Read Online A Stillness of Chimes by Meg Moseley - Free Book Online

every time a train came by because you couldn’t hear yourself think?”
    “Yeah, that one.”
    “No, I don’t miss it. Not one bit.”
    Cassie sighed. It was silly to prefer the old, cramped kitchen to this new marvel of granite countertops and the latest appliances. It was silly to prefer the old view—of basically nothing—to a stunning expanse of smoky-green mountains. And it was ridiculous to miss the old house, where passing trains rattled the windows. Where friends might knock on the door and walk right in.
    She’d been in town for three days, and except for Drew’s parents, not one soul had dropped by. Not her friends. Not her parents’ friends. If the UPS driver hadn’t brought a package, nobody but family would have driven up and down that long driveway in days. Maybe her dad’s new prosperity had scared everybody away.
    He moved behind her and started massaging her shoulders. “It’s great to have you home, baby. Thanks for making the trip.”
    “Thanks for paying for it, but I still think you’re exaggerating the problem.” Cassie let her head droop forward.
    “I still think I’m not.” He moved the massage upward. “Your neck muscles are tight as a drum. See, you needed to get away.”
    “To play shrink for Mom? It’s hardly relaxing.”
    “I’m not asking you to play shrink. I’m only asking you to pay attention. And see if you can get her to open up. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get out and visit your friends.”
    Cassie perked up. “Laura just got into town, right?”
    “That’s what I heard.”
    “I’ll call her. She might need some help sorting through her mom’s things.”
    “No doubt. Jess lived in that house for thirty-some years and never threw anything out.”
    “Yes, but at least her house looked like her .”
    The dig went unnoticed. Or maybe not, because he stopped the massage abruptly and walked over to the window, hands in his pockets. He started whistling, so she couldn’t have hurt his feelings too badly.
    Cassie sat up straight and idly picked up the month-old newspaper that lay on the table, neatly folded to reveal the obituary. Her dad had mentioned it when he’d called to ask her to fly home for a while. It worried him, the way her mom had left the paper there, day after day. Cassie had to admit that was a bit strange, but the suddenness of Jess’s death must have made a hard blow even harder.
    Silently, Cassie read the obituary one more time. “Jessamyn Flynn Gantt is survived by her daughter, Laura Gantt of Denver, and was preceded in death by her husband, Elliott Gantt; by her parents, Hollis and Laura Flynn; by a brother, Robert Flynn …”
    Some people would have argued that Elliott hadn’t preceded Jess, but Cassie didn’t want to believe it.
    “Why didn’t you call me when the rumors about Elliott first started?” she asked her dad.
    He turned from the window. “Same reason I didn’t call Laura. It’s all hogwash.”
    “That’s what I think too.”
    “Rumors are like tumors. They’ll spread in a hurry if you don’t take care of them.” He shook his head. “Poor old Elliott. He hated himself for those black fits that made Jess and Laura so miserable. If he’d lived longer, he might have done worse. God rest his soul.”
    “Yeah, it was hard on everybody. Especially Laura.”
    He brought the coffee to the table. “I just hope she won’t hear the jokes. People say he’ll be Prospect’s new tourist attraction. You know, like some towns brag about sightings of Sasquatch or aliens? They say Elliott’s our claim to fame.”
    “That’s horrible. People can be so cruel. He can’t be alive, though. He must have had a heart attack or something while he was fishing. And if that’s what happened, at least his last day on earth was a reasonably happy one.”
    “I’d almost rather believe that than imagine my buddy hiding in the hills, half-starved, while people stuff their faces at the diner and gossip about him.”
    “Me