Read Online The Saucy Lucy Murders by Cindy Keen Reynders - Free Book Online
Authors: Cindy Keen Reynders
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fast. I understand you’re a business owner, too.”
Lexie nodded. “Lucy and I own The Saucy Lucy Café on Willow Street.”
“I suppose I need to stop by there sometime and have a bite to eat. I hear it’s excellent.”
Huh? Lexie had seen Carma there a few monthsago, right after Eva’s high school graduation in June. Maybe she’d forgotten. Or maybe Lexie had been mistaken. Oh, well. “Sure. Any time. I make a mean huckleberry pie you might want to try.”
Carma rolled her eyes. “Like I need those kinds of calories.”
Lexie laughed. “We’ll make it a very small piece. That won’t ruin your figure. By the way, how’s your grandfather doing these days?”
“He died a couple of years back.”
“I’m so sorry. I always enjoyed talking with him when I was a kid. Loved his army stories.”
“Pops always was a real gas. He told the same stories over and over, but my mom and I just pretended we were hearing them for the first time. I do miss him. And my mother. She’s gone now, too. I don’t have anyone except my aunt and …” She cleared her throat. “Do you have any idea what color of polish you want?”
Carma’s eyes filled with tears and she looked down. She got very busy with Lexie’s nails, filing them with a vengeance.
“Red, I guess.” Lexie felt a stab of sadness. Even though Carma had never been very friendly toward her, it was awful to lose a loved one.
About that time the absent Georgia made an appearance, sashaying into the room, her long, flowered muumuu flowing dramatically. “Thanks for being so patient, honey,” the blond woman with dark black roots said to Lucy in a heavy southern accent.She dropped her heavyset frame into her chair and reached for Lucy’s hand. “I just couldn’t hold it any longer. And y’all know it ain’t healthy to hold off for
too
long.”
“Of course,” Lucy agreed.
“Poor thing,” Georgia exclaimed. “Your hands are all red and chafed and those nails …” She shook her head, obviously in sympathy.
“They are a little dishpan red,” Lucy admitted.
“It’s downright good you came when you did, honey. Why, if these nails of yours had gotten any shorter or drier, I would really have had a tussle of a time to get you set up with acrylics.” Georgia pulled out a nail buffer and began to run it across the nails on Lucy’s right hand, then her left.
Lexie listened to the low buzz of voices in the shop while Carma worked on her nails, then heard Lucy pipe up. “Isn’t it a shame about Henry Whitehead?”
“Ain’t it, though?” Georgia shook her head. “I never would have expected such shenanigans going on in Moose Creek Junction. A genuine murder. Just think of it.”
“It is awful.” Carma agreed. “Of course, there’s no excuse for killing someone. But I understand he didn’t endear himself to a lot of people.”
“Yup, call a spade a spade,” Georgia said. “Why, I was talking to his poor wife Violet just last week. She’s my neighbor, you know. And she was telling me about some of the things that went on in that marriage of theirs. Do you know that Henry wantedthem to get into
swapping?”
A lady under a hairdryer leaned forward, a few pink rollers peeking from beneath the hood. “Did you say shopping? What’s so bad about that?”
“No,
swapping.
They do it in Denver and a lot of big cities like that. It’s where husbands and wives go to parties with each other. They size each other up as sexual partners. Then the spouses agree to trade with each other for a night of … well, you can only imagine.”
Lucy went white.
“Why, I think that’s totally
Philistine,”
the hairdryer lady said. “No wonder poor Violet left him. What a deadbeat. Of course, that’s no reason for someone to do away with him.” Shaking her head, she slid back under the hairdryer and resumed reading a hairstyle magazine.
“How well do you know Violet?” Lexie asked Georgia.
“She’s been my neighbor for nigh on ten
Lexie nodded. “Lucy and I own The Saucy Lucy Café on Willow Street.”
“I suppose I need to stop by there sometime and have a bite to eat. I hear it’s excellent.”
Huh? Lexie had seen Carma there a few monthsago, right after Eva’s high school graduation in June. Maybe she’d forgotten. Or maybe Lexie had been mistaken. Oh, well. “Sure. Any time. I make a mean huckleberry pie you might want to try.”
Carma rolled her eyes. “Like I need those kinds of calories.”
Lexie laughed. “We’ll make it a very small piece. That won’t ruin your figure. By the way, how’s your grandfather doing these days?”
“He died a couple of years back.”
“I’m so sorry. I always enjoyed talking with him when I was a kid. Loved his army stories.”
“Pops always was a real gas. He told the same stories over and over, but my mom and I just pretended we were hearing them for the first time. I do miss him. And my mother. She’s gone now, too. I don’t have anyone except my aunt and …” She cleared her throat. “Do you have any idea what color of polish you want?”
Carma’s eyes filled with tears and she looked down. She got very busy with Lexie’s nails, filing them with a vengeance.
“Red, I guess.” Lexie felt a stab of sadness. Even though Carma had never been very friendly toward her, it was awful to lose a loved one.
About that time the absent Georgia made an appearance, sashaying into the room, her long, flowered muumuu flowing dramatically. “Thanks for being so patient, honey,” the blond woman with dark black roots said to Lucy in a heavy southern accent.She dropped her heavyset frame into her chair and reached for Lucy’s hand. “I just couldn’t hold it any longer. And y’all know it ain’t healthy to hold off for
too
long.”
“Of course,” Lucy agreed.
“Poor thing,” Georgia exclaimed. “Your hands are all red and chafed and those nails …” She shook her head, obviously in sympathy.
“They are a little dishpan red,” Lucy admitted.
“It’s downright good you came when you did, honey. Why, if these nails of yours had gotten any shorter or drier, I would really have had a tussle of a time to get you set up with acrylics.” Georgia pulled out a nail buffer and began to run it across the nails on Lucy’s right hand, then her left.
Lexie listened to the low buzz of voices in the shop while Carma worked on her nails, then heard Lucy pipe up. “Isn’t it a shame about Henry Whitehead?”
“Ain’t it, though?” Georgia shook her head. “I never would have expected such shenanigans going on in Moose Creek Junction. A genuine murder. Just think of it.”
“It is awful.” Carma agreed. “Of course, there’s no excuse for killing someone. But I understand he didn’t endear himself to a lot of people.”
“Yup, call a spade a spade,” Georgia said. “Why, I was talking to his poor wife Violet just last week. She’s my neighbor, you know. And she was telling me about some of the things that went on in that marriage of theirs. Do you know that Henry wantedthem to get into
swapping?”
A lady under a hairdryer leaned forward, a few pink rollers peeking from beneath the hood. “Did you say shopping? What’s so bad about that?”
“No,
swapping.
They do it in Denver and a lot of big cities like that. It’s where husbands and wives go to parties with each other. They size each other up as sexual partners. Then the spouses agree to trade with each other for a night of … well, you can only imagine.”
Lucy went white.
“Why, I think that’s totally
Philistine,”
the hairdryer lady said. “No wonder poor Violet left him. What a deadbeat. Of course, that’s no reason for someone to do away with him.” Shaking her head, she slid back under the hairdryer and resumed reading a hairstyle magazine.
“How well do you know Violet?” Lexie asked Georgia.
“She’s been my neighbor for nigh on ten
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