Read Online Cloudy with a Chance of Ghosts (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 4) by J.D. Winters - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: J.D. Winters
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I appreciate it.”
“Me too,” said Jill, taking one and studying it. “There we are,” she told me, pointing out our position. “Oh this is great. I love it. Thanks Alda.”
“We loved having you and hope you come to our next event in June,” she said. “I’ve got your email addresses and will be sending you announcements.”
She waved and headed back to the house. We got into the truck and started down the driveway, but I was thinking. That picture was going to be important to us in so many ways. Once we got far enough away from the house, I pulled over.
“Let’s take a look,” I said. “Let’s see if we can figure out who was in the picture and who was missing.”
“Because?” Jill asked.
“Because the murder was taking place at the same time.”
She gasped. “Of course! You’re right!”
I spread out the photo on the seat between us. “Okay, we know Jagger isn’t here. And Keri, of course. And Celinda. Can you find Marilee?”
We both studied it for a few minutes.
“Nope. No Marilee.”
“That’s what I thought. I did see her go to the area where she had a room when she lived there. That was before the murder. I don’t think I saw her again until after Celinda found Keri. Did you?”
Jill shook her head. “But what about Carlton and Debbie?”
That was easy. They were both front and center.
“That woman, Quill?”
I found her with no trouble at all.
“How about the man who paints trash cans?”
“George Marker? Isn’t that him scrunched down in a chair behind where those two blond women are standing?”
“Hmmm. Could be. Though I can’t be certain.” She frowned. “Oh, and there’s Shady Tree, right by the potted palm tree.”
“Um hmm.”
And then I saw her—the girl who’d been in the bedroom. She was standing at the edge of the group and she looked….she looked almost transparent. It gave me chills. I wondered if Jill could see her, but I couldn’t make myself ask her. It would just lead to questions I didn’t want to answer yet.
Chapter Six
“What’s the matter?” Jill said.
“Uh…I’m okay.” I shook it off. “So the picture is missing Jagger, Celinda, Marilee and Keri. Anyone else?”
“Well, that’s a problem, really. There could be people missing from the picture that we didn’t ever meet and didn’t ever know were there. We only met a fraction of the crowd. So I don’t think this really proves much of anything.”
“Let’s go over the ones we know about. We know what Jagger was doing. At least, we think we do. He was standing around holding Keri’s clutch bag and waiting for her to show up and take it from him.”
“That’s what he says.”
She glanced at me suspiciously, but I made sure I didn’t have a hint of sarcasm in my face.
“Marilee was up in her old bedroom waxing nostalgic.”
“Was she emotional?”
“Very. I had the feeling leaving the house wasn’t her idea. She would have stayed if she’d been invited to.”
Jill wrinkled her nose in thought. “Poor thing. To spend years of your life in a house, being part of a family, and then to have it all ripped away—that’s tough.”
I shrugged. Life is change. Anyone who doesn’t prepare for that is going to get hit by a tidal wave of unexpected pain if they don’t protect themselves. I’d learned that the hard way.
“Keri wasn’t getting her picture taken because she was busy getting murdered. But what was Celinda’s excuse? What was she doing wandering down in that orchard anyway?”
Jill tilted her head to the side. “Maybe we should pay her a visit,” she said, arching one feathered brow. “What do you think?”
“I think that is a brilliant idea,” I said. “Later this afternoon. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Meanwhile, you need to get these things into safe storage somewhere and I need to go home and see how Bebe’s doing. I promised her we’d do lunch today.”
“Let’s go.”
We went.
My Aunt Bebe was waiting
“Me too,” said Jill, taking one and studying it. “There we are,” she told me, pointing out our position. “Oh this is great. I love it. Thanks Alda.”
“We loved having you and hope you come to our next event in June,” she said. “I’ve got your email addresses and will be sending you announcements.”
She waved and headed back to the house. We got into the truck and started down the driveway, but I was thinking. That picture was going to be important to us in so many ways. Once we got far enough away from the house, I pulled over.
“Let’s take a look,” I said. “Let’s see if we can figure out who was in the picture and who was missing.”
“Because?” Jill asked.
“Because the murder was taking place at the same time.”
She gasped. “Of course! You’re right!”
I spread out the photo on the seat between us. “Okay, we know Jagger isn’t here. And Keri, of course. And Celinda. Can you find Marilee?”
We both studied it for a few minutes.
“Nope. No Marilee.”
“That’s what I thought. I did see her go to the area where she had a room when she lived there. That was before the murder. I don’t think I saw her again until after Celinda found Keri. Did you?”
Jill shook her head. “But what about Carlton and Debbie?”
That was easy. They were both front and center.
“That woman, Quill?”
I found her with no trouble at all.
“How about the man who paints trash cans?”
“George Marker? Isn’t that him scrunched down in a chair behind where those two blond women are standing?”
“Hmmm. Could be. Though I can’t be certain.” She frowned. “Oh, and there’s Shady Tree, right by the potted palm tree.”
“Um hmm.”
And then I saw her—the girl who’d been in the bedroom. She was standing at the edge of the group and she looked….she looked almost transparent. It gave me chills. I wondered if Jill could see her, but I couldn’t make myself ask her. It would just lead to questions I didn’t want to answer yet.
Chapter Six
“What’s the matter?” Jill said.
“Uh…I’m okay.” I shook it off. “So the picture is missing Jagger, Celinda, Marilee and Keri. Anyone else?”
“Well, that’s a problem, really. There could be people missing from the picture that we didn’t ever meet and didn’t ever know were there. We only met a fraction of the crowd. So I don’t think this really proves much of anything.”
“Let’s go over the ones we know about. We know what Jagger was doing. At least, we think we do. He was standing around holding Keri’s clutch bag and waiting for her to show up and take it from him.”
“That’s what he says.”
She glanced at me suspiciously, but I made sure I didn’t have a hint of sarcasm in my face.
“Marilee was up in her old bedroom waxing nostalgic.”
“Was she emotional?”
“Very. I had the feeling leaving the house wasn’t her idea. She would have stayed if she’d been invited to.”
Jill wrinkled her nose in thought. “Poor thing. To spend years of your life in a house, being part of a family, and then to have it all ripped away—that’s tough.”
I shrugged. Life is change. Anyone who doesn’t prepare for that is going to get hit by a tidal wave of unexpected pain if they don’t protect themselves. I’d learned that the hard way.
“Keri wasn’t getting her picture taken because she was busy getting murdered. But what was Celinda’s excuse? What was she doing wandering down in that orchard anyway?”
Jill tilted her head to the side. “Maybe we should pay her a visit,” she said, arching one feathered brow. “What do you think?”
“I think that is a brilliant idea,” I said. “Later this afternoon. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Meanwhile, you need to get these things into safe storage somewhere and I need to go home and see how Bebe’s doing. I promised her we’d do lunch today.”
“Let’s go.”
We went.
My Aunt Bebe was waiting
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