Read Online Deadly Reunion by Elisabeth Crabtree - Free Book Online
Authors: Elisabeth Crabtree
Ads: Link
up. “I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back in a few minutes.”
G race pushed her plate away. The soap opera that was her sister's life stopped being entertaining years ago.
She glanced over to the stage. Crystal was still standing there, but Tom was gone. In his place stood Adam, looking none too happy.
“What are you staring at?” a familiar voice whisper ed in her ear, making her jump. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you,” Kyle said, placing a warm hand on her shoulder to steady her.
“I was just wishing I could read minds.”
“Anyone's in particular?”
Grace nodded and pointed in Adam's direction.
Kyle sat down next to Grace, took a chocolate-covered strawberry off her plate, and popped it in his mouth. Swallowing, he asked, “Is that Adam Phelps the director? I thought he looked familiar. I absolutely loved his last movie. What’s he doing here?”
“ Hogan High is renowned for three things in this community: the Rabid Rabbits, the best high school football team in the state, and having produced two celebrities, my sister and Adam Phelps.
“Why don't you introduce me?” Kyle stood up, holding out his hand.
Grace sat for a second , considering, but in the end decided against it. “How would you like a tour of my old high school instead?” Grace asked, taking his hand.
Kyle smiled, recognizing the diversion. “Ok ay, sounds like a plan.”
* * * *
Kyle stood staring at the life-size wall mural of a grizzled, old cowboy shooting down another grizzled, old cowboy. “This is nice.”
“Yeah , it is. It wasn’t here when I went to school.” She bent down to read the artist’s name. “David Hart, July 2002,” she read. “This was painted a few months after I graduated. David Hart? Why does that name sound so familiar?”
Kyle shrugged. “W hy is your school named Hogan High?”
“It's nam ed after Marshal Benton Hogan. He cleaned up this little gold-mining town in the late 1880s.” Grace pointed to the mural. “I’m going to hazard a guess that the man standing in the center street looking heroic and menacing is supposed to be Marshal Hogan and the red-headed man, hiding and shooting from behind the rather dour looking woman pictured here, is more than likely my ancestor, Jeptha Holliday.”
At Kyle’s surprised look , she smiled and said, “Huge travesty of justice. Jeptha was a law-abiding citizen struck down in his prime. Our family swears to this day he was just an innocent bystander in that bank robbery in 1886.”
“I’m sure,” Kyle said.
“And in the train robbery of ‘87.”
“Of course.”
“And ‘88. I’ll let you in on a town secret. Marshal Hogan wasn’t as good and noble as everyone here likes to pretend. He had a second wife. He married my great aunt, Elizabeth Holliday. Jeptha’s younger sister.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“His first wife, Maddie, was still alive and still married to him at the time. She went crazy when she found out. So, one night she killed him and his new bride with an axe. Cut their heads clean off, but you won’t find that in the town history books. They tried to place the blame on Jeptha’s kin. Claimed it was revenge for killing Jeptha, but my family knows the truth. No one in the family would have hurt one of our own. It was Maddie. The town didn’t want to accuse her, on account of her family owning the mine and most of the town. Scandal, you know. So, they ended up hanging two of my great uncles, instead.”
“What a charming little town,” he said , following her down a flight of stairs. “Are your family and the Hogan’s still feuding? Sort of like the Hatfields and McCoys.”
Grace smiled, “No . Melodie is a Hogan, and we’ve been friends since kindergarten.” She stopped. “Actually, that’s not really true. Hope and Crystal have been feuding for years. I guess they’re trying to keep the animosity alive and well between our two families.”
Turning the corner, they came
G race pushed her plate away. The soap opera that was her sister's life stopped being entertaining years ago.
She glanced over to the stage. Crystal was still standing there, but Tom was gone. In his place stood Adam, looking none too happy.
“What are you staring at?” a familiar voice whisper ed in her ear, making her jump. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you,” Kyle said, placing a warm hand on her shoulder to steady her.
“I was just wishing I could read minds.”
“Anyone's in particular?”
Grace nodded and pointed in Adam's direction.
Kyle sat down next to Grace, took a chocolate-covered strawberry off her plate, and popped it in his mouth. Swallowing, he asked, “Is that Adam Phelps the director? I thought he looked familiar. I absolutely loved his last movie. What’s he doing here?”
“ Hogan High is renowned for three things in this community: the Rabid Rabbits, the best high school football team in the state, and having produced two celebrities, my sister and Adam Phelps.
“Why don't you introduce me?” Kyle stood up, holding out his hand.
Grace sat for a second , considering, but in the end decided against it. “How would you like a tour of my old high school instead?” Grace asked, taking his hand.
Kyle smiled, recognizing the diversion. “Ok ay, sounds like a plan.”
* * * *
Kyle stood staring at the life-size wall mural of a grizzled, old cowboy shooting down another grizzled, old cowboy. “This is nice.”
“Yeah , it is. It wasn’t here when I went to school.” She bent down to read the artist’s name. “David Hart, July 2002,” she read. “This was painted a few months after I graduated. David Hart? Why does that name sound so familiar?”
Kyle shrugged. “W hy is your school named Hogan High?”
“It's nam ed after Marshal Benton Hogan. He cleaned up this little gold-mining town in the late 1880s.” Grace pointed to the mural. “I’m going to hazard a guess that the man standing in the center street looking heroic and menacing is supposed to be Marshal Hogan and the red-headed man, hiding and shooting from behind the rather dour looking woman pictured here, is more than likely my ancestor, Jeptha Holliday.”
At Kyle’s surprised look , she smiled and said, “Huge travesty of justice. Jeptha was a law-abiding citizen struck down in his prime. Our family swears to this day he was just an innocent bystander in that bank robbery in 1886.”
“I’m sure,” Kyle said.
“And in the train robbery of ‘87.”
“Of course.”
“And ‘88. I’ll let you in on a town secret. Marshal Hogan wasn’t as good and noble as everyone here likes to pretend. He had a second wife. He married my great aunt, Elizabeth Holliday. Jeptha’s younger sister.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“His first wife, Maddie, was still alive and still married to him at the time. She went crazy when she found out. So, one night she killed him and his new bride with an axe. Cut their heads clean off, but you won’t find that in the town history books. They tried to place the blame on Jeptha’s kin. Claimed it was revenge for killing Jeptha, but my family knows the truth. No one in the family would have hurt one of our own. It was Maddie. The town didn’t want to accuse her, on account of her family owning the mine and most of the town. Scandal, you know. So, they ended up hanging two of my great uncles, instead.”
“What a charming little town,” he said , following her down a flight of stairs. “Are your family and the Hogan’s still feuding? Sort of like the Hatfields and McCoys.”
Grace smiled, “No . Melodie is a Hogan, and we’ve been friends since kindergarten.” She stopped. “Actually, that’s not really true. Hope and Crystal have been feuding for years. I guess they’re trying to keep the animosity alive and well between our two families.”
Turning the corner, they came
Similar Books
