Read Online The Chocolate Mouse Trap by JoAnna Carl - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: JoAnna Carl
Ads: Link
wasn’t Carolyn’s parked in her graveled—and snowcovered—parking area. Carolyn’s only vehicle was the panel truck with “House of Roses” on the side. I parked beside the SUV and waded to the porch, where I stamped the snow off my boots.
Inside, the shop was chopped up into a lot of small rooms. It smelled like flowers, even though most of the arrangements in sight were artificial. There was a Valentine’s Day display, of course, which featured some fresh red and white carnations and a few silk roses. The specialty foods area, with fancy nuts and crackers, looked tired. Winter is definitely an off time for retailers in a beach resort town.
I didn’t see either Carolyn or the driver of the SUV when I came in. I called out, and Carolyn’s head of fake red hair poked out of a back room. “Hi, Lee,” she said. “Come to rehash the funeral?”
“Actually, I’m detailed to order flowers for Joe’s mom’s birthday.”
“Good. You’re my first customer. And my computer’s on the fritz. Jack Ingersoll is here working on it.” That explained the SUV. Jack ran a computer service from his home in Warner Pier, though most of his clients were from elsewhere.
Carolyn was coming out from the back. “Let me give you a cup of coffee while we talk about Mercy’s flowers. I need to think about something besides this damn computer.”
“What’s it doing?”
“Nothing! It’s eaten all my files. No correspondence, no bookkeeping, no e-mail. All gone. But I’m sure Jack can find everything. How do you take your coffee?”
“Black. Did you and the Denhams have any problem getting home yesterday?”
“No. We probably beat you, since you had to swing through Holland with Margaret Van Meter. Did you know she went to high school with Julie?”
“I learned it yesterday. I was surprised that Julie wasn’t sent away to some fancy boarding school.”
“That’s what I would have expected, too. But Margaret told me they both went to Holland Christian. Conservatives.”
Actually, I don’t know if Holland Christian High is conservative or not, but it has that reputation. Certainly Holland is a conservative community, and Holland Christian high school is associated with the Reformed Church, in the minds of the community, if not legally. Carolyn and I both nodded.
I expected Carolyn to ask about Mercy’s flowers next, and I started to trot out the request I’d thought out, the one that I was sure I could say without getting my tongue tangled. But she fooled me. She handed me my coffee, leaned casually on the counter, and said, “Actually, knowing Martin Schrader as intimately as I once did, I find it hard to believe Julie was sent to a religious high school.”
As I say, she caught me completely off guard. My tongue took off of its own volition. At least, I’m sure my brain didn’t tell it to say what came out.
“Martini Schizo seemed to be garnishing his mother,” I said.
Carolyn and I stared at each other—she looked amazed, and I probably looked completely gaga. Then she laughed.
So I laughed, too. “I’m sorry, Carolyn,” I said. “I washed my tongue, and I can’t do a thing with it. I meant, after the funeral, Martin Schrader seemed to be intent on guarding his mother.”
Carolyn was still laughing. “Lee, forgive me,” she said. “I got all set to be totally cool about Martin Schrader, and you . . .” She quit talking and began laughing again.
I couldn’t be offended. “As you can guess from my twisted tongue, I had a minor run-in with Martin Schrader and with his nephew. It’s on my mind. And, yes, I had heard that you formerly dated Martin, and I was determined not to mention him to you.”
Carolyn took a tissue from her pocket and blotted her eyes. “Actually, I think that’s the first time I ever laughed about Martin. I feel much better for it. What happened to you?”
I quickly outlined Martin’s request and the warning from Brad that followed it.
Carolyn went right to
Inside, the shop was chopped up into a lot of small rooms. It smelled like flowers, even though most of the arrangements in sight were artificial. There was a Valentine’s Day display, of course, which featured some fresh red and white carnations and a few silk roses. The specialty foods area, with fancy nuts and crackers, looked tired. Winter is definitely an off time for retailers in a beach resort town.
I didn’t see either Carolyn or the driver of the SUV when I came in. I called out, and Carolyn’s head of fake red hair poked out of a back room. “Hi, Lee,” she said. “Come to rehash the funeral?”
“Actually, I’m detailed to order flowers for Joe’s mom’s birthday.”
“Good. You’re my first customer. And my computer’s on the fritz. Jack Ingersoll is here working on it.” That explained the SUV. Jack ran a computer service from his home in Warner Pier, though most of his clients were from elsewhere.
Carolyn was coming out from the back. “Let me give you a cup of coffee while we talk about Mercy’s flowers. I need to think about something besides this damn computer.”
“What’s it doing?”
“Nothing! It’s eaten all my files. No correspondence, no bookkeeping, no e-mail. All gone. But I’m sure Jack can find everything. How do you take your coffee?”
“Black. Did you and the Denhams have any problem getting home yesterday?”
“No. We probably beat you, since you had to swing through Holland with Margaret Van Meter. Did you know she went to high school with Julie?”
“I learned it yesterday. I was surprised that Julie wasn’t sent away to some fancy boarding school.”
“That’s what I would have expected, too. But Margaret told me they both went to Holland Christian. Conservatives.”
Actually, I don’t know if Holland Christian High is conservative or not, but it has that reputation. Certainly Holland is a conservative community, and Holland Christian high school is associated with the Reformed Church, in the minds of the community, if not legally. Carolyn and I both nodded.
I expected Carolyn to ask about Mercy’s flowers next, and I started to trot out the request I’d thought out, the one that I was sure I could say without getting my tongue tangled. But she fooled me. She handed me my coffee, leaned casually on the counter, and said, “Actually, knowing Martin Schrader as intimately as I once did, I find it hard to believe Julie was sent to a religious high school.”
As I say, she caught me completely off guard. My tongue took off of its own volition. At least, I’m sure my brain didn’t tell it to say what came out.
“Martini Schizo seemed to be garnishing his mother,” I said.
Carolyn and I stared at each other—she looked amazed, and I probably looked completely gaga. Then she laughed.
So I laughed, too. “I’m sorry, Carolyn,” I said. “I washed my tongue, and I can’t do a thing with it. I meant, after the funeral, Martin Schrader seemed to be intent on guarding his mother.”
Carolyn was still laughing. “Lee, forgive me,” she said. “I got all set to be totally cool about Martin Schrader, and you . . .” She quit talking and began laughing again.
I couldn’t be offended. “As you can guess from my twisted tongue, I had a minor run-in with Martin Schrader and with his nephew. It’s on my mind. And, yes, I had heard that you formerly dated Martin, and I was determined not to mention him to you.”
Carolyn took a tissue from her pocket and blotted her eyes. “Actually, I think that’s the first time I ever laughed about Martin. I feel much better for it. What happened to you?”
I quickly outlined Martin’s request and the warning from Brad that followed it.
Carolyn went right to
Similar Books
