Read Online Murder on the Half Shell (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery Book 2) by Shawn Reilly Simmons - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shawn Reilly Simmons
Tags: Women Sleuths, amateur sleuth, cozy mystery, Murder mysteries, mystery books, murder mystery series, english mysteries, murder mystery books, female detective, british chick lit, culinary mysteries, food mysteries
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over to Sabena’s desk and placed the box on it to get a better look. She peered inside and saw it was a form letter from the University of Florida, thanking Sabena for her interest in the school and directing her to different websites to get more information about enrolling. Penelope tucked the letter back inside the envelope and looked through the other contents of the box.
Several photographs were stacked together, the first one of two girls around six years old, one with dark hair and one white blond in matching bikinis, fingers linked in front of a plastic wading pool. Penelope smiled when she recognized Sabena and Rebekkah squinting into the camera, the sun shining brightly on their little faces. Rebekkah was missing a front tooth and Sabena had hooked a finger in the side of her mouth, pulling a face at the photographer. Penelope recognized Mrs. Lambert in the next photo sitting next to a man, who she assumed was Sabena’s father, on what looked like the same beige couch that was out in the living room. They appeared to be close to Sabena’s age now in the photograph, two kids looking uncomfortable and stiff with small smiles on their faces.
As Penelope looked through the photos, an odd smell rose up, a sharp tinge of something burnt. Penelope crinkled her nose and pushed aside a stack of school achievement certificates, finding a plastic bag at the bottom, the top zipped closed. Penelope picked up the bag, looking through the plastic at a charred piece of material and some ripped photographs. She glanced again at the door and opened the bag, the smell of charred fabric hitting her nose immediately. She pulled out the scrap of material, seeing that it was burned the whole way around, as if it had been rescued at the last minute before disappearing into ash. It was thick polyester, dingy white with blue stripes. There were torn threads sticking up from the material, as if something had been ripped from it, in the shape of two letters: A and C.
Penelope looked at the material a few more seconds, then focused on the photographs inside the bag. There were about half a dozen, all of them ripped or burned, with only Sabena left in the remnants. Penelope plucked one of the halves from the bag, a picture of Sabena coyly eyeing the camera to the right of a jagged rip. She was on the beach at night, the dark ocean water visible behind her. Penelope shook the plastic bag gently to shuffle the pieces of photos but could tell the other half wasn’t inside. A man’s arm lay lightly across her back, his index finger slipped under the strap of the bathing suit strap on her left shoulder. Penelope held the picture closer, looking for any rings or other distinguishing features.
“What are you doing?” Mrs. Lambert said from the doorway.
Penelope jumped and dropped the photo and plastic bag on the floor. Mrs. Lambert eyed her wearily, bringing a wad of tissues up to her nose.
“Nothing, just looking for something that might help us find the girls,” Penelope said, quickly snatching up the bag and replacing all the items in the box.
“Did you find anything?” Mrs. Lambert asked curiously as she wandered over to the desk.
“Maybe. Does Sabena have a boyfriend?” Penelope asked.
“No,” Mrs. Lambert answered quickly. “She’s not allowed. School comes first, she knows that.”
“She’s not allowed to date?”
“Not until senior year,” Mrs. Lambert said, clearing her throat. “And even then…there’s plenty of time for all of that, but for now she’s way too young. Why?”
Penelope plucked the plastic bag from the box and showed her the ripped pictures. “Looks like she was trying to cut someone out of her life. Who is this?” Penelope asked, pointing to the picture with the man’s hand.
“Sabena’s got a lot of friends, boys and girls, always has. She’s very well-liked, a student athlete.” Mrs. Lambert laughed weakly and rolled her eyes. “I asked her about these, caught her
Several photographs were stacked together, the first one of two girls around six years old, one with dark hair and one white blond in matching bikinis, fingers linked in front of a plastic wading pool. Penelope smiled when she recognized Sabena and Rebekkah squinting into the camera, the sun shining brightly on their little faces. Rebekkah was missing a front tooth and Sabena had hooked a finger in the side of her mouth, pulling a face at the photographer. Penelope recognized Mrs. Lambert in the next photo sitting next to a man, who she assumed was Sabena’s father, on what looked like the same beige couch that was out in the living room. They appeared to be close to Sabena’s age now in the photograph, two kids looking uncomfortable and stiff with small smiles on their faces.
As Penelope looked through the photos, an odd smell rose up, a sharp tinge of something burnt. Penelope crinkled her nose and pushed aside a stack of school achievement certificates, finding a plastic bag at the bottom, the top zipped closed. Penelope picked up the bag, looking through the plastic at a charred piece of material and some ripped photographs. She glanced again at the door and opened the bag, the smell of charred fabric hitting her nose immediately. She pulled out the scrap of material, seeing that it was burned the whole way around, as if it had been rescued at the last minute before disappearing into ash. It was thick polyester, dingy white with blue stripes. There were torn threads sticking up from the material, as if something had been ripped from it, in the shape of two letters: A and C.
Penelope looked at the material a few more seconds, then focused on the photographs inside the bag. There were about half a dozen, all of them ripped or burned, with only Sabena left in the remnants. Penelope plucked one of the halves from the bag, a picture of Sabena coyly eyeing the camera to the right of a jagged rip. She was on the beach at night, the dark ocean water visible behind her. Penelope shook the plastic bag gently to shuffle the pieces of photos but could tell the other half wasn’t inside. A man’s arm lay lightly across her back, his index finger slipped under the strap of the bathing suit strap on her left shoulder. Penelope held the picture closer, looking for any rings or other distinguishing features.
“What are you doing?” Mrs. Lambert said from the doorway.
Penelope jumped and dropped the photo and plastic bag on the floor. Mrs. Lambert eyed her wearily, bringing a wad of tissues up to her nose.
“Nothing, just looking for something that might help us find the girls,” Penelope said, quickly snatching up the bag and replacing all the items in the box.
“Did you find anything?” Mrs. Lambert asked curiously as she wandered over to the desk.
“Maybe. Does Sabena have a boyfriend?” Penelope asked.
“No,” Mrs. Lambert answered quickly. “She’s not allowed. School comes first, she knows that.”
“She’s not allowed to date?”
“Not until senior year,” Mrs. Lambert said, clearing her throat. “And even then…there’s plenty of time for all of that, but for now she’s way too young. Why?”
Penelope plucked the plastic bag from the box and showed her the ripped pictures. “Looks like she was trying to cut someone out of her life. Who is this?” Penelope asked, pointing to the picture with the man’s hand.
“Sabena’s got a lot of friends, boys and girls, always has. She’s very well-liked, a student athlete.” Mrs. Lambert laughed weakly and rolled her eyes. “I asked her about these, caught her
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