Free Pushed to the Limit (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 2) by Karen Chester Page A

her
house—some toiletries and clothes—and also to feed her pet parrot. Thing is,
I’m allergic to birds. As soon as I step foot in her house, I start wheezing
and have trouble breathing. I—I was wondering if perhaps you could go to Faye’s
house for me?”
    The wincing hesitation in Lorraine’s voice
indicated she felt she was asking too much. But for Lorraine’s sake Emma didn’t
mind helping out. Plus, it gave her the perfect opportunity to examine the
scene of the “crime”, so to speak.
    “Sure, I can do that,” she said.
    “Oh, thank you.” Lorraine’s voice trembled.
“It’s so good of you.”
    A little guilt pinched at Emma. Lorraine
thought she was volunteering out of pure kindness; she didn’t suspect that Emma
wanted to snoop around Faye’s house in an effort to clear her name.
    Was this a good idea? The last time she’d
meddled in something, she’d been abducted by a half-crazed idiot and had spent
several terrifying hours lost in the darkness. But she’d done it to get a
friend out of trouble, and the situation with Faye was similar. She was only
investigating Faye’s fall so she wouldn’t find herself falsely accused of a
serious crime. Plus, if someone had deliberately pushed Faye and Emma uncovered
the culprit, then she would be saving Faye’s life. Surely that was reason
enough to do a bit of detective work?
    “Can you tell me what Faye needs from her
house?” Emma pulled a notebook from her tote bag and jotted down the items.
    “I’m not sure about the parrot,” Lorraine
confessed. “To be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention to Faye while she was
giving me instructions because I was worrying about my allergies. But I guess
there should be some sort of birdseed in the house, and if you fill up the bowl
and top up the water, that should be enough for now.” She paused and sighed.
“Faye’s had the bird about a year or so. She seems quite attached to him. His
name’s Pepper.”
    “How do I get into the house?” Emma asked.
    “There’s a spare key hidden under a table
on the rear deck. That unlocks the back door.”
    “Okay. It shouldn’t take me too long. I’ll
bring Faye’s things to your place.”
    “Please don’t rush on my behalf,” Lorraine
begged. “I’ll be going back to see Faye at three this afternoon, so there’s
plenty of time. It’s Sunday. I hate to think you’re doing chores for me on your
day off.”
    “It’s no problem. And I often work on
Sundays.”
    “Well, thank you once again. I’m so
grateful, and Faye will be, too, I’m sure.”
    Emma ended the call and lowered her phone
to find her father looking at her with a benevolent smile.
    “Glad to see you getting into the
neighborly spirit, pumpkin.”
    Once more guilt nipped at her, but she pushed
it aside. Someone needed to fetch Faye’s essentials and feed her pet, and if
she happened to stumble across a few clues, well, that would be merely
serendipitous.
    ***
    The key slid
smoothly into the lock, and the door swung open on oiled hinges. Emma couldn’t
help tiptoeing into Faye’s house. She was here on legitimate business, so why
did she feel like a thief? Maybe it was because Faye didn’t know she was
entering her house; she assumed Lorraine was doing these chores, though she
must be aware of her sister’s allergy to birds. Maybe she didn’t take Lorraine’s
condition seriously, or maybe she thought Lorraine would do as she asked
anyway.
    Emma stood in the middle of Faye’s kitchen
and took stock of her surroundings. Cherry wood cabinets lined two walls. The
cooker and appliances were gleaming stainless steel. Potted African violets lined
a windowsill overlooking the rear yard. Everything was neat and tidy, the tiled
floor swept clean, the sink sparkling.
    On a round table in the center of the
kitchen was Faye’s plastic, green-and-yellow shopping bag. Everything had
started with that darn shopping bag. Emma deposited her tote bag on the table
next to the shopping bag.