Read Online Double Down by Vicky De Leo - Free Book Online

she was a new employee who transferred from St. Louis to get away from her abusive husband. He was the one who probably killed her, nothing to do with me.
    Mom wasn’t buying it. She wanted every detail. Myra was smart enough to realize if she kept asking questions, she could keep the focus off herself.
    In the end, I told them everything. “So, there you have it. I hired a major manipulator who was also a thief and a prostitute. I guess it was only a matter of time before someone decided to kill her.”
    Mom patted my hand, “You only transferred her at the request of your bosses. Didn’t you say she worked for five years in St. Louis and her record was clean? Surely, she was doing the same things there. Why didn’t they notice what kind of a person she was?”
    This was why I kept coming home, unconditional love, and the belief that nothing was ever my fault. Still she made an excellent point. “The detective told me that the burglary happened before she began working for them, so she was already a thief. She must have honed her skills there for her to be able to do so much damage here in just two months. I think I’m going to have to talk to Dee again.”
    Eddie looked worried now. He leaned over the table and frowned at me. “You need to be careful. Leave this to the police. You go poking around, and the person who wanted her dead may come after you.”
    Mom echoed the sentiment. I nodded, letting them think they’d convinced me. I knew I couldn’t let it alone. I finally managed to divert the conversation away from me, by asking about their plans for the wedding.
    Myra answered. “We haven’t set a date yet, probably around the end of June after graduation. Did Ed tell you that he’s already gotten a job offer with a large engineering firm in Phoenix?” She looked so proud of him that I awarded her another couple of points.
    Mom was thrilled to learn that they would only be five hours away.
    Eddie and I offered to do the dishes, leaving Mom and Myra discussing wedding possibilities. Obviously, Eddie wasn’t convinced my head nodding indicated capitulation, because the minute we hit the kitchen he started, “I mean it Val. You’ve got to leave this to the police.”
    “ You’re right,” I agreed, getting out containers to store the leftovers.
    “ But you have no intention of doing that, do you?” he said, turning me to face him so I had to look him in the eyes.
    I evaded the question with, “I didn’t say that.”
    “ Oh, please, I can read you like a book. You think growing up I didn’t watch the way you manipulated Mom and Dad. You never argued with them, just let them think you agreed and then went right out and did exactly what you wanted. What I never figured out is why you never got caught.”
    I turned away and began rinsing the dishes. “I never got caught because I never did anything stupid or dangerous. All my rebellions were well thought out. I considered all the possible outcomes, just as I plan to do now. You’re right. I do not intend to leave this entirely to the police. However, I only intend to talk to people that I know won’t talk to the police, and I’ll pass that information along immediately. I won’t know anything the police don’t know, so there won’t be any reason to try and keep me quiet.”
    “ I still don’t like it.” He might not have let it go, but Myra and Mom came in just then. I guess five minutes of separation was all their romance could handle. Either that or she needed an escape from Mom’s helpful suggestions.
    Overall, it was a very pleasant evening. I decided I didn’t hate Myra. After two or three decades, I might even be able to carry on a conversation with her without wanted to puke, providing she continued to make Eddie happy. After we’d done the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, I said my goodbyes. I had to work on Saturday and they were leaving early Sunday to go back to school. Driving home, I thought how ironic it was that Eddie would be