Free Cast Iron Conviction (The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries Book 2) by Jessica Beck

now?” I wasn’t keen on the idea. I knew that Pat thought I was just being jumpy, but I knew better. Someone was out there. There was no doubt in my mind.
    Just because I hadn’t seen them didn’t mean that they didn’t exist.
    “I thought we’d take it back to the Iron and check everything out there,” Pat said.
    “That works for me,” I agreed.
    The trip to the car in the darkness seemed to take forever, but we finally made it back. I hadn’t realized that I was holding my breath until we were safely inside and all of the doors were locked.
    Pat noticed my sudden relief. “It’s not like you, getting spooked in the woods like that,” he said.
    “You might think I’m crazy, but I’m telling you, someone was out there with us,” I said.
    I expected Pat to laugh at me, but instead, he started the car and pulled it out until it faced the gate and put his high beams on. “Well, whoever it was is long gone,” he said.
    “Does that mean that you believe me?”
    “Annie, I shouldn’t have laughed at you. Your instincts in the woods are a whole lot better than mine. If you say that someone was out there, then I’m going to believe you.”
    It felt good getting my brother’s endorsement, but it made me realize that perhaps I had been jumping at shadows after all. “You know, now that I think about it, I could have been wrong,” I admitted.
    “It doesn’t do us any good thinking that,” Pat said as he pulled the rest of the way around and drove toward the Iron. “It won’t hurt either one of us believing that someone is always looking over our shoulders. After all, we’ve got a serial killer on our hands.”
    “Is there another body that I don’t know about?” I asked him.
    “Not that I know of, but aren’t two enough? Whoever we’re looking for is extremely dangerous, and we can’t ever forget it. Even though the murders occurred ten years apart, I know in my gut that the same person committed both crimes.”
    “There’s no worry that we’re going to forget about a killer,” I said.

    When we got back to the Iron, Pat parked near the front door, something that I was extremely grateful for. I was halfway up the steps when I noticed that something was taped to the window of our front door.
    What was this all about?

    I got to it before Pat could reach it, and saw in the dim light we left burning in the Iron all night that it was addressed to me.
    “What is it?” Pat asked me.
    “I don’t have a clue. Let me see,” I said as opened it.
    It was from Timothy.
    “Dear Annie,
    Sorry I took off on you so abruptly like that, but as I was putting out the fires, I saw someone creeping around the side of the Iron. I tried to see who it was, but they ducked into the brush beside the building and managed to lose me. By the time I got back for my well-earned dinner, you were already gone. Imagine my grief at that! Seriously though, call me when you read this. I can’t wait for our date!
    Timothy”
    So, he hadn’t gotten cold feet after all.
    “Who was it from?”
    “Timothy. He had to go in a hurry, and he was just apologizing.”
    “Huh,” Pat said, losing all interest in the contents of the note once he realized that it didn’t concern our investigation.
    Maybe it didn’t, but it still pleased me mightily. “Why don’t you go on in? I have to make a quick call.”
    “Fine,” he said as he unlocked the front door.
    I grabbed his arm before he could get inside. “Patrick Marsh, don’t even think about opening that packet until I’m finished.”
    I could tell from his expression that was exactly what he’d been planning to do. “Okay, but make it quick, or all bets are off.”
    I called Timothy the moment Pat was inside.
    “Hey, I’m so sorry I missed you,” I said.
    “I’m the one who’s sorry. I go off on a wild-goose chase and miss the best meal and company that I’m bound to get for months.”
    “I understand completely. Sorry you didn’t have any luck finding out who