Read Online Dying for a Change by Kathleen Delaney - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kathleen Delaney
Tags: Mystery
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lately. You know, Dottie, our office secretary. They all belong to that amateur theater group and...”
I broke off. Dan’s muffin hadn’t quite made it to his mouth, a good thing, because he exploded laughing. “Hank and Dottie Fielding? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“ I’m not. Besides, why not Dottie?”
Dan didn’t bother to answer. We both knew.
“ Hank was really paying attention to Dottie?”
“ Even took her home one night last week.” I nodded to emphasize my point
“ Pat and Mary think Dottie might have mistaken Hank’s attention for something more than a casual...”
“ I’m sure they’re wrong.” I started to feel a little anxious. He wasn’t supposed to take this seriously.
“ It doesn’t seem likely, but then, it’s been known to happen.”
“ That’s what Aunt Mary said.” I didn’t like the thoughtful look on Dan’s face. He needed distracting. “There was some other excitement at the office today.”
“ Oh? What?” he asked, but he didn’t look as if he was paying much attention.
“ Evidently Benjamin Lockwood came storming in, yelling he was going to take Hank’s place on the Planning Commission and make sure the Stop N Shop store won’t come and that Sharon couldn’t stop him.”
Now I had his attention.
“ Benjamin.” He frowned, a sort of concerned, worried frown. “He gets more crazy every day. Have you been in the Emporium since you’ve been back?”
I shook my head.
“ Benjamin’s changed it all around. The way he goes on, you’d think it was better than, what’s that big store all you women like?”
“ Nordstrom’s.”
“ That’s it. He’s been having a fit ever since he heard about Stop N Shop, and he’s got a lot of support, especially from the other downtown merchants.”
“ Why? This town is growing. I couldn’t believe it when I came home. Why, we even have a new supermarket.”
“ Yeah, and the local market has fewer customers. No, the merchants have a right to be worried, but if Stop N Shop doesn’t come, some other store will, if not this year, then next. The locals have to look at what they’re doing and learn to do it better, or different, because you can’t stop change.”
“ Does that mean you think Benjamin might have killed Hank? To somehow keep the new store from coming?” I was amazed, first that he could suspect an old man, and second, that he thought something as simple as a new store could be a motive.
“ I don’t know who killed him, or why.” For the first time there was no smile under that neat little mustache, no laugh lines around his eyes. “But the Emporium is everything to Benjamin, and Stop n Shop will put him out of business. He’s not so crazy he doesn’t know that. He also knew Hank wanted that store, and was doing some heavy lobbying to make sure it got built.”
I put my coffee cup down with a clink. “Good grief, Dan. It sounds like half the people in this town had some kind of reason to eliminate Hank Sawyer. The only person we’ve left out is his wife, Vera.”
“ We haven’t left her out. Are you ready to go?”
“ Oh.” I remembered my conversation with Aunt Mary and couldn’t help thinking what a tidy solution Vera made. Probably too tidy.
I opened my purse, but Dan already had money on the table and his chair pushed back.
“ Thanks,” I said. I almost said I’d get the check next time, but caught myself. Would there be a next time?
“ You can make me dinner some night.” That little smile was back.
The man had read my face again.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dan left me at the library to go back to the station. I continued on to the office with some reluctance. I barely knew any of these people and felt, somehow, I had been thrust into the middle of their personal lives. It was none of my business if Dottie had, in her middle age, finally managed to have an affair, if Tom was jealous of his wife, if Ray skirted the fine edges of ethical behavior. Unless, of course, one
I broke off. Dan’s muffin hadn’t quite made it to his mouth, a good thing, because he exploded laughing. “Hank and Dottie Fielding? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“ I’m not. Besides, why not Dottie?”
Dan didn’t bother to answer. We both knew.
“ Hank was really paying attention to Dottie?”
“ Even took her home one night last week.” I nodded to emphasize my point
“ Pat and Mary think Dottie might have mistaken Hank’s attention for something more than a casual...”
“ I’m sure they’re wrong.” I started to feel a little anxious. He wasn’t supposed to take this seriously.
“ It doesn’t seem likely, but then, it’s been known to happen.”
“ That’s what Aunt Mary said.” I didn’t like the thoughtful look on Dan’s face. He needed distracting. “There was some other excitement at the office today.”
“ Oh? What?” he asked, but he didn’t look as if he was paying much attention.
“ Evidently Benjamin Lockwood came storming in, yelling he was going to take Hank’s place on the Planning Commission and make sure the Stop N Shop store won’t come and that Sharon couldn’t stop him.”
Now I had his attention.
“ Benjamin.” He frowned, a sort of concerned, worried frown. “He gets more crazy every day. Have you been in the Emporium since you’ve been back?”
I shook my head.
“ Benjamin’s changed it all around. The way he goes on, you’d think it was better than, what’s that big store all you women like?”
“ Nordstrom’s.”
“ That’s it. He’s been having a fit ever since he heard about Stop N Shop, and he’s got a lot of support, especially from the other downtown merchants.”
“ Why? This town is growing. I couldn’t believe it when I came home. Why, we even have a new supermarket.”
“ Yeah, and the local market has fewer customers. No, the merchants have a right to be worried, but if Stop N Shop doesn’t come, some other store will, if not this year, then next. The locals have to look at what they’re doing and learn to do it better, or different, because you can’t stop change.”
“ Does that mean you think Benjamin might have killed Hank? To somehow keep the new store from coming?” I was amazed, first that he could suspect an old man, and second, that he thought something as simple as a new store could be a motive.
“ I don’t know who killed him, or why.” For the first time there was no smile under that neat little mustache, no laugh lines around his eyes. “But the Emporium is everything to Benjamin, and Stop n Shop will put him out of business. He’s not so crazy he doesn’t know that. He also knew Hank wanted that store, and was doing some heavy lobbying to make sure it got built.”
I put my coffee cup down with a clink. “Good grief, Dan. It sounds like half the people in this town had some kind of reason to eliminate Hank Sawyer. The only person we’ve left out is his wife, Vera.”
“ We haven’t left her out. Are you ready to go?”
“ Oh.” I remembered my conversation with Aunt Mary and couldn’t help thinking what a tidy solution Vera made. Probably too tidy.
I opened my purse, but Dan already had money on the table and his chair pushed back.
“ Thanks,” I said. I almost said I’d get the check next time, but caught myself. Would there be a next time?
“ You can make me dinner some night.” That little smile was back.
The man had read my face again.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dan left me at the library to go back to the station. I continued on to the office with some reluctance. I barely knew any of these people and felt, somehow, I had been thrust into the middle of their personal lives. It was none of my business if Dottie had, in her middle age, finally managed to have an affair, if Tom was jealous of his wife, if Ray skirted the fine edges of ethical behavior. Unless, of course, one
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