Read Online A House to Die For (A Darby Farr Mystery) by Vicki Doudera - Free Book Online
Authors: Vicki Doudera
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endowed-was truly stupido.
Quietly she entered the bathroom and turned on the water for a
shower, thinking that whatever Emilio Landi was lacking in terms of
brains, he more than made up for as a lover. Peyton couldn't recall a
time when she'd been so physically spent by someone with a seemingly inexhaustible capacity for lovemaking. She regarded herself in
the mirror and saw an attractive yet determined woman, thirty-five
years old, gazing back at her. I've got a sexy Italian lover in my bed,
and yet I haven't let this relationship dull my business sense one bit, she
thought proudly. I'm still making things happen ...
She tested the water temperature, shrugged off her silk robe and
shivered. Even though it was late June, the mornings still held a chill
in Maine. I'm sick of this place, she thought. Sick of this substandard
hotel with its local-yokel clientele. She sighed and then smiled. One
more day! Tomorrow at this time, the deal would be done. Finito.
Not only would she be off this dismal island, but she'd satisfy her
partners, the men she thought more and more of as greedy Boston
sleazebags. What had happened to turn Tony Cardillo-and even Reggie, who was always Mr. Mild Mannered-into such bullies?
Something else must have gone south for them, she reasoned. One of
those mysterious South American schemes they only hinted at. Why
else would they be breathing down her neck and threatening to tell
the New Jersey guys? She couldn't believe that the money she owed
them-a mere drop in the proverbial bucket-was worth the attention they'd given her deal.
None of it mattered, anyway, because the purchase of Fairview
was nearly complete. They'd have their precious acreage and she'd
be back to civilization. As she entered the shower and felt the steaming water caress her skin, she pushed away any doubts that threatened to destroy her confidence. It will all work out, she told herself.
It simply had to.
A stone's throw from the Hurricane Harbor Inn, Darby Farr sat at
her aunt's mahogany partner's desk in the compact office of Near
& Farr Realty, sorting through a stack of files with growing impatience. She'd located one folder, neatly labeled FAIRVIEW 1, which
contained the same contracts she'd reviewed on her flight the day
before. Her annoyance stemmed from her inability to find the rest
of the Fairview files in any of Jane's cabinets, drawers, or on her
desk. She made an exasperated sound. "That's it! I give up."
Tina poked her head around the corner of the door.
"Hell of a lot of rummaging going on for 8:15 in the morning," she commented. "Why you didn't just sleep in a bit more, I
don't know. It's just a little town meeting, nothing to sit here poring over papers about." She paused, saw that Darby was still deep
in thought, and sighed. "Anything I can do?"
Darby looked up at the redhead's concerned face, her eyes dark
from lack of sleep, and sighed. "Maybe. My aunt's got a file here for
Fairview numbered `one', but I'll be darned if I can find any others. It doesn't make sense to number a file unless there are others,
right? Somewhere there must at least be a `two' kicking around."
Tina shrugged. "You would think so. But your aunt was doing
some odd things lately, so I wouldn't put too much store in what
you find."
"What kinds of odd things?"
"Oh, this and that..." She shrugged. "Trips to the hardware
store in Manatuck at all hours of the day, for one. In the past week,
she probably went over there two or three times."
"What was she buying?"
"I don't know. I never saw anything. When I'd ask her, she was
vague and said she needed supplies for `projects"' Tina snorted.
"Your aunt was not the type to sit home and build a bookcase or
learn basket weaving. If she wanted something, she hired somebody
to take care of it for her. Her idea of a night at home was running
on one of those crazy machines. I'll bet she didn't even know how to
swing a hammer. "
"Even if Aunt Jane
Quietly she entered the bathroom and turned on the water for a
shower, thinking that whatever Emilio Landi was lacking in terms of
brains, he more than made up for as a lover. Peyton couldn't recall a
time when she'd been so physically spent by someone with a seemingly inexhaustible capacity for lovemaking. She regarded herself in
the mirror and saw an attractive yet determined woman, thirty-five
years old, gazing back at her. I've got a sexy Italian lover in my bed,
and yet I haven't let this relationship dull my business sense one bit, she
thought proudly. I'm still making things happen ...
She tested the water temperature, shrugged off her silk robe and
shivered. Even though it was late June, the mornings still held a chill
in Maine. I'm sick of this place, she thought. Sick of this substandard
hotel with its local-yokel clientele. She sighed and then smiled. One
more day! Tomorrow at this time, the deal would be done. Finito.
Not only would she be off this dismal island, but she'd satisfy her
partners, the men she thought more and more of as greedy Boston
sleazebags. What had happened to turn Tony Cardillo-and even Reggie, who was always Mr. Mild Mannered-into such bullies?
Something else must have gone south for them, she reasoned. One of
those mysterious South American schemes they only hinted at. Why
else would they be breathing down her neck and threatening to tell
the New Jersey guys? She couldn't believe that the money she owed
them-a mere drop in the proverbial bucket-was worth the attention they'd given her deal.
None of it mattered, anyway, because the purchase of Fairview
was nearly complete. They'd have their precious acreage and she'd
be back to civilization. As she entered the shower and felt the steaming water caress her skin, she pushed away any doubts that threatened to destroy her confidence. It will all work out, she told herself.
It simply had to.
A stone's throw from the Hurricane Harbor Inn, Darby Farr sat at
her aunt's mahogany partner's desk in the compact office of Near
& Farr Realty, sorting through a stack of files with growing impatience. She'd located one folder, neatly labeled FAIRVIEW 1, which
contained the same contracts she'd reviewed on her flight the day
before. Her annoyance stemmed from her inability to find the rest
of the Fairview files in any of Jane's cabinets, drawers, or on her
desk. She made an exasperated sound. "That's it! I give up."
Tina poked her head around the corner of the door.
"Hell of a lot of rummaging going on for 8:15 in the morning," she commented. "Why you didn't just sleep in a bit more, I
don't know. It's just a little town meeting, nothing to sit here poring over papers about." She paused, saw that Darby was still deep
in thought, and sighed. "Anything I can do?"
Darby looked up at the redhead's concerned face, her eyes dark
from lack of sleep, and sighed. "Maybe. My aunt's got a file here for
Fairview numbered `one', but I'll be darned if I can find any others. It doesn't make sense to number a file unless there are others,
right? Somewhere there must at least be a `two' kicking around."
Tina shrugged. "You would think so. But your aunt was doing
some odd things lately, so I wouldn't put too much store in what
you find."
"What kinds of odd things?"
"Oh, this and that..." She shrugged. "Trips to the hardware
store in Manatuck at all hours of the day, for one. In the past week,
she probably went over there two or three times."
"What was she buying?"
"I don't know. I never saw anything. When I'd ask her, she was
vague and said she needed supplies for `projects"' Tina snorted.
"Your aunt was not the type to sit home and build a bookcase or
learn basket weaving. If she wanted something, she hired somebody
to take care of it for her. Her idea of a night at home was running
on one of those crazy machines. I'll bet she didn't even know how to
swing a hammer. "
"Even if Aunt Jane
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