Read Online Murder by Arrangement (Edna Davies mysteries Book 5) by Suzanne Young - Free Book Online
Authors: Suzanne Young
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in the living room
grate. The girls, after changing into lighter weight jerseys and sweaters, set
up a card table near the hearth. Deciding on Parcheesi, they sat down to play
until lunch was ready.
“Is that phone
ever out of her hand?” Starling asked, reaching around Edna to snatch a lump of
lobster meat from the salad bowl.
Edna knew it was
a rhetorical question, so didn’t answer as she toasted hot dog buns for the
seafood rolls and stirred milk into the warming chowder. Instead, she said, “By
the time you set the table and ask the girls to wash their hands, lunch should
be ready.” She didn’t mention her house rule of “no phones at the table” to her
daughter, assuming Amanda would let her friend know without having to be
reminded by Starling.
When they
entered the kitchen, however, Lettie laid her mobile next to her plate before
sitting down.
“Please put that
away,” Edna said, setting the platter of lobster rolls in the middle of the
table.
“Told you,”
Amanda admonished her friend.
Lettie looked up
at Edna with eyes wide in a near panic. “But Mommy might text me,” she almost
wailed.
“Come with me,”
Edna said with a gentle smile that she hoped would mask the impatience she
felt. Apparently, the child’s mother kept her on an electronic leash. Preceding
the girl into her office, Edna picked up a pencil and wrote her phone number on
a slip of paper. “You can either phone your mother or text her, but please give
her my number. Tell her we are sitting down to eat. If she needs to contact you
in the next half hour or so, she can phone this house.”
Lettie looked baffled,
but did as she was told, sending her mother a text message. Obeying Edna’s
instruction, she left the phone on the desk and followed Edna back to the
kitchen. Over hot chowder and toasted lobster rolls, she soon seemed to forget
her distress. The morning’s venture had certainly stimulated appetites,
including Edna’s. Everyone ate hungrily with only occasional murmurings of
appreciation breaking the silence.
After lunch, as
soon as the girls were excused from the table, Lettie ran to the office to check
her phone. Starling went upstairs to her room, and Edna decided to sit by the
fire to read. At Edna’s request, Amanda and Lettie cleaned up the lunch dishes
before returning to the living room to resume their game. They had played for
only a few minutes when Amanda spoke to her friend, apparently voicing
something that had been on her mind.
“Why do you call
your grandmother ‘Lily’?”
“She wants me
to. Mommy calls her Lily, too.”
“Why does she
call you Violet instead of Lettie?”
“She says we
were named after pretty flowers, and that’s what we should be called, not some
silly nicknames.”
Smiling to
herself and holding back a chuckle, Edna returned her attention to her book.
When she realized she’d been staring at the same paragraph for the last five
minutes, she decided to check her e-mail messages and went to her office.
Twenty minutes later, Amanda came in and threw herself down in the chair beside
the desk. Fortunately, Benjamin was asleep in his bed beside the hearth and so
wasn’t ousted by the youngster.
Edna looked over
from the monitor at the scowling face of her granddaughter. “What’s wrong,
kiddo?”
Slouched in the
chair, Amanda stared at her legs stretched out before her. “Lettie.”
“What about
Lettie?”
“She’s not
playing. She keeps sending messages to her mom.”
“Does she do
that all the time? I thought her mother was working. How does she find the time
to text back?”
Amanda shrugged
and turned eyes filled with frustration on Edna. “When it’s my turn, she grabs
her phone and then when it’s her turn, I have to wait for her to finish
texting.” Huffily, she crossed her arms over her chest and returned to studying
her pants legs. When Edna didn’t say anything, Amanda looked up at her. “Let’s
take her back to her grandmother’s.”
Edna
grate. The girls, after changing into lighter weight jerseys and sweaters, set
up a card table near the hearth. Deciding on Parcheesi, they sat down to play
until lunch was ready.
“Is that phone
ever out of her hand?” Starling asked, reaching around Edna to snatch a lump of
lobster meat from the salad bowl.
Edna knew it was
a rhetorical question, so didn’t answer as she toasted hot dog buns for the
seafood rolls and stirred milk into the warming chowder. Instead, she said, “By
the time you set the table and ask the girls to wash their hands, lunch should
be ready.” She didn’t mention her house rule of “no phones at the table” to her
daughter, assuming Amanda would let her friend know without having to be
reminded by Starling.
When they
entered the kitchen, however, Lettie laid her mobile next to her plate before
sitting down.
“Please put that
away,” Edna said, setting the platter of lobster rolls in the middle of the
table.
“Told you,”
Amanda admonished her friend.
Lettie looked up
at Edna with eyes wide in a near panic. “But Mommy might text me,” she almost
wailed.
“Come with me,”
Edna said with a gentle smile that she hoped would mask the impatience she
felt. Apparently, the child’s mother kept her on an electronic leash. Preceding
the girl into her office, Edna picked up a pencil and wrote her phone number on
a slip of paper. “You can either phone your mother or text her, but please give
her my number. Tell her we are sitting down to eat. If she needs to contact you
in the next half hour or so, she can phone this house.”
Lettie looked baffled,
but did as she was told, sending her mother a text message. Obeying Edna’s
instruction, she left the phone on the desk and followed Edna back to the
kitchen. Over hot chowder and toasted lobster rolls, she soon seemed to forget
her distress. The morning’s venture had certainly stimulated appetites,
including Edna’s. Everyone ate hungrily with only occasional murmurings of
appreciation breaking the silence.
After lunch, as
soon as the girls were excused from the table, Lettie ran to the office to check
her phone. Starling went upstairs to her room, and Edna decided to sit by the
fire to read. At Edna’s request, Amanda and Lettie cleaned up the lunch dishes
before returning to the living room to resume their game. They had played for
only a few minutes when Amanda spoke to her friend, apparently voicing
something that had been on her mind.
“Why do you call
your grandmother ‘Lily’?”
“She wants me
to. Mommy calls her Lily, too.”
“Why does she
call you Violet instead of Lettie?”
“She says we
were named after pretty flowers, and that’s what we should be called, not some
silly nicknames.”
Smiling to
herself and holding back a chuckle, Edna returned her attention to her book.
When she realized she’d been staring at the same paragraph for the last five
minutes, she decided to check her e-mail messages and went to her office.
Twenty minutes later, Amanda came in and threw herself down in the chair beside
the desk. Fortunately, Benjamin was asleep in his bed beside the hearth and so
wasn’t ousted by the youngster.
Edna looked over
from the monitor at the scowling face of her granddaughter. “What’s wrong,
kiddo?”
Slouched in the
chair, Amanda stared at her legs stretched out before her. “Lettie.”
“What about
Lettie?”
“She’s not
playing. She keeps sending messages to her mom.”
“Does she do
that all the time? I thought her mother was working. How does she find the time
to text back?”
Amanda shrugged
and turned eyes filled with frustration on Edna. “When it’s my turn, she grabs
her phone and then when it’s her turn, I have to wait for her to finish
texting.” Huffily, she crossed her arms over her chest and returned to studying
her pants legs. When Edna didn’t say anything, Amanda looked up at her. “Let’s
take her back to her grandmother’s.”
Edna
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