Read Online A Fatal Slip by Melissa Glazer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Melissa Glazer
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breakfast.”
“Go on. I can handle things here until you get back.”
“I won’t be long,” he said as he rushed out the door, still wearing his apron.
I was restocking our inventory shelves in the paint-your-own section when the front door chimed. I’d been hoping the sunshine now peeking through the clouds would bring me a bit of respite, but apparently, it was not to be.
Kendra Williams walked into the shop, a woman less welcome than most in my place of business.
“Kendra, what brings you out on a drizzling day? I thought you had a business to run.”
She looked around my empty shop. “Carolyn, I have more customers than you do when I’m closed.”
“As much as I appreciate your commentary, I’ve got work to do. Despite what you see right now, we’ve been busy all morning.”
“Don’t you think I realize that?” she said. “I’ve been keeping an eye on your shop all day.”
“That’s taking the neighborhood watch a little too far, don’t you think? I’m not sure I like you stalking me.”
“This is serious. I’m worried about Rose.”
I peeked out the window and saw that Rose Colored Glasses was still closed, though she normally opened before any of the rest of us along the River Walk, with the exception of Nate’s coffee shop. “Maybe she’s sick.”
“She’s not. When she didn’t come in, I closed Hattie’s Attic and went by her place. She’s not there.”
“Kendra, you’re overreacting. I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for her absence.”
She gestured outside, making her muumuu travel in waves I didn’t want to surf. “You know how busy it’s been today. Rose wouldn’t have missed a day of sales like this for anything in the world, and we both know it.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” I said. “Maybe she just had to get away.”
“Exactly,” Kendra said triumphantly. “But why?”
“There could be a thousand reasons,” I said.
“Name three.”
Honestly, this woman was driving me mad. “Maybe she got a little wanderlust and decided to drive down to Boston.”
“She hates big cities, and you know it.”
“I don’t know it, but I’ll take your word for it. Okay, how about if she headed into the mountains? She loves nature. If you don’t like that reason,” I said before Kendra could protest, “she might be visiting a sick aunt, or maybe she just felt like chucking it all and went to the movies. There’s certainly enough days I feel like getting away from the shop myself.”
“I can see you’re not going to take this seriously,” Kendra said huffily.
“Until you give me a better reason that I should be, you’re absolutely right.”
“Somehow I expected better from you, Carolyn.”
“Life’s full of disappointments, isn’t it? Since you’re here, you saved me a trip. There’s something I want to ask you.”
Her eyes narrowed to two slits. “What is it?”
“How well did you know Charlie Cobb?”
Kendra shook her head fiercely. “No, ma’am, I won’t stand for it, do you hear me? You’re not pinning that on me.”
“I’m not trying to pin anything on you. I’m just asking how well you knew him.”
“He was just another face in the crowd, and that’s all you’re going to get out of me.”
“You seem a little too agitated by such a harmless question. You don’t have anything to hide, do you?”
“Carolyn Emerson, every time someone in Maple Ridge gets a cold, you start asking me if I have the sniffles, as if I’m some sort of instrument of doom. I’m tired of it, and I won’t stand here and take it from you.” Kendra stormed out of my shop, but I wasn’t surprised by her behavior. There had been a few murders around town, and for some reason, I always seemed to be in the middle of them. Kendra had connections with the deceased as well, but then most folks in Maple Ridge did. After all, we were living in a small town in New England.
Her rant aside, I wondered if she could be right
“Go on. I can handle things here until you get back.”
“I won’t be long,” he said as he rushed out the door, still wearing his apron.
I was restocking our inventory shelves in the paint-your-own section when the front door chimed. I’d been hoping the sunshine now peeking through the clouds would bring me a bit of respite, but apparently, it was not to be.
Kendra Williams walked into the shop, a woman less welcome than most in my place of business.
“Kendra, what brings you out on a drizzling day? I thought you had a business to run.”
She looked around my empty shop. “Carolyn, I have more customers than you do when I’m closed.”
“As much as I appreciate your commentary, I’ve got work to do. Despite what you see right now, we’ve been busy all morning.”
“Don’t you think I realize that?” she said. “I’ve been keeping an eye on your shop all day.”
“That’s taking the neighborhood watch a little too far, don’t you think? I’m not sure I like you stalking me.”
“This is serious. I’m worried about Rose.”
I peeked out the window and saw that Rose Colored Glasses was still closed, though she normally opened before any of the rest of us along the River Walk, with the exception of Nate’s coffee shop. “Maybe she’s sick.”
“She’s not. When she didn’t come in, I closed Hattie’s Attic and went by her place. She’s not there.”
“Kendra, you’re overreacting. I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for her absence.”
She gestured outside, making her muumuu travel in waves I didn’t want to surf. “You know how busy it’s been today. Rose wouldn’t have missed a day of sales like this for anything in the world, and we both know it.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” I said. “Maybe she just had to get away.”
“Exactly,” Kendra said triumphantly. “But why?”
“There could be a thousand reasons,” I said.
“Name three.”
Honestly, this woman was driving me mad. “Maybe she got a little wanderlust and decided to drive down to Boston.”
“She hates big cities, and you know it.”
“I don’t know it, but I’ll take your word for it. Okay, how about if she headed into the mountains? She loves nature. If you don’t like that reason,” I said before Kendra could protest, “she might be visiting a sick aunt, or maybe she just felt like chucking it all and went to the movies. There’s certainly enough days I feel like getting away from the shop myself.”
“I can see you’re not going to take this seriously,” Kendra said huffily.
“Until you give me a better reason that I should be, you’re absolutely right.”
“Somehow I expected better from you, Carolyn.”
“Life’s full of disappointments, isn’t it? Since you’re here, you saved me a trip. There’s something I want to ask you.”
Her eyes narrowed to two slits. “What is it?”
“How well did you know Charlie Cobb?”
Kendra shook her head fiercely. “No, ma’am, I won’t stand for it, do you hear me? You’re not pinning that on me.”
“I’m not trying to pin anything on you. I’m just asking how well you knew him.”
“He was just another face in the crowd, and that’s all you’re going to get out of me.”
“You seem a little too agitated by such a harmless question. You don’t have anything to hide, do you?”
“Carolyn Emerson, every time someone in Maple Ridge gets a cold, you start asking me if I have the sniffles, as if I’m some sort of instrument of doom. I’m tired of it, and I won’t stand here and take it from you.” Kendra stormed out of my shop, but I wasn’t surprised by her behavior. There had been a few murders around town, and for some reason, I always seemed to be in the middle of them. Kendra had connections with the deceased as well, but then most folks in Maple Ridge did. After all, we were living in a small town in New England.
Her rant aside, I wondered if she could be right
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