Read Online Jeanne Glidewell - Lexie Starr 06 - Cozy Camping by Jeanne Glidewell - Free Book Online Page A

specifics of the dead body to whatever poor sucker answered the call. I still couldn’t stomach her morbid fascination with cadavers, which had resulted from her occupation in the coroner’s lab. Besides, now was not the time to quibble over minor injustices, so I merely nodded and followed Kylie out through the gate.
    Mr. Finch was sitting in a lawn chair on the small—and not adequate in Fanny’s opinion—concrete patio. He was drinking a cup of coffee and chuckling at two squirrels chasing each other around a large cottonwood tree. I hated to have to disturb his peaceful morning by bringing him bad news.
    “Mr. Finch?” My voice quivered but the gentleman seemed unaware of my trepidation.
    “Good morning, sweetheart. It’s actually Mr. Bumberdinger, but please call me Avery. Finch is Fanny’s—or actually Claudia’s—pen name. She gets almost physically ill if someone refers to her as Claudia Bumberdinger… not that I think being referred to as Fanny is much better. You may not believe this, but she can be a real hard bugger at times.” Avery smiled as he spoke, and, naturally, I smiled back at him. But I was thinking I’d also prefer to be called Fanny Finch rather than Claudia Bumberdinger if my name was going to be plastered across the cover of a book I’d written.
    Avery Bumberdinger seemed like a very soft-spoken, laid-back guy. It was hard to visualize him as the same man I’d heard viciously squabbling with his wife two short nights ago. He wasn’t half-bad looking, either, when he was fully dressed and not doing belly flops off the diving board in a too-tight Speedo.
    I smiled at the kind man now as he took another sip from his coffee cup and I introduced myself. I wasn’t sure how to best break the horrid news to him. Out of an ingrained sense of politeness, I let him know I was happy to make his acquaintance. “My name is Lexie Starr and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Avery.”
    “And you, as well, Ms. Starr. What can I do for you this fine morning, pretty lady?”
    “Um, well, um, you see…” I stuttered, trying to get my nerve up. I finally took a deep breath, and said, “I’m afraid there’s been an accident at the pool involving your wife and your presence is needed there immediately.”
    I spoke with as much discretion as I could, considering the gravity of the situation. I assumed he could tell by my frayed nerves and haunted expression that the situation was dire, but I didn’t want to be the one to tell him his spouse had expired.
    Avery shook his head like a man at the tattered end of his rope. He let out an expressive sigh and set his almost full coffee cup down on the patio. I looked at it with longing. I wanted to ask him if I could finish it off for him if he was just going to let it go to waste. I was very much in need of a strong dose of caffeine.
    Good thing I hadn’t just taken a big gulp of coffee, because I almost choked on my own saliva when Avery asked, “What has Fanny done now? Held someone under water for daring to disagree with her? I’d like to hold her under water for a minute or two myself, and probably would if I thought I could get away with it. I’m just kidding with you, of course. Seriously though, Ms. Starr, what is the problem with my wife now? Is she being a bugger again?”
    “I’d rather let the Harringtons explain it to you,” I said. I didn’t have it in me to tell someone about the death of his loved one, even if Avery Bumberdinger had just jokingly stated he wouldn’t be above killing his spouse if given half a chance.
    “Oh, all right. I don’t know what’s gotten into that woman, but she’s become nearly impossible to get along with recently. She’s been gnawing on my last nerve all week. We’d been getting along fabulously until her silly book soared to the top of the New York Time’s best best-sellers list. Her success has gone to her head and now she’s almost impossible to get along with.”
    I knew that would no longer