Read Online Berried Secrets by Peg Cochran - Free Book Online

unexpected happened.” Monica hesitated for a moment, but she was quite certain the VanVelsen sisters were already telegraphing the news all over Cranberry Cove. She explained to Greg about finding Culbert’s body in the bog.
    A strange look crossed Greg’s face but disappeared so rapidly that Monica didn’t have the time to analyze it. He gave a long, low whistle.
    â€œSo Sam Culbert finally got his comeuppance.” He ran water into two mugs and put them in the microwave.
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    Greg ran a hand through his hair, leaving it even messier than before. “Let’s just say Sam Culbert wasn’t the most popular guy in town.”
    â€œSo I’ve heard.”
    They were both silent until the microwave pinged, and Greg removed the two mugs of steaming water. He added tea bags and handed one to Monica.
    â€œMilk or sugar?”
    â€œThis is fine.” Monica wrapped her hands around the mug. The warmth felt good. She blew on the tea, sending a small tidal wave of liquid swelling across the cup.
    Greg opened a cupboard, grabbed a shaker of sugar and poured a liberal amount into his tea. He stirred the mixture with his finger.
    â€œWhat did Sam Culbert do to make himself so unpopular in Cranberry Cove?”
    Greg hesitated. “Basically just threw his weight around—a veritable
master of the universe
to borrow a phrase from Tom Wolfe—at least in Cranberry Cove. He owns a couple of the buildings here along Beach Hollow Road, and I heardhe regularly raised the rent. Several of the stores closed—they couldn’t afford it anymore. But I doubt Culbert lost any sleep over it.”
    Monica filed that bit of information away. She’d ask Greg more about it later. For the moment, she was focused on finding Mauricio.
    â€œThere is a fellow on Jeff’s crew we’re trying to track down.” Monica told Greg much the same thing she’d told the VanVelsens.
    â€œDark hair, medium height, foreign accent?” Greg scrunched his face up in concentration. “Plenty of men around this summer who would fit the dark hair and medium height part, but we don’t get too many foreigners visiting Cranberry Cove. It’s a well-kept secret, and we like to keep it that way. The amount of tourists we get now is about all we can handle.” He tapped his chin with his index finger. “I seem to remember someone though . . .” He snapped his fingers. “He was a relative of the short-order cook at the diner. I don’t suppose that’s who you mean?”
    Monica shook her head. “Thanks anyway.” She put her mug in the sink. As much as she was enjoying spending time with Greg, the events of the day had suddenly made her weak in the knees. All she could think about was home, a hot bath in the cottage’s old claw-foot tub and some cheese toast for dinner.
    Greg walked her to the front door. He gave her a slightly shy grin. “Stop in again.”
    â€œI will,” Monica said as he closed the door.
    The sun was setting behind her as Monica drove back to Sassamanash Farm. She glanced in her rearview mirror andcould see it hovering over the surface of the lake like a hesitant swimmer putting a toe in the water before taking the plunge. Pinpricks of light sparkled on the tips of the waves, and the sky was awash with pinks, reds and oranges.
    Monica kept peeking into her rearview mirror to admire the scene until she had a near-collision with a truck. She then focused all of her attention on the road ahead. She had no doubt that in a head-on with a semi, she and the Focus would come out on the losing end.
    Monica was relieved to find her driveway empty when she got there. She wasn’t up to dealing with Gina at the moment. Hopefully she had decided to stay at the Inn and have an early night.
    It was dark inside the cottage, and Monica switched on some lights as soon as she opened the door. She then dragged