Read Online Stranger At My Door (A Murder In Texas) by Mari Manning - Free Book Online

steps.
    As her hand touched the door, Gerry roused himself. “Don’t you dare walk away from me, girl.”
    Her eyes widened, and she was just about to tell him where he could go, when the rumble of her old Radio Flyer stopped her. Hollyn emerged from the side of the bungalow, pulling the wagon. She stopped when she saw Dinah.
    “Thought I’d give the wagon a good scrubbing before I went, Miss Dinah.” Her eyes slid over to Gerry. “Sorry. Didn’t know you had a guest. Do you want me to pour iced tea before I take off?”
    “You go on, honey lamb. Mr. Gerry is leaving.” She skipped up the steps and slammed the door behind her.
    Her confrontation with Gerry Sutton had left her oddly energized, and Dinah went back upstairs ready to face the box. Perched on the edge of her dresser, the open top yawned at her like a hungry mouth. Her hands began to shake as she pulled out the crumpled manila envelope stuffed inside. Don’t let this get to you. Don’t!
    A rough hand had scrawled Benjamin Jon Pittman across the envelope in a thick black marker along with her daddy’s TDCJ inmate number and the date of his death. She released the metal prongs holding the envelope closed, and the bulky contents shifted. A worn Bible slid onto her lap. Tucked inside was a thin pamphlet— Loving Jesus in Prayer . Her father hadn’t been a religious man when she was growing up.
    She riffled the pages of the Bible. They flew by, exposing scribbles where he’d made notations. Her hard-bought cynicism cracked. Inside the front cover was his number. He hadn’t even bothered with a name. It touched a bruise deep inside her heart, and tears filled her eyes. She brushed them away and set aside the books.
    The envelope was much flatter now. When she reached inside, her hand closed around her daddy’s worn leather wallet. Teardrops ran down her face, and she had to use her T-shirt to wipe her cheeks. The wallet fell open on her lap, and his driver’s license stared up at her. She remembered the photo, his dark curls pressed against his head with gel, green eyes crinkled at the corners, a half-smile shaping his mouth. He’d looked handsome and happy, and she’d been so proud he was her daddy. The expiration date had passed six years ago.
    The wallet was nearly empty, and the leather sagged. There was no money or credit cards, but in a half-hidden pocket behind the license she found her senior picture. He’d checked it with his other possessions when he got to Beeville. She pressed her fist against her mouth and choked back a sob for the beaming blond girl wearing a black silk dress and pearls. The shadows had been closing in, but she hadn’t noticed them yet.
    A few items rattled at the bottom. She tipped them out. A gold wedding band and a small envelope fell out. She scooped up the ring and clutched it tight.
    “Talk to me, dammit. Say something.” But her father’s spirit had left it a long time ago, and it was just ordinary gold warming itself against her palm. The same rough hand that had written Daddy’s name on the manila envelope had labeled the small one, too: $8.76. She shook it. The change jingled merrily.
    Dinah sniffed and took another swipe at her leaky eyes. That was it. Everything her father had, except for the clothes he was buried in and a few shirts hanging in his closet across the hall. Hollyn had offered to clean out her momma and daddy’s things. Maybe Dinah would let her do it. It was over. Time to get rid of everything.
    She stuffed the Bible and the other items from the prison back into the envelope and shoved it into the box, but the envelope jammed. She pulled it out and felt around the narrow box. Her fingers brushed against a wadded slip of paper bunched at the bottom. She smoothed it out. It was a letter from the prison warden dated the day her father died. Silly way to pack a box. But the hand that had labeled the envelope and the money pouch had scribbled the words carelessly. Maybe not so strange after