Read Online Gracie's Game: Sudden Anger, Accidentally on Purpose by Jack Parker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jack Parker
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later."
Jennifer had a bucket of water and a sponge, she was trying to soak the Scotch out of the tan area rug. "At least he could've smashed the vodka," she muttered. "It wouldn't stain so badly." She paused in her efforts to look at Cindy.
"I wonder where Charles is?" she asked. "I mean, he said he'd be home early and I, like, left him a message. You'd think he'd want to come see what was stolen."
"Maybe his 'big deal' went south, and he's drowning his sorrows," suggested Cindy.
"Oh, God, don't say that!" Jennifer replied with some heat. "That's
all
I need. I'm hoping he made the sale and will be in such a good mood that he'll just blow this off." She thought for a minute, then asked, "Do you remember what time he said the meeting was?"
Cindy shut one set of doors and scooted over to the next pair. "Do you really need to keep all this stuff? I thought he said 2:00. How long could it take?"
Just then the doorbell rang. Jennifer stood up and grabbed a towel to dry her hands, inspecting her nails in the process. "I've ruined my manicure," she complained. The bell chimed again and she went to answer it.
There was a nice-looking middle-aged man in a brown suit standing on the porch. "Mrs. Charles Greene?" he asked. He held out an official-looking badge and said, "I'm Lieutenant Kenneth Freeman, may I come in and talk to you please?" Lieutenant Freeman was about average height, with slightly graying brown hair cut just a little longer than what used to be considered the department standard, as if he hadn't quite gotten out of that habit. He had soft brown eyes and the beginnings of a padded middle.
Jennifer said, "Of course, Officer. Please come in." She stepped aside to let him in, and shut the door behind him. "You're here about the robbery. We're still cleaning up, I mean, the other officer said it was OK. My, um, husband hasn't come home yet if you're, like, here to talk to him. He should've been here by now."
"Robbery?" Lieutenant Freeman asked in surprise. "There's been a robbery here today?"
Jennifer looked thoroughly confused. "Yes," she said firmly. "Someone broke in while I was out shopping." She began to get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Isn't that why you're here? To, like, follow up from Officer Barker?"
Cindy walked in at that point and said automatically, "It was 'Barclay', Jen." She turned to the policeman and said, "I'm Cindy Stone, a friend of Jennifer's. She called me when she got home and found it had been burgled." She paused a moment, looking shrewdly at Lieutenant Freeman. "There's something wrong, isn't there?"
The lieutenant looked down the hall trying to see the layout of the house. "Is there somewhere we can sit, Mrs. Greene?"
Jennifer's face had turned white, and Cindy put her arm around her friend's shoulders. "Let's go to the dining room, we can talk in there." She guided Jennifer and Lieutenant Freeman followed.
Ken Freeman looked at the two frightened faces across the dining room table and thought that this was the absolute worst part of his job. There was no way to soften the blow, and he always felt the consummate stranger when he had to deliver the message.
"Mrs. Greene," he began. "I'm very sorry to tell you this, but your husband is dead."
"Oh God, NO," she wailed. "Charles? It can't be true!" She'd been sitting with her arms on the table and now dropped her head onto them, sobbing loudly.
Cindy looked equally shocked. "Oh my God," she said rather quietly. "I guess you're sure or you wouldn't be here. What happened, was it a car wreck?" She was patting Jennifer gently on the back, trying to let her know she wasn't alone.
"No, Ma'am. There's no easy way to say this, but it appears to be murder," the lieutenant said.
Jennifer sat bolt upright and shrieked,
"Murder?"
Tears were running down her face, her mascara running down her cheeks.
Ken thought to himself that she was being a little obviously melodramatic. Most people went into shock and the tears came later.
Jennifer had a bucket of water and a sponge, she was trying to soak the Scotch out of the tan area rug. "At least he could've smashed the vodka," she muttered. "It wouldn't stain so badly." She paused in her efforts to look at Cindy.
"I wonder where Charles is?" she asked. "I mean, he said he'd be home early and I, like, left him a message. You'd think he'd want to come see what was stolen."
"Maybe his 'big deal' went south, and he's drowning his sorrows," suggested Cindy.
"Oh, God, don't say that!" Jennifer replied with some heat. "That's
all
I need. I'm hoping he made the sale and will be in such a good mood that he'll just blow this off." She thought for a minute, then asked, "Do you remember what time he said the meeting was?"
Cindy shut one set of doors and scooted over to the next pair. "Do you really need to keep all this stuff? I thought he said 2:00. How long could it take?"
Just then the doorbell rang. Jennifer stood up and grabbed a towel to dry her hands, inspecting her nails in the process. "I've ruined my manicure," she complained. The bell chimed again and she went to answer it.
There was a nice-looking middle-aged man in a brown suit standing on the porch. "Mrs. Charles Greene?" he asked. He held out an official-looking badge and said, "I'm Lieutenant Kenneth Freeman, may I come in and talk to you please?" Lieutenant Freeman was about average height, with slightly graying brown hair cut just a little longer than what used to be considered the department standard, as if he hadn't quite gotten out of that habit. He had soft brown eyes and the beginnings of a padded middle.
Jennifer said, "Of course, Officer. Please come in." She stepped aside to let him in, and shut the door behind him. "You're here about the robbery. We're still cleaning up, I mean, the other officer said it was OK. My, um, husband hasn't come home yet if you're, like, here to talk to him. He should've been here by now."
"Robbery?" Lieutenant Freeman asked in surprise. "There's been a robbery here today?"
Jennifer looked thoroughly confused. "Yes," she said firmly. "Someone broke in while I was out shopping." She began to get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Isn't that why you're here? To, like, follow up from Officer Barker?"
Cindy walked in at that point and said automatically, "It was 'Barclay', Jen." She turned to the policeman and said, "I'm Cindy Stone, a friend of Jennifer's. She called me when she got home and found it had been burgled." She paused a moment, looking shrewdly at Lieutenant Freeman. "There's something wrong, isn't there?"
The lieutenant looked down the hall trying to see the layout of the house. "Is there somewhere we can sit, Mrs. Greene?"
Jennifer's face had turned white, and Cindy put her arm around her friend's shoulders. "Let's go to the dining room, we can talk in there." She guided Jennifer and Lieutenant Freeman followed.
Ken Freeman looked at the two frightened faces across the dining room table and thought that this was the absolute worst part of his job. There was no way to soften the blow, and he always felt the consummate stranger when he had to deliver the message.
"Mrs. Greene," he began. "I'm very sorry to tell you this, but your husband is dead."
"Oh God, NO," she wailed. "Charles? It can't be true!" She'd been sitting with her arms on the table and now dropped her head onto them, sobbing loudly.
Cindy looked equally shocked. "Oh my God," she said rather quietly. "I guess you're sure or you wouldn't be here. What happened, was it a car wreck?" She was patting Jennifer gently on the back, trying to let her know she wasn't alone.
"No, Ma'am. There's no easy way to say this, but it appears to be murder," the lieutenant said.
Jennifer sat bolt upright and shrieked,
"Murder?"
Tears were running down her face, her mascara running down her cheeks.
Ken thought to himself that she was being a little obviously melodramatic. Most people went into shock and the tears came later.
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