Read Online Winter Chill by Joanne Fluke - Free Book Online

work?”
    “I think he could handle it.” Marian waved at Harvey across the room. “I have to talk to Harvey for a minute, Sally. My grade book’s right there on the table. Why don’t you check for yourself?”
    Sally paged through Marian’s grade book. Jimmy was above average in every subject. He’d make a fine tutor for his little brother.
    Marian was deep in conversation with Harvey. Sally flipped to the attendance page and found Jimmy’s name. He hadn’t missed a single day this year. The measles must have passed him by.
    Her eyes skipped down the page. Laura Larsen. There was a check mark for “present” in today’s column. Present? Sally frowned. That was certainly strange. She could understand Marian’s reluctance to take Laura’s name off the roll, but to mark her present? Marian must have made a mistake.
     
     
    The Red Owl was crowded, and Marian didn’t bother to get a cart. All she needed was milk and some cereal. She avoided the crowd of shoppers at the produce section and cut around the back of the magazine rack to the cereal aisle. She grabbed a box off the shelf and hurried to the dairy case to pick up the milk. A moment later she was in the ten items or less line.
    There were five people ahead of her, and the milk was cold against her arm. Marian shifted it to her other hand and juggled the box of cereal. Suddenly the picture on the box registered in her mind. Froot Loops. Laura’s favorite cereal, the only kind she would eat. Marian and Dan hated it.
    The box of cereal slipped from her nerveless fingers. What was she doing? Laura was gone. There was no reason to buy Froot Loops now.
    Tears came to her eyes, and Marian blinked them back. It was no use. She was going to cry right here in the store. She set the milk down in a stray shopping cart and ran out the door. She didn’t stop running until she was safely in the van.
    It was a long time before she raised her head from the steering wheel. Then she glanced around her fearfully, hoping no one had noticed her dash from the store. The parking lot was full. People were doing their last-minute shopping after work. No one was staring at her. Everyone was in a hurry to get home.
    Tears were still running down her cheeks. Marian reached into her purse and took out the note from her baby. It was too dark to read it, but she knew the message. Laura loved her. Laura was watching her. Laura would think she was silly to cry over a box of Froot Loops.
    “I’m sorry, baby,” Marian whispered. “Mommies are silly sometimes. I just forgot for a minute, that’s all.”
    The street was full of traffic as she pulled out of the parking lot. Marian waited for a break in the traffic and drove toward home. It had been a long day, and she was tired.
     
     
    It was late. It seemed he’d been sleeping for hours when the noise awakened him. Marian was standing by the bookcase in her robe and slippers. She took an armload of books off the shelf and carried them into the living room. Something about the quiet way she moved disturbed him. He heard pages rustle. There was a series of thumps as she stacked the books on the table. Was this some sort of strange dream, or was Marian really dusting the bookshelves at this hour?
    Now she was back again, moving stealthily. She replaced the books she had taken and left with another armful. What was going on?
    He was about to call out to her when he realized what she was doing. Marian was looking for another note from Laura!
    What could he say? Dan tried to think of something, but he was just too sleepy. He heard her replace the rest of the books, and the light in the living room clicked off. When she slid into bed beside him, he reached out to cuddle her close. He was still trying to think of the right thing to say when he dropped off to sleep.
     
     
    In the morning she was cheerful, smiling as she brought in his breakfast. It was Wednesday. Dr. Hinkley was coming today. Marian was full of last-minute instructions, and