close by. Garrison was in northern Colorado, so their news, for instance, often overlapped with news from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Unfortunately, not a single state that bordered Colorado had an area code starting with the number two. Undaunted, Sadie pulled a notebook out of the top drawer of the computer desk and opened an Internet browser window with a map of the United States. Researching the bordering states of Colorado’s bordering states didn’t make as much sense—they wouldn’t have Colorado newspapers—and yet she had to start with some kind of criteria. She looked at the map and started making a list.
After crossing off the states without an area code beginning with two, Sadie began the tedious task of looking for May Sanderson in the white pages of the first few area codes. It crossed her mind an hour and a half later, as she began searching Modesto, California—she could imagine May being a California girl, even though there were two full states between California and Colorado—that she ought to plan out what she was going to say to Ms. Sanderson if she found her. Was she going to ask questions about the things May had told Sadie about her father being murdered? After the way Sadie’s last case had just exploded all over the media, she wanted nothing more than to hide in her closet for a few months. Getting involved in another murder mystery was not high on her list of priorities. So why was she putting so much effort into this?
I’m just going to explain why I can’t help her, Sadie told herself as she stared at the results on the computer—no May Sanderson in the Modesto area. She changed “May” to “M.” There was the chance that May was married, but she hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring.
A new listing came up, and Sadie felt her jaw drop. There were more than three hundred listings for M. Sanderson in Modesto, California.
“This is crazy,” Sadie said, pushing herself away from the desk. Three hundred listings! And that was in only one of dozens of area codes. “You’re being ridiculous,” she told herself as she stood and turned her back on the computer, irritated at both the time she’d wasted and the impossibility of the task.
Sadie glanced at the clock; it was after eight o’clock. She’d just wasted almost three hours on a futile task. Church didn’t start until ten, but she needed to get ready and at least work on the cream-cheese layer of the crab dip she was taking to the Women’s Group afternoon meeting. She pulled the cream cheese out of the fridge and left it to warm up on the counter while she showered for the third time in twenty-four hours, annoyed and not looking forward to going to church. She couldn’t stop reviewing the looks and whispers from the dinner on Friday, the humiliation of it all. She could only hope church would be better than that. It was church, after all. The thought of attending the women’s meeting was even less appealing, but it was imperative that she stick to her routine and act as though nothing were bothering her. Besides, she’d said she would attend, and they were counting on her being there. Now more than ever she needed to keep her word.
She was ready to go by 9:30, even though she’d been even more meticulous of her appearance today, worried that people would be paying her extra attention. She called Pete and they chatted for a few minutes. He seemed distracted, which reminded Sadie that she’d totally hijacked his Saturday. She felt bad and ended the call earlier than she’d planned to so that she wouldn’t ruin his entire weekend.
Once off the phone, she opened the cream cheese and began humming while she spread it on her nicest crystal platter in hopes of brightening her mood. While she worked, however, she could feel the computer screen calling to her, tempting her to try again. The information she needed was somewhere online, she was sure of it, and just knowing that made it seem silly not to keep
After crossing off the states without an area code beginning with two, Sadie began the tedious task of looking for May Sanderson in the white pages of the first few area codes. It crossed her mind an hour and a half later, as she began searching Modesto, California—she could imagine May being a California girl, even though there were two full states between California and Colorado—that she ought to plan out what she was going to say to Ms. Sanderson if she found her. Was she going to ask questions about the things May had told Sadie about her father being murdered? After the way Sadie’s last case had just exploded all over the media, she wanted nothing more than to hide in her closet for a few months. Getting involved in another murder mystery was not high on her list of priorities. So why was she putting so much effort into this?
I’m just going to explain why I can’t help her, Sadie told herself as she stared at the results on the computer—no May Sanderson in the Modesto area. She changed “May” to “M.” There was the chance that May was married, but she hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring.
A new listing came up, and Sadie felt her jaw drop. There were more than three hundred listings for M. Sanderson in Modesto, California.
“This is crazy,” Sadie said, pushing herself away from the desk. Three hundred listings! And that was in only one of dozens of area codes. “You’re being ridiculous,” she told herself as she stood and turned her back on the computer, irritated at both the time she’d wasted and the impossibility of the task.
Sadie glanced at the clock; it was after eight o’clock. She’d just wasted almost three hours on a futile task. Church didn’t start until ten, but she needed to get ready and at least work on the cream-cheese layer of the crab dip she was taking to the Women’s Group afternoon meeting. She pulled the cream cheese out of the fridge and left it to warm up on the counter while she showered for the third time in twenty-four hours, annoyed and not looking forward to going to church. She couldn’t stop reviewing the looks and whispers from the dinner on Friday, the humiliation of it all. She could only hope church would be better than that. It was church, after all. The thought of attending the women’s meeting was even less appealing, but it was imperative that she stick to her routine and act as though nothing were bothering her. Besides, she’d said she would attend, and they were counting on her being there. Now more than ever she needed to keep her word.
She was ready to go by 9:30, even though she’d been even more meticulous of her appearance today, worried that people would be paying her extra attention. She called Pete and they chatted for a few minutes. He seemed distracted, which reminded Sadie that she’d totally hijacked his Saturday. She felt bad and ended the call earlier than she’d planned to so that she wouldn’t ruin his entire weekend.
Once off the phone, she opened the cream cheese and began humming while she spread it on her nicest crystal platter in hopes of brightening her mood. While she worked, however, she could feel the computer screen calling to her, tempting her to try again. The information she needed was somewhere online, she was sure of it, and just knowing that made it seem silly not to keep
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