Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“Yes?”
“I’ve got your clothes for the wash. Take your time, Little girl,” Dirk’s deep voice suggested from the other side of the barrier.
“Thank you.”
Cynthia held her breath, waiting to see if he would say anything else. After several seconds, she quietly tested the lock on the door to make sure she was safe. Finding it secure, she rushed back to the shower and stepped inside. An instant groan of enjoyment escaped her lips.
Turning, Cynthia leaned her head back to let the water flow through her hair. Once wet, she treated herself to a generous amount of shampoo and scrubbed her scalp and tresses with luxurious suds. She inhaled the sweet fragrance, determined to appreciate every bit of this treat. Only when she’d rinsed and added conditioner to her hair did she start applying the lavender-scented soap. Thanking his obviously large hot water tank, she dallied as he’d suggested in the spray until she’d finished shaving, washing, and rinsing.
Cynthia wrapped one towel around her head like a turban and used another to dry her body. She glimpsed herself in the mirror. She’d never been anything special—average weight, height, brown hair and eyes. Her tummy was a bit smaller thanks to her flight away from everything.
Shaking her head at her wild thought of wanting to be something unique, Cynthia rebuked herself. She had enough trouble going on right now. She didn’t need to worry about looking perfect. Dirk was just being kind to her because Mr. Edgewater had asked him to.
Quickly, she towel-dried her hair and wrestled it into shape with a wide-toothed comb. Pulling on the sweats, Cynthia wiggled a bit when they felt funny to wear without panties. The fuzzy stuff inside was soft against her private areas. She turned the fabric over a couple of times until it felt secure around her waist. The T-shirt could have been a dress, and that was perfect.
After donning the backpack once again, Cynthia opened the bathroom door. She forced herself to walk past the beautiful bed, resisting the urge to lie down. Heavens knew she’d already pushed the boundaries of being a guest in the lawyer’s home. The hallway was dark after she turned off the bedroom light. Cynthia walked slowly down the hall to the lighted kitchen doorway.
When she emerged, Dirk sat at the table facing the doorway. He had a small recording device in front of him, a lined tablet, and a pen. Seeing her, he rose to his feet and pulled out the chair next to him.
“I bet you feel better,” he commented with a smile. “Come on in. I’d like to ask you some questions and record our conversation if you’ll allow me. The tape ensures that I don’t miss anything. Sometimes the smallest details are the most important.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’ll sound like an idiot, but if you think it will help…”
“Thank you, Cynthia. Come sit down. Would you like some water or anything else?”
“No, I’m fine.” She sat down in the chair he pulled out for her and folded her shaking hands in her lap. Cynthia knew this was probably the most pivotal time in her life.
Dirk joined her at the table and turned on the recorder. “This is Dirk O’Roark, interviewing Cynthia Grant. She is here voluntarily and has agreed to this recording. Cynthia, will you say aloud for the record that this is true?”
“Um. You want me to say that I’m here voluntarily and I’m okay with you recording?” She fumbled over the words.
“Yes, please.”
“Okay. I am here voluntarily and I agree that this can be taped,” she parroted for him.
Dirk nodded his approval and added the date and location to the recording.
“Cynthia, please tell me what happened before the incident at Edgewater Industries.”
“Should I go all the way back to where everything began?” she asked.
“Yes, please.”
“I worked in Albert and Roberta’s Country Cooking Café as a waitress starting in high school. They were the best bosses ever. Roberta enjoyed my company, so she invited me into the kitchen to learn all her secrets. She was an incredible cook. I loved them so much that I convinced myself that their son, Stan, had to be a good person as well. He just hated working in the restaurant business so much that he was completely miserable and unpleasant.”
Cynthia stopped to swallow hard and forced herself to continue. “Unfortunately, that was a stupid, young woman’s delusion. Stan definitely was both of those things. He was also a compulsive liar and an alcoholic. I worked long hours at the café to escape from him.”
When she paused again, Dirk asked, “Do you need something to drink?”
“No, I’m okay. It’s just tough to remember. There was an explosion at the café early one morning. The only two inside were Albert and Roberta. I was supposed to be there, but I’d overslept. I’d slept on the couch because Stan was drunk, and I didn’t hear my alarm go off. The blast destroyed the restaurant, and Albert and Roberta were both killed. In the aftermath, all the paperwork, insurance, and wills went through my brother-in-law, Eddie. He was the executor of the will. To determine the financial status of the business and settle all the accounts, Eddie had the books reviewed by an expert. My ex-husband had taken care of everything for years.”