Read Online Down Home and Deadly by Christine Lynxwiler - Free Book Online
Authors: Christine Lynxwiler
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burst open away from my fingers , and I was face - to - face with a furious man I’d never seen before. “Get out!” Lisa screamed, unnecessarily it seemed, because the man nearly bowled me over in his haste to leave. The overpowering scent of Lisa’s perfume followed him out like a cloud.
I stared after him. I’d always heard that L isa’s wealthy , older husband, Lawrence Hall, favored Ricardo Montalb á n during his Fantasy Island years. Today he looked more like the madman Ricardo played in The Wrath of Khan .
“Oh , it’s you.”
I spun around to face Lisa. “Yes, me.” She sounded less than thrilled , but maybe that was more an irritated residue of the argument than it was my presence.
“What are you doing here?” she asked flatly.
Ironic. That was the very question I’d been asking myself ever since I started down the hallway to the office. “Your dad asked me to come by . . . to see if I can help you sort out your problems.”
“My boyfriend was murdered , and even though Daddy always acted like you could walk on water, I’m pretty sure you can’t do anything about raising the dead.”
Ouch. I took a step backward. Mentally I was picturing myself saying, “ Sorry, Bob. I tried. ”
“Other than that I only have one other problem.” She glanced toward the door that Larry had just stormed out of then back at me. “Make that two. Your friend, John , thinks I’m a murderer.”
“Are you?”
Her mouth dropped open. “No.”
“Good. I didn’t think you were.”
She sat down in the office chair and stared at me.
I’d shocked her, but at least she’d stopped sniping at me for a minute. “So now that we have that out of the way, do you have any idea who might have wanted to kill J.D.?” I sat down in the chair across from the desk.
She pursed her lips and shook her head.
“I know this is hard, Lisa, but you’re going to have to help me. I just have a few questions—”
She blew out her breath in disgust. “There’s nothing you can ask me that the police haven’t already asked. They wanted to know about my eating habits, about J.D.’s eating habits, about our relationship.” She raised an eyebrow. “Personal things.” She waved her little cell phone at me. “They even confiscated my phone. And questioned me about it. How long have I had it? Who’s my carrier? Did I have another phone?” She sighed. “And then the big question. Why was J.D. behind the diner?”
My heartbeat picked up slightly. “What did you tell them about that?”
“I told them the truth—I have no idea. We didn’t have a date or anything that night.”
“Was that normal?” I sounded like a detective.
She shrugged. “Well, to tell you the truth, once he took your place here , we saw each other constantly. So we didn’t go out quite as much.”
I tried to keep my irritation from showing. Once he took my place. I knew she said that just to needle me. “So had you known him long? Before you started dating , I mean?”
“No. Not really.” She leaned toward me. “You know how you’re supposed to meet guys at weddings? Well , we met him at a funeral. His grandmother’s funeral. We were instantly attracted to each other.”
“We who?”
“Me and J.D.” She shook her head. “Good grief, Jenna . H ow can you solve a murder if you can’t even keep up with a normal conversation?”
“I meant who was with you at the funeral? Your husband?” Maybe Lisa’s ex saw the instant attraction and understandably resented it.
She snorted. “Hardly. I went with Debbie. J.D.’s grandmother and Debbie’s grandmother were friends. Or something like that.” She waved her hand in the air , dismissing them as unimportant. “I’m not really sure why, but Debbie thought she should go and didn’t want to go by herself. So I went.”
“Okay. You met him at his grandmother’s funeral. And it was love at first sight. So you started dating and then hired him to work here. Right?”
“Pretty
I stared after him. I’d always heard that L isa’s wealthy , older husband, Lawrence Hall, favored Ricardo Montalb á n during his Fantasy Island years. Today he looked more like the madman Ricardo played in The Wrath of Khan .
“Oh , it’s you.”
I spun around to face Lisa. “Yes, me.” She sounded less than thrilled , but maybe that was more an irritated residue of the argument than it was my presence.
“What are you doing here?” she asked flatly.
Ironic. That was the very question I’d been asking myself ever since I started down the hallway to the office. “Your dad asked me to come by . . . to see if I can help you sort out your problems.”
“My boyfriend was murdered , and even though Daddy always acted like you could walk on water, I’m pretty sure you can’t do anything about raising the dead.”
Ouch. I took a step backward. Mentally I was picturing myself saying, “ Sorry, Bob. I tried. ”
“Other than that I only have one other problem.” She glanced toward the door that Larry had just stormed out of then back at me. “Make that two. Your friend, John , thinks I’m a murderer.”
“Are you?”
Her mouth dropped open. “No.”
“Good. I didn’t think you were.”
She sat down in the office chair and stared at me.
I’d shocked her, but at least she’d stopped sniping at me for a minute. “So now that we have that out of the way, do you have any idea who might have wanted to kill J.D.?” I sat down in the chair across from the desk.
She pursed her lips and shook her head.
“I know this is hard, Lisa, but you’re going to have to help me. I just have a few questions—”
She blew out her breath in disgust. “There’s nothing you can ask me that the police haven’t already asked. They wanted to know about my eating habits, about J.D.’s eating habits, about our relationship.” She raised an eyebrow. “Personal things.” She waved her little cell phone at me. “They even confiscated my phone. And questioned me about it. How long have I had it? Who’s my carrier? Did I have another phone?” She sighed. “And then the big question. Why was J.D. behind the diner?”
My heartbeat picked up slightly. “What did you tell them about that?”
“I told them the truth—I have no idea. We didn’t have a date or anything that night.”
“Was that normal?” I sounded like a detective.
She shrugged. “Well, to tell you the truth, once he took your place here , we saw each other constantly. So we didn’t go out quite as much.”
I tried to keep my irritation from showing. Once he took my place. I knew she said that just to needle me. “So had you known him long? Before you started dating , I mean?”
“No. Not really.” She leaned toward me. “You know how you’re supposed to meet guys at weddings? Well , we met him at a funeral. His grandmother’s funeral. We were instantly attracted to each other.”
“We who?”
“Me and J.D.” She shook her head. “Good grief, Jenna . H ow can you solve a murder if you can’t even keep up with a normal conversation?”
“I meant who was with you at the funeral? Your husband?” Maybe Lisa’s ex saw the instant attraction and understandably resented it.
She snorted. “Hardly. I went with Debbie. J.D.’s grandmother and Debbie’s grandmother were friends. Or something like that.” She waved her hand in the air , dismissing them as unimportant. “I’m not really sure why, but Debbie thought she should go and didn’t want to go by herself. So I went.”
“Okay. You met him at his grandmother’s funeral. And it was love at first sight. So you started dating and then hired him to work here. Right?”
“Pretty
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