Read Online Home Before Midnight by Virginia Kantra - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Virginia Kantra
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away” look.
“Oh.” Not every fifty-six-year-old woman could pull off a pretty pout, but Dorothy had been practicing in her mirror since 1958, and even Bailey admitted the effect was charming. “Won’t you at least come in for a minute? Bailey has so few friends in town anymore.”
“I never had friends in this town, Mama,” Bailey said, deliberately flip. Steve Burke already suspected her of lusting after her boss, not to mention murdering her boss’s wife. Her lack of a social life wasn’t likely to lower his opinion of her any. “Let the man go.”
“Actually, I’d love a cold drink,” Steve said, making Dorothy beam and Bailey’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “If you all don’t mind.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed as they strolled up the drive to the house. Dorothy minced ahead, her heels punching holes in the ground.
He looked down his strong, crooked nose at her. “Accepting your invitation.”
“What about your ‘prior engagement’?”
He actually glanced at his watch. “I have a few minutes. We can talk some more about what kind of work you do for Paul Ellis.”
Was that why he’d changed his mind? Because he saw the opportunity to pump her?
“Not with my mother listening.”
Steve raised his eyebrows. “She doesn’t like your job?”
Not her job, not her life, not her wardrobe.
“Crime stories make my mother uncomfortable. She doesn’t even read the newspaper.”
“You should be glad.” He opened the kitchen door, earning another approving smile from Dorothy.
Bailey paused on the stoop. “Why?”
“Because if your boss holds a press conference, your name’s going to be in a lot of papers. Your mother won’t like that.”
He was right.
She scowled. “How would you know?”
Humor touched his hard mouth. “Because if she’s anything like my mother, she believes a lady’s name should only appear in the paper three times—when she’s born, when she marries, and when she dies.”
“Who’s getting married?” Dorothy called from the kitchen.
“Nobody, Mom.” Bailey stalked inside and turned to face the detective, crossing her arms over her meager chest. “Lieutenant Burke is here because somebody died.”
FIVE
D OROTHY Wells’s expectant face collapsed like a leaking balloon.
Not good, Steve thought, and did his best to defuse the situation.
“I’ll bet your mother already guessed why I’m here.” He smiled wryly at Dorothy. “Those middle of the night phone calls are tough on parents, aren’t they? You think your children are grown, but when something like this happens, they need their mamas.”
“Actually—” Bailey said.
“She didn’t call.” Bracelets jangling, Dorothy opened a cabinet, a petite, well-put-together woman with a mission and a grievance. “Her sister would have called. Not Bailey. I didn’t even know something was wrong until I came down this morning to make Frank’s coffee and found her sitting at the kitchen table.”
“I didn’t want to wake you,” Bailey protested.
“And what time was that?” Steve asked.
“Six-thirty? Seven?”
Bailey had told him she got home at three. What had she done for three or four hours?
The memory of her white face and dilated pupils tugged at him. She might have been in shock. She could have been too numb or strung out or flat-out exhausted to make up a story that would satisfy her parents.
Or she could have been with her married lover.
That thought didn’t sit well with Steve at all. He was tired, hot, and sweaty. Now he had to make time to talk to Lewis and the clerk at the desk to find out when Ellis had checked into his hotel. And with whom.
“Well, of course it was a shock.” Dorothy snapped a glass down on the counter. “But I told her how it would be when she got involved with those people.”
Bailey stirred
“Oh.” Not every fifty-six-year-old woman could pull off a pretty pout, but Dorothy had been practicing in her mirror since 1958, and even Bailey admitted the effect was charming. “Won’t you at least come in for a minute? Bailey has so few friends in town anymore.”
“I never had friends in this town, Mama,” Bailey said, deliberately flip. Steve Burke already suspected her of lusting after her boss, not to mention murdering her boss’s wife. Her lack of a social life wasn’t likely to lower his opinion of her any. “Let the man go.”
“Actually, I’d love a cold drink,” Steve said, making Dorothy beam and Bailey’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “If you all don’t mind.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed as they strolled up the drive to the house. Dorothy minced ahead, her heels punching holes in the ground.
He looked down his strong, crooked nose at her. “Accepting your invitation.”
“What about your ‘prior engagement’?”
He actually glanced at his watch. “I have a few minutes. We can talk some more about what kind of work you do for Paul Ellis.”
Was that why he’d changed his mind? Because he saw the opportunity to pump her?
“Not with my mother listening.”
Steve raised his eyebrows. “She doesn’t like your job?”
Not her job, not her life, not her wardrobe.
“Crime stories make my mother uncomfortable. She doesn’t even read the newspaper.”
“You should be glad.” He opened the kitchen door, earning another approving smile from Dorothy.
Bailey paused on the stoop. “Why?”
“Because if your boss holds a press conference, your name’s going to be in a lot of papers. Your mother won’t like that.”
He was right.
She scowled. “How would you know?”
Humor touched his hard mouth. “Because if she’s anything like my mother, she believes a lady’s name should only appear in the paper three times—when she’s born, when she marries, and when she dies.”
“Who’s getting married?” Dorothy called from the kitchen.
“Nobody, Mom.” Bailey stalked inside and turned to face the detective, crossing her arms over her meager chest. “Lieutenant Burke is here because somebody died.”
FIVE
D OROTHY Wells’s expectant face collapsed like a leaking balloon.
Not good, Steve thought, and did his best to defuse the situation.
“I’ll bet your mother already guessed why I’m here.” He smiled wryly at Dorothy. “Those middle of the night phone calls are tough on parents, aren’t they? You think your children are grown, but when something like this happens, they need their mamas.”
“Actually—” Bailey said.
“She didn’t call.” Bracelets jangling, Dorothy opened a cabinet, a petite, well-put-together woman with a mission and a grievance. “Her sister would have called. Not Bailey. I didn’t even know something was wrong until I came down this morning to make Frank’s coffee and found her sitting at the kitchen table.”
“I didn’t want to wake you,” Bailey protested.
“And what time was that?” Steve asked.
“Six-thirty? Seven?”
Bailey had told him she got home at three. What had she done for three or four hours?
The memory of her white face and dilated pupils tugged at him. She might have been in shock. She could have been too numb or strung out or flat-out exhausted to make up a story that would satisfy her parents.
Or she could have been with her married lover.
That thought didn’t sit well with Steve at all. He was tired, hot, and sweaty. Now he had to make time to talk to Lewis and the clerk at the desk to find out when Ellis had checked into his hotel. And with whom.
“Well, of course it was a shock.” Dorothy snapped a glass down on the counter. “But I told her how it would be when she got involved with those people.”
Bailey stirred
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