Read Online The Reunion by Suzanne Rossi - Free Book Online

can. As soon as we finish, you can leave. I ask that you be patient. Thank you.”
    Several in the crowd groaned.
    “I want to go home now,” a woman whimpered.
    “This is silly. None of us killed the poor woman,” a man stated.
    “That’s right,” another man added. “Some vagrant came across her in the dark and tried to rob her.”
    “If I was Eric Peterson, I’d sue the hotel. They should have had security guards patrolling the garden,” a woman declared.
    A shaken Glory supported by Tom returned. He lowered her into a chair, seated himself next to her, and patted her hands.
    Meghan leaned forward. “Glory, are you all right?”
    She nodded and answered in a quavering voice. “I’m fine. I…I threw up.”
    “Well, of course you did. Perfectly natural,” her husband said. “Can I get you something to drink? More diet soda?”
    “No, thank you, honey. I’ll just drink water. It was all such a shock.”
    Meghan silently agreed as she sipped more wine.
    Sheriff Armstrong left the stage and pointed the three deputies to the first tables in front. He headed for theirs, wedging a chair between Tom Ecklund and Ted Kramer. Jill scooted closer to Meghan.
    “This is horrible,” Jill whispered as she wiped tears from her eyes with a napkin. “Eric is devastated. I was just talking to Annabelle a little while ago. They have four kids. The youngest is only two. She was so proud of them.”
    Dave guided a quiet Suzanne to her chair. Suzanne lit a cigarette. Dan Masterson walked up with a frown.
    “We had this discussion before, Suzanne. No smoking.”
    The redhead looked up and snapped, “Fuck off, asshole.”
    “It is against the law…”
    “Mr. Masterson, perhaps it would be better if you returned to your table,” the sheriff suggested.
    “As a former senior class president and a city councilman, I feel it’s my duty to remain visible. The people, many of them my constituents, need a calm, reassuring presence.”
    Suzanne glared. Dave curled his lip and sucked a sizable portion from his glass. Zach raised an eyebrow, giving Dan a cool look. Meghan wanted to follow Glory’s lead and throw up. A woman was dead, and Dan Masterson sounded every inch the campaigning politician.
    “My thoughts exactly, sir. Your leadership would best be served by setting a good example,” Sheriff Armstrong answered in a soothing voice.
    Dan straightened and adjusted his tie. “Yes, I see your point, Sheriff.”
    He shot Suzanne a nasty glance and walked away.
    “You know, miss, there is a law against smoking in public places, and while I can understand your need for nicotine at a moment like this, I’d appreciate it if you’d put the cigarette out.”
    Suzanne sighed, but dropped it into a water glass where the glowing tip hissed and was extinguished.
    “Satisfied?” she asked.
    “Yes, thank you.” He brought out a notebook and a pencil, and then turned his gaze on Ted Kramer. “Your name?”
    “Ted Kramer. This is my wife, Jill.”
    “Which one of you is the graduate?”
    “I am,” Jill answered in a wavering voice.
    “Where do you live?”
    Ted gave an address in St. Louis.
    Sheriff Armstrong jotted down the information in his notebook, and then questioned, “What can you tell me about tonight?”
    “To me, everything seemed perfectly normal,” Ted told him. “We had a few drinks, chatted with some of Jill’s classmates, and danced.”
    “Did you talk with Annabelle Peterson?”
    “Jill introduced us, but that’s about all. We talked to her husband for a couple of minutes, and then moved on to another table.”
    “When was this?”
    “After dinner, but before the band started. I can’t give you a specific time.”
    “How about you, Mrs. Kramer? Did you talk to either Mr. or Mrs. Peterson?”
    Jill sipped some water and nodded. “Eric and I were classmates. Annabelle graduated the year after us. They dated all through high school. I wasn’t surprised to find they’d married.”
    “So, you knew