Read Online Miz Scarlet and the Vanishing Visitor (A Scarlet Wilson Mystery) by Sara M. Barton - Free Book Online

friends’ email addresses, we’ll
send out an announcement, so they know how to reach you in the
future.”
    “My mom bought me this phone.” It was such a poignant
statement. I looked to Kenny for some wisdom. After all, he
understood this kind of loss.
    “Tell you what,” he said carefully, glancing at the
Verizon clerk. “Why don’t we get you a new phone and then you can
keep this one in your memory box?”
    “What do you mean? What memory box?”
    “You don’t have a memory box, a special place to keep
all the things you care about?”
    “Do you have one for your wife?”
    “Of course I do. And we’ll get you one, for your
important memories.”
    “I’d like that,” Jenny decided.
    “Great. Now the question is which phone and
accessories do we get you? What can you show us, Trong?” The
Verizon clerk steered them towards the Smartphone display, while I
hung back a bit. Wasn’t it interesting that Jenny wasn’t afraid of
Kenny? It was like they had that bond between them, both still
mourning their losses. Mind you, I know that Captain Peacock is a
very trustworthy guy. He was like that even in high school. Still,
for a girl who had been burned so badly by relationships, someone
somewhere had been her chivalrous protector. Was it her
grandfather?
    Kenny dropped us off, promising to check on that
backpack in Bay Head and to return to us at the weekend. I felt
that little flutter of excitement at the news. He and I had been
getting together twice a month for the last six months. To have him
back in Connecticut in just a few days was an added thrill.
    Jenny seemed to settle in quickly, eager to learn the
ropes of working at the Four Acorns Inn. I showed her how to
prepare a guest room -- changing the sheets, sweeping and
vacuuming, and finishing with the bathroom, which was scrubbed and
cleaned daily. I showed her the supply closet, where we stored
everything right down to the tiny bottles of hair products and body
lotions. By three, we were ready for a break.
    “In the mood for a hike?” I asked her. I saw a slight
hesitation. Too many memories of the past? I added, “The dogs need
a good, long walk and when it’s this hot out, we always head for
White Oak Hill. It’s almost a mountain.”
    That got her attention and interest. We harnessed the
pooches and set off. I decided to back off a bit on the questions,
and just let her speak her mind as she chose. We headed up the blue
trail, over to the pink, where we stopped at the summit to admire
the view of Hartford in the distance. It was a clear day, so I
pointed out the Heublein Tower in Simsbury.
    “It’s really pretty here. It reminds me of my
grandparents’ house in Maine. They lived near a mountain. I was
really sad when we had to move.”
    “I can understand that. Change can be tough.”
    “After Grandpa died, Grandma was very sad.” Jenny
seemed to be remembering. “Mom got a new job in Burlington, at a
hospital there. And then she met a doctor who moved to New
Hampshire three years later.”
    That explained the male bonding. He must have been a
positive influence on Jenny. “Your mom didn’t marry him?”
    There I went, spoiling it all, even after I decided
to let the girl direct the conversation. Her crestfallen face
indicated trouble for the relationship. I wasn’t expecting what
came next.
    “They were supposed to get married, but he was in the
Army reserves. The military sent him to Germany, to work at that
big hospital there.”
    “Did he come back after your mom was diagnosed with
cancer?” A slight shake of the head bespoke the heartache.
    “She didn’t want him to know. She said he’d feel like
he had to come home and take care of her, and he really should be
taking care of the wounded warriors.”
    “No one ever told him?”
    “No.”
    “How sad.” I made a mental note to tell Kenny.
Someone really should get in touch with the man. He probably never
understood why Vivian Mulroney broke it off with him, and it