Read Online Letters in the Attic by DeAnna Julie Dodson - Free Book Online
Authors: DeAnna Julie Dodson
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at Dress to Impress, and then to treat her to a cup of coffee after they had gone to see the chief of police.
“I want something to go with that new line of faux opals and diamonds I just got in,” Alice said as they pulled up to the town hall in her little red Mustang. “Something pastel, I think.”
“That’d be pretty. Maybe a lavender or a baby blue.” Annie smoothed her hair in the passenger-side mirror and got out of the car. “Thanks for doing this, by the way. I hope it won’t take too much time.”
“Not a problem. If there’s a weirdo in town, I want to know who it is. Besides, it’s kind of exciting having your fingerprints taken and being part of an investigation.”
Reed Edwards looked more like a lumberjack than a police chief. The thought had crossed Annie’s mind the first time she had met him, while he was coaching the softball team at the church picnic last summer. Now, when he stood up from behind his desk, towering over her as he swallowed up her hand in both of his, she couldn’t help thinking it again. He was definitely the rugged, outdoor type, with a deep tan and sun-bleached hair to show for it.
“It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Dawson.”
He released her hand and took Alice’s.
“Thanks for coming in, Alice, though I didn’t expect to have either of you in here unless it was to get a permit to raffle off something at the church or get donations for the food pantry.”
“I’m sorry it’s not for something a little more pleasant than it is,” Annie said.
Chief Edwards nodded. “Ian gave me the note and told me how you got it. Is there anything else I ought to know?”
“I wish there was something else I could tell you. Do you think someone gave that to me as a serious warning?”
“It’s hard to say, I’m afraid. You’ve been asking around town about this Susan Morris lately …”
“You don’t happen to know anything about her or her family, do you?”
“Sorry. That was well before my time. I did check our records, but there’s nothing on any of the Morrises. As far as I can tell, they were all upstanding citizens.”
Annie frowned. “Although that’s good to know, it certainly isn’t helpful at this point.”
“Anyway, with you making your search public knowledge, it could be that our mystery correspondent knows something he’d rather you didn’t dig up. Or, as Ian said, it could be somebody’s idea of a joke. Either way, we’ll see whether or not this person was careless.” The police chief pressed a button on his telephone, setting off a buzzer in the room next door. “Hamilton?”
“Yes, Chief?”
“We’re ready.”
Roy Hamilton came in with all of his fingerprinting paraphernalia and grinned at Annie.
“So you came to see me after all.”
Annie pursed her lips. “I couldn’t resist.”
Chief Edwards looked from Roy to Annie and back again. “I see you two have met.”
“Briefly but memorably.” Roy winked at Annie and then nodded to Alice. “Hello there. Been keeping busy?”
“As always. Business is booming.”
“That’s great. Well, we’ll try to get this all done quickly. Wouldn’t want you to miss a sale.”
“Thanks.”
“What do we need to do?” Annie asked as Roy took her hand.
“Let me have your first finger, right hand.”
She extended the requested digit, and he rolled it on his ink pad and then on a little card with her name typed on it. The card had designated spaces for all ten fingers, which Roy filled with practiced ease.
“There you go, ma’am. Sorry to have soiled those lovely hands.”
“Thanks for helping us out,” Annie replied. “I just hope this isn’t a waste of everybody’s time.”
“Not a problem.” Roy began the fingerprinting process again, this time for Alice, although he was still directing most of his comments to Annie. “Stony Point tends to be pretty quiet most days. This gives us a little practice on procedure and with much better company than usual.”
Annie
“I want something to go with that new line of faux opals and diamonds I just got in,” Alice said as they pulled up to the town hall in her little red Mustang. “Something pastel, I think.”
“That’d be pretty. Maybe a lavender or a baby blue.” Annie smoothed her hair in the passenger-side mirror and got out of the car. “Thanks for doing this, by the way. I hope it won’t take too much time.”
“Not a problem. If there’s a weirdo in town, I want to know who it is. Besides, it’s kind of exciting having your fingerprints taken and being part of an investigation.”
Reed Edwards looked more like a lumberjack than a police chief. The thought had crossed Annie’s mind the first time she had met him, while he was coaching the softball team at the church picnic last summer. Now, when he stood up from behind his desk, towering over her as he swallowed up her hand in both of his, she couldn’t help thinking it again. He was definitely the rugged, outdoor type, with a deep tan and sun-bleached hair to show for it.
“It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Dawson.”
He released her hand and took Alice’s.
“Thanks for coming in, Alice, though I didn’t expect to have either of you in here unless it was to get a permit to raffle off something at the church or get donations for the food pantry.”
“I’m sorry it’s not for something a little more pleasant than it is,” Annie said.
Chief Edwards nodded. “Ian gave me the note and told me how you got it. Is there anything else I ought to know?”
“I wish there was something else I could tell you. Do you think someone gave that to me as a serious warning?”
“It’s hard to say, I’m afraid. You’ve been asking around town about this Susan Morris lately …”
“You don’t happen to know anything about her or her family, do you?”
“Sorry. That was well before my time. I did check our records, but there’s nothing on any of the Morrises. As far as I can tell, they were all upstanding citizens.”
Annie frowned. “Although that’s good to know, it certainly isn’t helpful at this point.”
“Anyway, with you making your search public knowledge, it could be that our mystery correspondent knows something he’d rather you didn’t dig up. Or, as Ian said, it could be somebody’s idea of a joke. Either way, we’ll see whether or not this person was careless.” The police chief pressed a button on his telephone, setting off a buzzer in the room next door. “Hamilton?”
“Yes, Chief?”
“We’re ready.”
Roy Hamilton came in with all of his fingerprinting paraphernalia and grinned at Annie.
“So you came to see me after all.”
Annie pursed her lips. “I couldn’t resist.”
Chief Edwards looked from Roy to Annie and back again. “I see you two have met.”
“Briefly but memorably.” Roy winked at Annie and then nodded to Alice. “Hello there. Been keeping busy?”
“As always. Business is booming.”
“That’s great. Well, we’ll try to get this all done quickly. Wouldn’t want you to miss a sale.”
“Thanks.”
“What do we need to do?” Annie asked as Roy took her hand.
“Let me have your first finger, right hand.”
She extended the requested digit, and he rolled it on his ink pad and then on a little card with her name typed on it. The card had designated spaces for all ten fingers, which Roy filled with practiced ease.
“There you go, ma’am. Sorry to have soiled those lovely hands.”
“Thanks for helping us out,” Annie replied. “I just hope this isn’t a waste of everybody’s time.”
“Not a problem.” Roy began the fingerprinting process again, this time for Alice, although he was still directing most of his comments to Annie. “Stony Point tends to be pretty quiet most days. This gives us a little practice on procedure and with much better company than usual.”
Annie
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