill gave us his former mother-in-law’s address, and since it was only a short drive away, Aaron made the decision to drive to her right then, postponing his plans with my bestie for later that evening.
    “No worries,” she said, kissing him goodbye. “I’ve got a case to work anyway.”
    He swore under his breath.
    “Eh, eh, eh, mister,” Mel said, wiggling her finger at him. “Watch your language. She flipped her head my direction and busted out laughing.
    I did, too.
    “Should I go check out the grandmother’s house? See if the boy is there?” Ma asked.
    “I think that’s an excellent idea,” I said.
    “He’s not there,” Bill said. “I’ve checked. I’ve checked everywhere he could possibly be and I can’t find him anywhere.”
    “What about the people who killed you? Did you check their homes?”
    He nodded. “He’s nowhere. I don’t understand it.”
    I didn’t understand it, either. “That’s impossible,” I said. “He’s somewhere and we’re going to find him. He’s not dead. I can’t tell you why or how I know, but I do.” I wasn’t saying, however, that he wasn’t going to die, and that was my biggest concern.
    “I don’t think he’s dead either,” Ma said. “I can feel it in my bones.” She paused and glanced at her boneless presence. “Well, I could if I had any, that is.”
    My mother with the badly timed jokes, thank God. “Go, look for the boy. Bill, you go with her. You can take her on a tour of your past life. Maybe you missed something or someone. Let me know what you find.”
     
    ***
     
    Minutes turned to hours and not a word from my mother or Aaron. Mel and I busied ourselves running errands, and then she helped me clean out the garage. We did the stuff people do when they’re waiting.
    “Do you think Aaron and I will get married?”
    I sat on my rolled up, rarely used pink yoga mat. “Uh, maybe?” I wasn’t sure what the right answer was to that question.
    She pulled my daughter Emily’s five-year-old hula-hoop from behind the paint rack. “I’m not saying we will or we won’t, but if we did, I think he’d want to have kids, and I don’t know if I want to have any more kids.”
    Oh boy. Tread carefully, Angela. Tread carefully. “You haven’t been dating all that long to be thinking about marriage and kids. Besides, he’s the first guy you’ve dated since the cheater, so maybe it’s not the right time to be thinking about this.”
    “Maybe.” She hula-hooped for a minute straight. It was impressive. “You should ease into that