“Maybe. I don’t know. But if we end up before a judge, having proof that she didn’t want Ruthie and didn’t want to take care of her, or that she told you to take Ruthie and leave, that would go a long way in our favor.”
“Should I text her now? Ask her why she said I abducted Ruthie?”
“No. I don’t think you should have any contact with her just yet. Not until I talk to the lawyer again. Or find a new one. We need to be careful. I don’t want to give her anything she can use against you.”
“All I want is Ruthie safe and secure, here with us.”
Mitch nodded. “So do I. We’ll get there. I just need to figure out how to do that, so we never have to worry about Addison ever again.”
“I’ll go through my texts and my emails, see if I have anything useful.”
“Okay. That’s a good start.” Mitch looked at Kyle’s laptop screen. He was working on his book,Cold Blue Murder, polishing it to send off to Lucinda, Mitch’s agent. “How are the revisions coming?”
“Good. I should be done in a day or so. Maybe sooner. I’ve gotten into a pretty good rhythm.”
“You and Ruthie going to be all right here by yourselves this afternoon?”
“Yeah, no problem.” Kyle narrowed his eyes in obvious skepticism. “Are you really going to adopt a dog?”
“I don’t know. Do you think I shouldn’t?”
“No, I think it’s a great idea. Be good for you. Dogs are great. And I think Ruthie will love it.”
Mitch smiled. “I think so, too. It’ll be good for her to grow up with an animal.”
He just hoped she was here to have that experience.
Chapter Six
“Make sure the roast is dry, then season it liberally with salt and pepper. More salt than pepper, really,” Beryl said into the camera. “Then we’re going to add our herb mixture. That’s the garlic, fresh rosemary, and olive oil we prepared earlier.”
Frankie watched from the counter as Joyce handed Beryl the dish with the mix in it. “There you are, love.”
Beryl spread it over the roast. “Don’t be shy with it, now. Give the roast a good covering but leave a few teaspoons behind. We’re going to drizzle that over the veg. It adds a lovely flavor. You won’t be disappointed. Well, you might be if you don’t get seconds.”
Frankie was mesmerized. The two sisters made a great team. Lucas was standing to one side, smiling. He had to know he was on to something good here.
Frankie had pretty much forgotten about getting work done as she’d hoped, but that was just fine. This was fascinating. And as soon as the roast went into the oven, she’d have some time.
Lucas leaned in. “That looks amazing, ladies. I cannot wait to taste this.”
“Well, you’re going to have to,” Beryl said. She looked straight at the camera. “This is going into the hundred-and-ninety-degree preheated oven—”
“No,” Joyce said. “They don’t use Celsius. You have to say it in Fahrenheit.”
“I don’t know it in Fahrenheit.”
Lucas helped out. “That’s three-hundred and seventy-five degrees.”
“There you go,” Beryl said. “Make sure your rack is in the middle. You want even heat, all the way around.” She stepped back from the roasting pan, filled with the roast and the vegetables. “Also helps if you have a man in the kitchen who can do the lifting for you.”
Lucas picked it up and took it to the oven. Joyce opened it for him, and he slid it in. “How long, Beryl?”
“We’re going to roast it for thirty minutes at that temp, then knock it down to…” She looked at Joyce.
“Two-seventy-five for about an hour,” Joyce said. “Or until that meat thermometer says one-hundred-twenty-five degrees.”
Beryl shook her head. “So many Fahrenheits.”
