A Dead End (A Saints & Strangers Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Keeley Bates Read Free Book Online Page B

Peppermint.”
    “Oh. ‘Course you are.” He fell silent and Kit gave Peppermint one last pat before heading back to the house.
    “It was nice meeting you, Paul.”
    “See you around, Miss Wilder.”
    “Call me Kit. Everyone else does.”
    “Everyone except your mama. I ain’t never heard her call you nothing but Katherine.”
    Kit glanced at him sharply before trudging back to Greyabbey for the evening. Sadly, ‘everyone except her mama’ pretty much summed up her entire life.
     
    Kit slid into a seat at the back of the room, hoping no one noticed her lateness. The walk from Greyabbey had taken longer than expected and then she’d gotten lost in the building and ended up in an anthropology class. When she saw Francie and Charlotte’s matching blond ponytails, she knew she was in the right place.
    To her relief, she’d received a text that morning that her car would be delivered to Greyabbey that afternoon. Small favors and all that.
    “The human experience. The study of how people think, behave and feel. That’s why we’re here. That’s psychology.” Professor Wentworth worked the room like a talk show host. He had charisma, Kit acknowledged. He was also easy on the eyes, although the hot pink tie suggested that she might not be his type. She snapped a surreptitious photo of him during the lecture and sent it to Jordan for his input. Not that she was interested in dating a professor. More negative press was the last thing she needed. Leaving Los Angeles was hard enough. Throw a corpse and a forbidden relationship on top of that and you had yourself one humdinger of a reputation. Kit was already the engine of the gossip train. She didn’t need to be the caboose, too.
    Jordan’s reply was short and sweet. “Not all pink ties are created equal. He’s one of yours. Too bad.” He added a sad face emoji for good measure.
    Kit stifled a giggle.
    “All phones should be turned off and tucked away,” Professor Wentworth said loudly, shooting a pointed look in Kit’s direction.
    The heat rose to her cheeks and Kit turned off the phone before sliding it into her bag. She’d need to get reacquainted with school rules. It had been a few years since they’d applied to her.
    By the end of the class, Kit was brimming with enthusiasm for her chosen major. Professor Wentworth was engaging and knowledgeable and she knew he’d manage to keep the class interesting.
    Stepping into the corridor, Kit noticed Francie and Charlotte lurking outside the door. From their excited expressions, Kit knew that they’d heard about the skeleton in her closet…er, floorboards. Another point for the Westdale gossip mill.
    “Is it true?” Francie asked, her almond-shaped eyes morphing into walnuts.
    Kit pursed her lips and nodded.
    “This is why you should always outsource your renovations,” Francie said solemnly.
    “Tell us everything,” Charlotte insisted.
    Kit glanced over her shoulder, not wanting to be overheard. “Let’s go to Butter Beans where we can hide in a corner. I don’t think I’m supposed to be blabbing about everything I know.”
     
    Butter Beans was busier than usual and Kit realized it was because classes were now in full swing. She’d need to ask Sam when the best times were to come. She didn’t want to battle for a seat every time she stopped by.
    They waited in the long line for drinks and chatted about school until they could sit down and quietly discuss Kit’s discovery.
    “Which other classes do you have?” Kit asked. It would be nice to know if they shared any other classes.
    Charlotte pulled out a color-coded, laminated schedule.
    “What is that?” Kit asked, craning her neck to see.
    “It’s my schedule,” Charlotte replied, waving it at her.
    Kit stopped Charlotte’s hand from moving so she could get a closer look. “Why does it remind you to brush your teeth at seven in the morning?”
    Charlotte tucked away the schedule. “I have organizational issues.”
    “And working memory,