Read Online Bring Home the Murder by Theresa M.; Jarvela - Free Book Online Page B

horse and all the other incidents?
    Why did she hesitate to tell anyone about the strange occurrences that had taken place? Was she afraid people would think she believed in the supernatural? Her mind whirled with unanswered questions. Uncertainties she didn’t want to think about.
    The evening wore on. Her mind calmed, and she reposed deep in thought. The glass of iced tea sat untouched and grew warm on the table next to her. She closed her eyes and dozed.
    When she awoke the night had grown close with no breeze to relieve the stuffiness. The vibrant colors displayed across the sky had faded. The moon hung high in the sky and shadows appeared before her. Far off a dog barked.
    Meggie stopped rocking and pushed herself up from the chair. As she turned toward the front door something flashed in the corner of her eye. A movement among the weeping willow branches. Her senses alert, she studied the towering tree but nothing stirred. Only still boughs draped amid the shadows.
    A shaky laugh escaped her and she chided herself for being spooked. She turned away from the graceful tree but a force tugged at her and she turned back. The willow branches parted and a white horse appeared in a haze. The magnificent animal raised its front legs in the air, stood on its hind legs then dropped down and raced past the porch towards the backyard.
    Meggie stood transfixed for several seconds unable to believe what had just happened. Adrenaline shot through her. She ran across the porch and down the steps. When she reached the backyard her eyes searched for the white horse but it had vanished.
    She backed up, whirled around and ran into the house. A slight shiver trickled down her spine when she recalled Vera’s words—“I believe he called him Cloud, a big white stallion.”
    A short time later no lights burned in the little farmhouse. Meggie lay in bed, her head spinning. She pulled the sheet up to her chin and concentrated on happy thoughts. But soon a dark thought wormed its way in, crawled through her mind and whispered in her ear, “The horse made no sound.”

 
    Chapter 10
    A few days later, Meggie hummed to herself at the kitchen table. She stuffed a letter into an envelope, addressed it and placed a stamp in the corner, then leaned it against the sugar bowl. Eve Moore Davenport, the only child of Walter and Meggie, would throw up her hands and shake her head when she picked up the letter.
    A Seattle attorney, Eve’s mission for the past few years had been to bring Meggie into the world of technology by harping on the same old, same old. “Mother, you really must learn to Skype. Open a Facebook account. Buy a Smart phone.”
    Just a month ago Meggie sent Eve a letter. Her daughter responded by phone. “But Mother, who writes letters anymore?” To which Meggie replied, “I do and I will continue to write letters for as long as I please. Society does not dictate to Meggie Moore.”
    She whistled on her way into the mini-pantry next to the kitchen and came out with a bottle of rum. She set a tall glass on the counter, added ice and measured one shot of alcohol into the glass. After adding more than enough tonic water and a squeeze of lime she stirred it, picked up the mosquito repellant and flipped off the kitchen light.
    In the fading light Meggie followed the path to the gazebo, determined to enjoy the balmy evening. She sat down in the wicker chair and set her rum and tonic on the small table next to her. A warm breeze blew through the open structure. The moving air might be a mosquito deterrent. But to be on the safe side she applied repellant cream liberally.
    Twilight came and turned the sky a pinkish hue. Tall jack pines near the front fence line grew dark against the evening sky. The moon rose and spilled its light over the backyard. Meggie leaned back to gaze at the multitude of stars dotting the heavens. An earthy smell and the sweet scent of petunias wafted through the