Read Online The Greatest Gift (A Darcy Sweet Mystery) by K.J. Emrick - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: K.J. Emrick
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and forth in a measured rhythm. Her brown hair was done up in a hair net and her white apron was smeared and stained. Darcy respected how she worked so hard at her own store. Not unlike herself, or Helen Nelson who owned a bakery and ran the town as its mayor at the same time.
"Good morning Clara." Darcy waited for Clara to finish cutting and weighing out the package of ham she was preparing. "Is Rita working today?"
Clara nodded, although she looked surprised that Darcy had asked. "She's in the kitchen. You can go on back if you want to, Darcy. I've got a special order to do up. Still have three pounds of roast beef to slice!"
Darcy thanked Clara and went around the counter , through the doors to the kitchen, where ovens and gas grills and a brick oven stood ready for the lunch crowd. Rita was sitting at the long, stainless steel table, in her waitress outfit just like she'd been wearing yesterday when Darcy and Jon had been here. She was reading a paperback romance novel, licking a finger every time she turned a page.
When she saw Darcy, Rita looked up with a little smile. "Oh, hey there , honey. What brings you in here?"
"Just out for a walk," Darcy lied. "How's your mother? We haven't had a book club meeting in a while."
Rita nodded. "Oh, she really likes that book club of yours. You have to start that up again. She would love you forever. Is that really why you came here?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you," Darcy said. "Do you have a few minutes?"
"Oh, sure. Nobody's come in yet for a meal. Not much for a waitress to do when she doesn't have any customers. Hey, did you tell Belinda I was looking for work if she needed anything?"
Darcy sat down in the chair next to Rita's. "I did mention it. I'm sorry, she still says she doesn't have money to hire anyone right now."
That wasn't really the way the conversation had gone, but she wanted to see just exactly why Rita seemed so eager to go back to work for Belinda. Darcy wasn't convinced yet that her motives were pure.
"Oh, that's too bad." Belinda set her book down on the tabletop, open with the pages facing down, and Darcy winced at the long cracks already in the spine. She hated to see books treated that way. "I really enjoyed working for the old girl," Belinda added.
S oups on slow boil tantalized Darcy with their smell. A ham was cooking in one of the ovens. "It smells great back here," she said. "Did you used to cook for Belinda?"
Rita laughed at that. "Of all the things she ever had me do for her I don't think she ever once asked me to cook. No, half the time we just sat around like two old crows and gossiped. She was a lot of fun for someone her age."
"And all that money she supposedly got from her husband sure would come in handy, wouldn't it?"
Rita's head came up sharply. Her eyes were narrowed and her smile faded. "It sure would. I guess she wants to keep it all to herself. Well. I guess I can't blame her."
Something in the way Rita said that piqued Darcy's suspicions. Someone was getting into Belinda's house and searching for something. Behind books, behind picture frames, and who knew where else. Someone who thought there was something to find. Someone who knew a secret way in.
And Rita had said something yesterday about cleaning Belinda's house upstairs, and downstairs…
"Rita," she asked, "where did you hear about this money of Belinda's?"
"Hmm?" she asked, already picking her book back up. "Oh, I don't remember, really. Does it matter?"
Darcy supposed not. What mattered was who would want the money badly enough to break into Belinda's house.
She thought she might be looking at that person right now.
Chapter Eight
Belinda's fake ghost hadn't done anything to hurt her. Yet. Darcy knew how these things went, though. If Belinda had the bad luck to walk in on whoever was trying to steal from her, she might wind up dead. Darcy had
"Good morning Clara." Darcy waited for Clara to finish cutting and weighing out the package of ham she was preparing. "Is Rita working today?"
Clara nodded, although she looked surprised that Darcy had asked. "She's in the kitchen. You can go on back if you want to, Darcy. I've got a special order to do up. Still have three pounds of roast beef to slice!"
Darcy thanked Clara and went around the counter , through the doors to the kitchen, where ovens and gas grills and a brick oven stood ready for the lunch crowd. Rita was sitting at the long, stainless steel table, in her waitress outfit just like she'd been wearing yesterday when Darcy and Jon had been here. She was reading a paperback romance novel, licking a finger every time she turned a page.
When she saw Darcy, Rita looked up with a little smile. "Oh, hey there , honey. What brings you in here?"
"Just out for a walk," Darcy lied. "How's your mother? We haven't had a book club meeting in a while."
Rita nodded. "Oh, she really likes that book club of yours. You have to start that up again. She would love you forever. Is that really why you came here?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you," Darcy said. "Do you have a few minutes?"
"Oh, sure. Nobody's come in yet for a meal. Not much for a waitress to do when she doesn't have any customers. Hey, did you tell Belinda I was looking for work if she needed anything?"
Darcy sat down in the chair next to Rita's. "I did mention it. I'm sorry, she still says she doesn't have money to hire anyone right now."
That wasn't really the way the conversation had gone, but she wanted to see just exactly why Rita seemed so eager to go back to work for Belinda. Darcy wasn't convinced yet that her motives were pure.
"Oh, that's too bad." Belinda set her book down on the tabletop, open with the pages facing down, and Darcy winced at the long cracks already in the spine. She hated to see books treated that way. "I really enjoyed working for the old girl," Belinda added.
S oups on slow boil tantalized Darcy with their smell. A ham was cooking in one of the ovens. "It smells great back here," she said. "Did you used to cook for Belinda?"
Rita laughed at that. "Of all the things she ever had me do for her I don't think she ever once asked me to cook. No, half the time we just sat around like two old crows and gossiped. She was a lot of fun for someone her age."
"And all that money she supposedly got from her husband sure would come in handy, wouldn't it?"
Rita's head came up sharply. Her eyes were narrowed and her smile faded. "It sure would. I guess she wants to keep it all to herself. Well. I guess I can't blame her."
Something in the way Rita said that piqued Darcy's suspicions. Someone was getting into Belinda's house and searching for something. Behind books, behind picture frames, and who knew where else. Someone who thought there was something to find. Someone who knew a secret way in.
And Rita had said something yesterday about cleaning Belinda's house upstairs, and downstairs…
"Rita," she asked, "where did you hear about this money of Belinda's?"
"Hmm?" she asked, already picking her book back up. "Oh, I don't remember, really. Does it matter?"
Darcy supposed not. What mattered was who would want the money badly enough to break into Belinda's house.
She thought she might be looking at that person right now.
Chapter Eight
Belinda's fake ghost hadn't done anything to hurt her. Yet. Darcy knew how these things went, though. If Belinda had the bad luck to walk in on whoever was trying to steal from her, she might wind up dead. Darcy had
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