Free Baked Alaska by Josi S. Kilpack

stepped over everything else in hopes of getting to the picture before anyone else did. Hazel bent down and picked up the photograph before Sadie had the chance, automatically turning it over as she stood.
    The room was silent as everyone stared at the faces smiling back from the photograph—Tanice and Ms. Lewish, both unaware of what the next thirty-six hours held for either one of them.

Chapter 10
     

     
    "“What are you doing with that?” Ms. Lewish asked at the same time Shawn said, “Mom!”
    “Uh, I...”
    She looked from the picture to Pete, whose expression seemed to be asking why she still had the picture in her purse.
    After a few more awkward seconds, Officer Jareg took the photograph from the receptionist’s hand and took a step toward Sadie; there wasn’t room for much more than that one step, the room was packed. “This is yours?”
    “Um, well...I did buy it. Yesterday, though, before all...of...this.”
    He handed it back to her, a question in his eyes. She swallowed as she took the photo, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she glanced at Ms. Lewish, who was a few inches taller than Sadie’s five foot six. Sadie made a split-second decision and extended the photo toward Ms. Lewish.
    “Why do you have this?” Ms. Lewish asked, taking the photo from Sadie’s hands.
    “I...uh...” What could she say? Because I’m obsessing about how your mother might be connected to my son?
    “Mom, let’s go,” Shawn said. He took Sadie’s arm again and tried to pull her toward the door, but she twisted out of his grip immediately. His insistence to talk to her right now made her nervous, and she used the excuse of cleaning up the contents of her purse to stall for time. That bottle of anxiety started getting shaken up again.
    Breanna stepped around Pete and bent down to help Sadie finish cleaning things up. When Sadie looked over at her, Bre gave her a sympathetic smile, which only compounded Sadie’s fears.
    “Ms. Lewish wanted to speak to you, Officer Jareg,” Hazel said in a timid voice.
    Sadie glanced up at Ms. Lewish, who held the photograph on the top of the stack of documents she’d brought with her. Was this the first time she and Shawn had met?
    Officer Jareg turned slightly and extended his hand toward the hallway. “Ms. Lewish, if you’ll come with me.”
    Sadie returned the last item to her purse—a small first-aid kit packed into an Altoids container—and stood while putting the strap of her bag over her head so that it rested on her shoulder again. Secure. If she’d been wearing it correctly when Shawn tried to yank her from the room, the picture would never have ended up on the floor.
    Sadie felt like she owed Ms. Lewish more of an explanation, but what could she say? Pete took her arm, turned her toward the door, and walked her out of the office. Shawn led the way and Breanna brought up the rear. Sadie felt surrounded.
    They all seemed to let out a collective breath once they left the office. Well, everyone but Sadie, whose tension was still rising. The narrow confines of the hallway required Pete to let go of Sadie’s arm so that the four of them could walk single file in the direction of the elevators.
    “Where should we go?” Shawn asked over his shoulder after they pushed through the curtain that separated the security office from the passenger cabins.
    “How about the card room?” Pete suggested. “It was empty this morning.”
    “There was a bridge tournament at ten,” Breanna said from the back of the line. “I saw the posting for it when we were at the library earlier.”
    “How about the Good Times Café? It doesn’t open until noon, but they only use those velvet cords to close it off,” Shawn said.
    “Good idea,” Pete said. “I’m sure—”
    Sadie stopped in the middle of the hallway, forcing Pete and Breanna to stop as well. It took Shawn a few steps to realize they weren’t behind him anymore. Sadie waited until he turned around. “How