Read Online Dying for a Change by Kathleen Delaney - Free Book Online
Authors: Kathleen Delaney
Tags: Mystery
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incredulous.
“ Well,” Riker paused before he took the plunge. “Yes. Did you?”
Hank, lying in that closet, appeared before me and I shuddered. “No.” I said. If he wanted more, he was going to have to ask. He didn’t.
Finally, we were through. Riker presented me with a copy of my statement. I read it, signed, and walked back out to the tiny reception room. Hazel sat on a stool, reading a book. She hastily pulled it into her lap, but not before I caught a glimpse of the cover. A hero with bared chest, a heroine with heaving bosoms. Maybe I needed to rethink the Girl Scout part.
I knocked on the closed door of Dan’s office, heard a muffled “come in”, so I did. Dan was on the phone. He waved me to one of the two chairs in front of his desk while he continued to scribble notes on a legal pad. I thought only lawyers and real estate agents used them. Maybe not.
The chairs were 1960’s modern and covered in brown vinyl. I chose the one without a crack in the seat and looked around. A reasonably good-sized room but crammed with stuff. Open shelves on one wall overflowed with manuals, boxes, folders, a computer terminal, fax, and a radio of some kind making soft static noises. The opposite wall was filled with files cabinets, more files piled on top of them. The wall behind Dan held a window, one that looked out on the back side of the park, and on his desk, in a silver frame, was a picture of a pretty young woman with long black hair and deep brown eyes holding a boy about three. The boy was a darker version of his father.
Dan saw me look at the picture, and his eyes lingered on it also. He didn’t say anything however, only hung up the phone and smiled at me.
“ All done?” He glanced down at my hands. I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go eat.”
Hazel looked up from her book as we passed through. “Have fun.” That devilish grin must have come from something she read in the book she kept trying to hide. It couldn’t have been meant for us.
CHAPTER TEN
Dan steered me away from the park, down past the old clock tower.
“ Where are we going?”
“ To the Yum Yum.” .
“ Oh, no.” I stopped in my tracks. “Not that place.”
“ Why not?” Dan looked down at me, startled. “Don’t you like it?”
“ I’ve never been there, but I’ve been by it/ it reeks ‘cute’. All those wooden ducks with bows, plastic plants and gingham curtains. I’ll bet there’s nothing on the menu but herbal tea and anemic sandwiches with adorable names.”
Dan started to laugh. “Are you in for a surprise. Come on.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door.
The smell when we entered was one step this side of heaven. We edged our way between crowded tables to the only empty one, way in the back. There was nothing anemic about the portions on the plates in front of the people we passed. Dan was obviously a regular for the waitress, a small, wiry type with overly permed blond hair and an energetic manner, came loping over to greet us before we were all the way seated.
“ Soup’s tomato bisque, muffins are cornbread or pumpkin. Special’s meatloaf with mashed potatoes. You havin’ that?”
Dan sighed. “Just soup, Ruthie. Cornbread muffins.”
“ You havin the same?” she asked me, filling both our coffee cups. “Say, you’re Ellen McKenzie, aren’t you? The one who found Hank in that house. Terrible thing, just terrible. Be right back with your soup.”
She rushed off without bothering for an answer.
“ I think you’ll like the soup.” Dan’s voice was mild, a smile hiding behind his mustache.
“ Humm.” I looked around. “I hope so. It didn’t seem I had much choice. How did she know who I am?”
“ Small town,” was the cryptic reply.
“ I know it’s a small town,” I said a little tartly. “I grew up here, remember?”
“ I remember.”
I looked at him for a second, started to say something. I decided to stick
“ Well,” Riker paused before he took the plunge. “Yes. Did you?”
Hank, lying in that closet, appeared before me and I shuddered. “No.” I said. If he wanted more, he was going to have to ask. He didn’t.
Finally, we were through. Riker presented me with a copy of my statement. I read it, signed, and walked back out to the tiny reception room. Hazel sat on a stool, reading a book. She hastily pulled it into her lap, but not before I caught a glimpse of the cover. A hero with bared chest, a heroine with heaving bosoms. Maybe I needed to rethink the Girl Scout part.
I knocked on the closed door of Dan’s office, heard a muffled “come in”, so I did. Dan was on the phone. He waved me to one of the two chairs in front of his desk while he continued to scribble notes on a legal pad. I thought only lawyers and real estate agents used them. Maybe not.
The chairs were 1960’s modern and covered in brown vinyl. I chose the one without a crack in the seat and looked around. A reasonably good-sized room but crammed with stuff. Open shelves on one wall overflowed with manuals, boxes, folders, a computer terminal, fax, and a radio of some kind making soft static noises. The opposite wall was filled with files cabinets, more files piled on top of them. The wall behind Dan held a window, one that looked out on the back side of the park, and on his desk, in a silver frame, was a picture of a pretty young woman with long black hair and deep brown eyes holding a boy about three. The boy was a darker version of his father.
Dan saw me look at the picture, and his eyes lingered on it also. He didn’t say anything however, only hung up the phone and smiled at me.
“ All done?” He glanced down at my hands. I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go eat.”
Hazel looked up from her book as we passed through. “Have fun.” That devilish grin must have come from something she read in the book she kept trying to hide. It couldn’t have been meant for us.
CHAPTER TEN
Dan steered me away from the park, down past the old clock tower.
“ Where are we going?”
“ To the Yum Yum.” .
“ Oh, no.” I stopped in my tracks. “Not that place.”
“ Why not?” Dan looked down at me, startled. “Don’t you like it?”
“ I’ve never been there, but I’ve been by it/ it reeks ‘cute’. All those wooden ducks with bows, plastic plants and gingham curtains. I’ll bet there’s nothing on the menu but herbal tea and anemic sandwiches with adorable names.”
Dan started to laugh. “Are you in for a surprise. Come on.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door.
The smell when we entered was one step this side of heaven. We edged our way between crowded tables to the only empty one, way in the back. There was nothing anemic about the portions on the plates in front of the people we passed. Dan was obviously a regular for the waitress, a small, wiry type with overly permed blond hair and an energetic manner, came loping over to greet us before we were all the way seated.
“ Soup’s tomato bisque, muffins are cornbread or pumpkin. Special’s meatloaf with mashed potatoes. You havin’ that?”
Dan sighed. “Just soup, Ruthie. Cornbread muffins.”
“ You havin the same?” she asked me, filling both our coffee cups. “Say, you’re Ellen McKenzie, aren’t you? The one who found Hank in that house. Terrible thing, just terrible. Be right back with your soup.”
She rushed off without bothering for an answer.
“ I think you’ll like the soup.” Dan’s voice was mild, a smile hiding behind his mustache.
“ Humm.” I looked around. “I hope so. It didn’t seem I had much choice. How did she know who I am?”
“ Small town,” was the cryptic reply.
“ I know it’s a small town,” I said a little tartly. “I grew up here, remember?”
“ I remember.”
I looked at him for a second, started to say something. I decided to stick
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