Read Online Bleeding Through: A Rachel Goddard Mystery (Rachel Goddard Mysteries) by Sandra Parshall - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sandra Parshall
Tags: Mystery & Detective
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hadn’t shared with anybody else yet, and he wanted to see if Fagan, after viewing the body dump site, would come up with the same idea. He stood. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Seven
Rachel paused while dusting the coffee table for the second time. Was that a car pulling into the driveway? A jolt of anxiety set her heart racing, but she told herself it wasn’t Michelle and Kevin, they couldn’t be here already unless they’d left home well before dawn.
But when she hurried to the window to look, there they were, getting out of Kevin’s silver Mercedes. For a second the whole scene felt like such a surreal blending of Rachel’s two lives that she could only stand and stare.
While Kevin popped the trunk lid and walked around to the rear of the car, Michelle started along the front walk to the porch. Rachel stashed the dust cloth in a table drawer and ran to open the door.
As Michelle mounted the steps, Rachel barely caught herself before she blurted out her shock at her sister’s appearance. The usual rosy blush of Michelle’s cheeks had faded, and recent weight loss emphasized her high cheekbones. Dark circles under her eyes spoke of sleepless nights. Her blond hair, pushed back over her ears, looked as if she hadn’t thoroughly combed it that morning.
Rachel stepped onto the porch and Michelle rushed forward and caught her in a tight embrace. Michelle’s hair smelled faintly of apples, the perfume of the shampoo she’d used for years. She had always been slender, but now she felt alarmingly gaunt in Rachel’s embrace, her ribs palpable through her blouse and sweater. She clung fiercely, until Rachel pulled away.
Sniffling, Michelle blinked back tears.
“Hey,” Rachel said, then stopped because she didn’t know what she could say that would make the situation easier. Don’t cry? Everything’s okay? If that were true, no power could have dragged Michelle out here to the mountains, the country, where she might actually encounter a wild animal or a bug. Rachel looked past Michelle to Kevin, a big, handsome guy who would have fit anybody’s description of all-American. His face locked into a frown, his eyes haunted by worry, he climbed the steps with Michelle’s blue suitcase and a black overnight bag.
“Thank you for letting me come,” Michelle said. Her gaze darted around as if checking to see whether anybody lurked nearby.
Has it occurred to you that this stalker might follow Michelle? Tom’s conjecture popped into Rachel’s mind. But how likely was it that anybody would trail Michelle all the way out here? She was far away from the source of her problem, and she was safe. Rachel couldn’t help Michelle if she gave in to paranoia too.
“Come in, come in.” Rachel ushered the two of them through the doorway.
From the long center hallway, Michelle glanced right into the living room, left into the dining room. “What a homey little place.”
A homey little place? Had she imagined the critical undertone to the comment? “I love it. It’s comfortable, and I like having so much outdoor space.”
“Well, you always were a nature girl,” Michelle said.
Kevin stood inside the door, still holding the luggage. Billy Bob bypassed Michelle and headed straight for Kevin, who set down the bags and stooped to scratch the bulldog’s head.
“Meet Billy Bob,” Rachel said.
“What a great dog.” Kevin laughed as Billy Bob angled his head to take full advantage of the scratching. “I’ve always wanted a bulldog.”
“Oh, you have not.” Michelle’s indulgent little smile broke through her gloom. “You just want a dog, period.”
She sounded, Rachel thought, like a mother who had long ago established that her child was not going to get a dog, however much he begged. “I’ll show you your room,” Rachel said. “Then we can relax and talk.”
She forced herself to take the stairs at a normal speed instead of sprinting up two at a time. A mixture of excitement and apprehension kept her pulse
Chapter Seven
Rachel paused while dusting the coffee table for the second time. Was that a car pulling into the driveway? A jolt of anxiety set her heart racing, but she told herself it wasn’t Michelle and Kevin, they couldn’t be here already unless they’d left home well before dawn.
But when she hurried to the window to look, there they were, getting out of Kevin’s silver Mercedes. For a second the whole scene felt like such a surreal blending of Rachel’s two lives that she could only stand and stare.
While Kevin popped the trunk lid and walked around to the rear of the car, Michelle started along the front walk to the porch. Rachel stashed the dust cloth in a table drawer and ran to open the door.
As Michelle mounted the steps, Rachel barely caught herself before she blurted out her shock at her sister’s appearance. The usual rosy blush of Michelle’s cheeks had faded, and recent weight loss emphasized her high cheekbones. Dark circles under her eyes spoke of sleepless nights. Her blond hair, pushed back over her ears, looked as if she hadn’t thoroughly combed it that morning.
Rachel stepped onto the porch and Michelle rushed forward and caught her in a tight embrace. Michelle’s hair smelled faintly of apples, the perfume of the shampoo she’d used for years. She had always been slender, but now she felt alarmingly gaunt in Rachel’s embrace, her ribs palpable through her blouse and sweater. She clung fiercely, until Rachel pulled away.
Sniffling, Michelle blinked back tears.
“Hey,” Rachel said, then stopped because she didn’t know what she could say that would make the situation easier. Don’t cry? Everything’s okay? If that were true, no power could have dragged Michelle out here to the mountains, the country, where she might actually encounter a wild animal or a bug. Rachel looked past Michelle to Kevin, a big, handsome guy who would have fit anybody’s description of all-American. His face locked into a frown, his eyes haunted by worry, he climbed the steps with Michelle’s blue suitcase and a black overnight bag.
“Thank you for letting me come,” Michelle said. Her gaze darted around as if checking to see whether anybody lurked nearby.
Has it occurred to you that this stalker might follow Michelle? Tom’s conjecture popped into Rachel’s mind. But how likely was it that anybody would trail Michelle all the way out here? She was far away from the source of her problem, and she was safe. Rachel couldn’t help Michelle if she gave in to paranoia too.
“Come in, come in.” Rachel ushered the two of them through the doorway.
From the long center hallway, Michelle glanced right into the living room, left into the dining room. “What a homey little place.”
A homey little place? Had she imagined the critical undertone to the comment? “I love it. It’s comfortable, and I like having so much outdoor space.”
“Well, you always were a nature girl,” Michelle said.
Kevin stood inside the door, still holding the luggage. Billy Bob bypassed Michelle and headed straight for Kevin, who set down the bags and stooped to scratch the bulldog’s head.
“Meet Billy Bob,” Rachel said.
“What a great dog.” Kevin laughed as Billy Bob angled his head to take full advantage of the scratching. “I’ve always wanted a bulldog.”
“Oh, you have not.” Michelle’s indulgent little smile broke through her gloom. “You just want a dog, period.”
She sounded, Rachel thought, like a mother who had long ago established that her child was not going to get a dog, however much he begged. “I’ll show you your room,” Rachel said. “Then we can relax and talk.”
She forced herself to take the stairs at a normal speed instead of sprinting up two at a time. A mixture of excitement and apprehension kept her pulse
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