Read Online Red Red Rose by Stephanie Hoffman McManus - Free Book Online

goings on lately.
Have the police turned up any new leads on Emily?”
    I
gave my head a weak shake. “No, but they were here this morning and I think
they’re finally taking her case seriously. I just hope it’s not too late now
that they’re actually looking for her.”
    He
gave a solemn nod. “Well, like I said, lock up and if you need anything, Trina
and I are right back there.” He jerked his head toward their house. I thanked
him and said goodnight and watched him and Shep disappear down the drive,
before shutting and locking the outer door. I was turning to head back inside
when movement on the street out front drew my attention. There was a dark
figure walking down the street. I looked and Shepley and Clint had already
turned the corner of my drive in the opposite direction. The man was moving at
a quick pace toward a truck parked down at the end of the street. I watched him
climb up in it and pull away.
    The
truck was big and dark, not one I recognized, but he could have easily been
visiting one of my neighbors. Or he could have been snooping around my house before
Shep chased him off. With that thought, I hurried inside, shutting and locking
the door and engaging the dead bolt.
    Could
that have been what happened to Em? She came home that night and caught a
would-be burglar by surprise. There were just too many possible scenarios, and
all of them were playing on my fears tonight. It was a while before I was able
to fall back asleep. I kept waiting to hear someone moving around outside. I
never did and eventually I drifted off, but my alarm sounded much too early. On
Sundays the shop opened at seven instead of six, but after the night before,
the extra hour of sleep didn’t do much for me. My feet were dragging as I got ready
for the day.
    The
cover of darkness still hung over the city when I pulled my car up in front of
the shop and let myself in, locking the door behind me. I went through the shop
flipping on lights and turning up the heat before getting things up and running.
Reggie showed up just before seven with the order from the bakery, and by the
time we hit the open signs and unlocked the door for business, the smell of
coffee and fresh cinnamon rolls filled the shop.
    By
early afternoon we were out of the cinnamon rolls. Reggie commented that the
same thing had happened yesterday. They were a weekend special and it seemed
that each weekend I added another dozen to our order and we still sold out
before the day’s end. Considering the things were giant, gooey and slathered in
a mountain of rich, sweet, cream cheese frosting, it was no wonder that they
disappeared so quickly.
    Sundays
we saw a lot of families coming in and college students cramming for their
Monday exams, or finishing up the papers they put off all weekend. That was one
of the biggest draws of this location when Em and I were in the planning
stages. We remembered what it was like when we were those students looking for
somewhere near campus with a pleasant atmosphere and a steady flow of caffeine.
    The
shop was painted in rich, warm colors and a collection of artwork from local
artists was displayed on the walls. We had couches, and comfy chairs and
traditional seating and even stools at the bar tops in the windows. We played
music, but we kept it low enough so as not to distract from those who were
studying, working or carrying on conversations. It had the feel Em and I had desired
and worked hard to achieve. We’d talked about opening up the nook for open mic
nights or acoustic concerts on some nights, but hadn’t done more than talk
about it before she went missing.
    Reggie
cleared his throat and gave me a slight bump with his hip, pulling me away from
my thoughts of Em, and calling my attention to Shaw shoving his way in the
door. “You’re up girly. Don’t let me down,” he whispered.
    One
look.
    One
damn look where our eyes met and my body was thrown into anarchy, my heart
rebelling against its cage, my thoughts scattered