2 Mists of the Past by K.J. Emrick Read Free Book Online Page B

taking it easy, just sitting on her couch in her living room, reading a book and drinking tea. She couldn’t remember the last time she had done this. As relaxing as it was, she knew she wouldn’t be able to put up with this inactivity for very long. Not only that, but thoughts of the problem of Jon kept bubbling to the surface, disturbing her calm. She was hoping her subconscious would come up with an idea of what to do about him, the letter, the threat, the vision, all while she read through chapter after chapter of a historical romance novel.
    She was just getting to the good part in her book when there was a knock at the door. She was tempted to just ignore whoever it was but when they knocked a second time she knew that they weren’t going to go away. “Oh for Pete’s sake,” she mumbled. Sighing, she put the book down. Checking out the window before opening the door, she was surprised to find Linda and Helen standing on the other side.
    “Hello, you two. What a surprise.” Darcy was genuinely happy to see them and stood back to let them enter. She noticed they had their arms full of plastic bags and paper sacks and a pot that Helen carried in both hands.
    “We heard that you were a bit under the weather so we come bearing gifts,” Linda said as she made her way into the house and straight into the kitchen.
    “Are you alright dear,” Helen said, looking at Darcy with a frown. “You look a bit pale. Never mind. Once you get some of my chicken soup into you, you’ll feel better in no time.” Helen indicated the huge pot of soup she held.
    “And don’t forget some of my tea,” Linda called out from the other room. Darcy and Helen laughed as they followed her into the kitchen. Her two friends had been in Darcy’s house a number of times. They knew to make themselves at home.
    Linda was a tall woman, thin in that way that some women could pull off so easily, and always quick to smile.  She worked at the library in town, one of Darcy’s favorite spots, so they got to spend a lot of time together.  Her red hair was curly on the ends and, as she was fond of pointing out, her natural color.
    In contrast, Helen was a stocky older woman with graying dark hair. She wore a gray pantsuit with a crisp white blouse. Those weren’t the clothes that Darcy was used to seeing her friend in. But since she’d began taking on the mayoral duties her husband used to perform, she’d stopped dressing like a bakery owner and started dressing like a businesswoman.  Darcy had to smile. She thought her friend would make a fine mayor.
    “Thank you very much for the gifts, I appreciate it.” Darcy said as they sat around the kitchen table drinking tea and pushing spoons through steaming bowls of thick chicken soup. She was very touched by their thoughtful gesture. She also felt a little sad to remember how Anna, her neighbor, had been murdered just a few weeks before. Anna had always been stopping by to drop off food to Darcy or to just sit and visit. She missed her friend.
    “How did you know I was sick anyway?” she asked. Knowing this town it wouldn’t have taken long for it to get around that she wasn’t at work. She almost never missed work.
    “I saw Jon earlier,” Helen said. “He told me. And Grace told Linda when she saw her at the bank earlier. So when Linda came into the bakery and we got to talking we decided to come and visit you together.”
    They sat and chatted over unimportant things for a while, until Helen and Linda both said they had to get back to work. Darcy thanked them again and saw them out. Helen left the rest of the soup with her, and Linda left the crusty loaves of bread she’d brought. It was enough for two or three meals.
    She actually felt much better after that little visit. Any trace of a headache was gone and she felt ready to dive right back into the mystery at hand. Darcy decided that she would ask Jon about the attack he’d been accused of. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too mad at