Murder Is Private (21 page)

Chapter 51

“Lynette, give Annalise…”

“I know, Mom. See? It’s in my hand. I’ll give her the bottle so her ears won’t hurt on take-off.”

Susan relaxed into the seat. Out the window, the green and blue land disappeared under the clouds.

“I can’t believe I actually met my birth mother. Sometimes I still can’t get over the fact my Mom kept this from me all those years.”

“She loved you and like I said before, she was probably afraid of losing you if you found out the truth.”

“Our meeting answered a lot of questions.”

“I think it was every bit as important to Audrey as it was to you,” said Lynette. “Imagine giving away a child and not knowing what became of her all those years?”

“I’m sure you’re right. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed tonight. I’m not used to being away from Dad for so long. You just watch; Johann and Ludwig will give me the cold shoulder for a few days. You know cats––God forbid they let you know they missed you.”

“I’m looking forward to going back to work. Jackson said his temporary partner is a flake. I’m going to have to explore daycares this summer. It’s going to be tough, leaving Annalise.”

“I told you I can watch her,” said Susan.

“That’s very generous, but you should enjoy your freedom now that you’re retired.”

“I’m going to relax with one of those new books
Annalise
got me for my birthday.” She pulled a paperback out of her purse. When she opened it, a yellowed newspaper article fell out onto the seat.

“What’s that?” said Lynette. Susan skimmed the article, then showed it to Lynette.

“It’s a newspaper article with a photo. Maybe Audrey stuck it in there.”

“Here we go again,” said Lynette.

Handwritten over the picture with a Sharpie, was a simple message:
Help him
.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Diane Weiner is a veteran public school teacher and mother of four children. She has enjoyed reading for as long as she can remember. She has fond memories of reading Nancy Drew and Mary Higgins Clark on snowy weekend afternoons in upstate New York and yearned to write books that would bring that kind of enjoyment to her readers. Being an animal lover, she is a vegetarian and shares her home with two adorable cats and a little white dog. In her free time, she enjoys running, attending community theater productions, and spending time with her family (especially going to the mall with her teenage daughter and getting Dairy Queen afterwards).
Murder Is Private
is the fourth book in her Susan Wiles Schoolhouse mystery series and she has plans for many more.

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