Read Online Elizabeth C. Main - Jane Serrano 02 - No Rest for the Wicked by Elizabeth C. Main - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elizabeth C. Main
Ads: Link
to introduce me, I’m ready to commence. ” He arranged a pair of half glasses and took pages from his briefcase. “ I gave her some introductory remarks, you know. ”
“ Apparently, Bianca’s been detained. If you could wait just a minute, s he spoke last night of her planned introduction. ”
Another end run around the truth. I was getting good at this. I just hoped that Bianca had conjured up something to say, if and when she actually arrived.
“ She did seem most eager. ” He gave a tiny smile. The promise of Bianca’s presence had definitely been the right carrot to lead this middle-aged horse to Thornton’s today. Dr. McCutcheon dismissed his aged and ailing audience with a cursory glance. “ Hmm. Let’s wait for Bianca then. I require a glass of water nearby for my presentations. ”
Velda materialized at my side carrying the requested water. Having her here was better than hiring a personal assistant.
She turned to me anxiously. “ Alice Durand said she’d come, but she’s not here either. And where’s Minnie? She was bringing lemon scones. ”
Eileen spoke up from her perch in the front row. “ Minnie promised me poppy seed pound cake. ”
“ She’ll be here soon. ” I hoped Minnie had somehow found time to bake pound cake in addition to last night’s scones . S he slept little and baked whenever the urge struck. Pr obably just as well Fred was in Washington this week helpin g his sister move . Minnie’s husband could stand to drop a few pounds , as could the Hedstroms. Was visiting Alix this morning a legitimate reason to renege on a promised pound cake? Anything short of a death in the family likely wouldn’t constitute a legitima te excuse for Phil and Eileen.
I took momentary heart as the front door banged into the wall, assuming Minnie and Bianca had arrived with their usual panache. But it was only Laurence stomping in, followed by Alice Durand. They wore identical scowls. This whole group could use a quick double shot of Bianca’s sunny disposition and Minnie’s refreshments. To be fair, a recent feature in the Juniper Journal highlighting the prevalence of elder fraud in rural Oregon had made the m understandably nervous and focused on Dr. McCutcheon’s topic .
Of course, Laurence was always cranky when people cluttered up his bookstore. He liked books better than people, and he wasn’t about to change at this late date. It always worked best when someone other than Laurence waited on his customers. Still, he seemed even more agitated than usual today . Maybe there was something to Tyler’s concern.
I didn’t bother urging Laurence to stay for the meeting. His oft-stated position was that the Save Our Seniors group was for old people, not him. “ Bah! Old fools deserve whatever happens to ’em when they lose their money. Should spend their time reading, not watching TV. ” He made his way straight through the room and up the broad staircase. Most likely he’d hole up in the history section and read about the glories of ancient Rome until the meeti ng was over.
Alice Durand took a seat in front and folded her skinny arms over her chest. P erpetually tired and resentful, her scowl was nothing new, but I couldn’t really blame her for her sour attitude. Her widowed father had socked away money over the years, but last year , a con man had threatened him with legal action about some imaginary debts. The old man, confused and terrified that he’d be locked up, had withdrawn savings from his bank account and handed the money over without a word to Alice, who’d discovered the problem the next month. T he con man had disappeared. Now Alice cleaned houses six days a week, after which she went home to tend to her aging father’s needs. Her one pleasure in life was to plot revenge on that con man and others like him. This group provided her with a focus for her anger.
Essentially the same scam had been tried on Velda’s Aunt Eleanor, but Eleanor had become suspicious
“ Apparently, Bianca’s been detained. If you could wait just a minute, s he spoke last night of her planned introduction. ”
Another end run around the truth. I was getting good at this. I just hoped that Bianca had conjured up something to say, if and when she actually arrived.
“ She did seem most eager. ” He gave a tiny smile. The promise of Bianca’s presence had definitely been the right carrot to lead this middle-aged horse to Thornton’s today. Dr. McCutcheon dismissed his aged and ailing audience with a cursory glance. “ Hmm. Let’s wait for Bianca then. I require a glass of water nearby for my presentations. ”
Velda materialized at my side carrying the requested water. Having her here was better than hiring a personal assistant.
She turned to me anxiously. “ Alice Durand said she’d come, but she’s not here either. And where’s Minnie? She was bringing lemon scones. ”
Eileen spoke up from her perch in the front row. “ Minnie promised me poppy seed pound cake. ”
“ She’ll be here soon. ” I hoped Minnie had somehow found time to bake pound cake in addition to last night’s scones . S he slept little and baked whenever the urge struck. Pr obably just as well Fred was in Washington this week helpin g his sister move . Minnie’s husband could stand to drop a few pounds , as could the Hedstroms. Was visiting Alix this morning a legitimate reason to renege on a promised pound cake? Anything short of a death in the family likely wouldn’t constitute a legitima te excuse for Phil and Eileen.
I took momentary heart as the front door banged into the wall, assuming Minnie and Bianca had arrived with their usual panache. But it was only Laurence stomping in, followed by Alice Durand. They wore identical scowls. This whole group could use a quick double shot of Bianca’s sunny disposition and Minnie’s refreshments. To be fair, a recent feature in the Juniper Journal highlighting the prevalence of elder fraud in rural Oregon had made the m understandably nervous and focused on Dr. McCutcheon’s topic .
Of course, Laurence was always cranky when people cluttered up his bookstore. He liked books better than people, and he wasn’t about to change at this late date. It always worked best when someone other than Laurence waited on his customers. Still, he seemed even more agitated than usual today . Maybe there was something to Tyler’s concern.
I didn’t bother urging Laurence to stay for the meeting. His oft-stated position was that the Save Our Seniors group was for old people, not him. “ Bah! Old fools deserve whatever happens to ’em when they lose their money. Should spend their time reading, not watching TV. ” He made his way straight through the room and up the broad staircase. Most likely he’d hole up in the history section and read about the glories of ancient Rome until the meeti ng was over.
Alice Durand took a seat in front and folded her skinny arms over her chest. P erpetually tired and resentful, her scowl was nothing new, but I couldn’t really blame her for her sour attitude. Her widowed father had socked away money over the years, but last year , a con man had threatened him with legal action about some imaginary debts. The old man, confused and terrified that he’d be locked up, had withdrawn savings from his bank account and handed the money over without a word to Alice, who’d discovered the problem the next month. T he con man had disappeared. Now Alice cleaned houses six days a week, after which she went home to tend to her aging father’s needs. Her one pleasure in life was to plot revenge on that con man and others like him. This group provided her with a focus for her anger.
Essentially the same scam had been tried on Velda’s Aunt Eleanor, but Eleanor had become suspicious
Similar Books
