Read Online Cover Story by Erika Chase - Free Book Online Page A

facility in town. But it was exactly because of the good care given Evelyn Turner that Lizzie could live on campus and be home in about an hour most weekends to visit. Usually she’d stay at Molly’s house on those visits, having sold the family home to help pay for Evelyn’s care.
    Molly had been in Lizzie’s life as long as she could remember, since she had been close friends with her grandmamma and then a lifesaver when it came to dealing with Evelyn’s increasing retreat from reality. That had started soon after her daddy, Monroe Turner, had died in a car accident when Lizzie was ten years old.
    Lizzie had finished unpacking her overnight bag when the phone rang. She was surprised to hear Jacob Smith’s voice.
    â€œLizzie, I’m at Bob’s place and a body has been found. Do you have any idea where Bob might be? I don’t want to call to Molly’s and get her all worried so I thought I’d try you first.”
    â€œNo, I don’t. He was at Molly’s for a visit this morning but he left shortly before lunch. He said he had a lot of errands to take care of. Who is the body, Jacob?”
    â€œThe police don’t know at this point. They’ll have to check his fingerprints. There’s, uh, not much in the way of facial features left to identify him by.”
    Lizzie felt sick to her stomach. “It’s not Bob, is it?”
    â€œNo. That much is for certain. Wrong build entirely.”
    â€œWho found him?”
    â€œOur letter carrier, Oscar. He decided to go around back and just have a short rest on Bob’s deck and he found the body. He came running over next door to my place after that.”
    â€œShould I take a drive through town and look for Bob’s truck?”
    â€œNo need. The police are doing that right now. I just thought, in case he was at Molly’s, it would be good to ask. I don’t like to see her getting upset right after what she’s been through.”
    â€œNo, you’re right. That’s very thoughtful of you. What’s going on, anyway?”
    â€œGood question, Lizzie, but no one has any answers as yet. I’d better get going. Bye now.”
    Lizzie hung up and sat down at the table, staring out the kitchen window. Two bodies within as many days. Not that they were necessarily related. But poor Mark would be run off his feet. And why was this dead person at Bob’s place anyway? Maybe it had something to do with a case when Bob was police chief. If so, Bob would know the guy or have some ideas. But where was Bob? She gave Molly a call, just in case Bob had stopped back in there. He’d been doing that a lot over the past couple of days. Lizzie hadn’t really needed to stay there, except overnight.
    â€œHe’s not here, Lizzie. Why would he be? He just left a couple of hours ago.”
    Lizzie smiled. Molly hadn’t yet clued in to the frequency of his visits. Lizzie didn’t want to break the news about yet another body, especially since, as far as she knew, there was no tie-in to the earlier events.
    â€œBut now that I have you on the line,” Molly continued, “let’s talk about Teensy’s book launch. We need to get moving on it, you know. You saw how important it is to her. We should have been talking about it all the time you were here. I don’t know why we didn’t do that. Oh well, my mind wasn’t working as it should, obviously. Has Mark said anything about getting me those books?”
    â€œI haven’t had much of a chance to talk to him, Molly. He’s been so busy with the murder.”
And now, with another one, I’ll have even less of an opportunity.
“Let’s work around them for the moment. What’s next on the list to be done?”
    â€œI’ve been making some notes since you left. Let me just fetch them.” Molly put down the phone and Lizzie could hear her bustling around the kitchen. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt