Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barnett Read Free Book Online

kitty snack.
    Fifteen minutes and a container of lemon yogurt later, Tricia was back behind the counter at Haven’t Got a Clue. Ginny was with a customer, and Miss Marple had resumed her post on the shelf above the register to keep a careful watch on things and/or sleep the afternoon away.
    The black Art Deco phone on Tricia’s cash desk jangled loudly. Tricia picked up the monstrously heavy receiver. “Haven’t Got a Clue, Tri—”
    “Tricia?” said a tearful voice that she instantly recognized as Frannie’s.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “I . . . I—” She seemed to choke on the words.
    “Do you need someone to talk to?” Tricia asked, resigned.
    “Do you mind?” Frannie had always appeared so strong; to hear the vulnerability in her voice was heart-wrenching.
    “I’ll be right over.” Tricia hung up the phone.
    “Don’t tell me,” Ginny said, and sighed. “Another crisis. This time I’m betting you’ll head for the Cookery.”
    “Right in one. Angelica picked the wrong week to reach for bestsellerdom. Sorry.”
    “Hey, I’m fine. And Mr. Everett will be here by one, so we’re covered.”
    “Unless we get a couple of buses of tourists,” Tricia said.
    “One can only hope,” Ginny chirped.
    Tricia forced a smile and sailed out the shop door. Ah, youth. Ginny was remarkably chipper for someone in her circumstances. At that moment, Tricia envied her optimism. She had a feeling that for the foreseeable future, she’d be bouncing back and forth between her sister’s businesses like a Ping-Pong ball. Maybe she’d chart the time on a spreadsheet and present Angelica with an invoice. The thought made her smile—not that she’d follow through with it.
    Tricia was startled to find Angelica’s larger-than-life cutout standing outside the Cookery. Frannie had taped a note between the photographed Angelica’s hands that read Get Your Signed Copy of Easy-Does-It Cooking Inside! As she reached for the door handle, Tricia wondered if the cutout would discourage—instead of encourage—customers to enter the Cookery.
    There were no browsers inside the store. Frannie stood behind the cash desk. All traces of Angelica’s aborted book launch party were gone, as evidenced by the fresh vacuum tracks on the carpet. And it looked like the Cookery was having as slow a day as Haven’t Got a Clue.
    As always, Frannie was dressed in one of her cheerful aloha shirts—this one turquoise with white hibiscus flowers in full bloom. Her face, however, was anything but jovial. Bloodshot eyes looked out from under her fringe of bangs, and her nose was crimson.
    “Do you need a hug?” Tricia asked.
    Frannie nodded, and burst into tears. She clung to Tricia as sobs wracked her slim body. Tricia patted her back as one would a small child. “What’s wrong?”
    “My heart is broken forever,” Frannie wailed.
    Tricia pulled back. “Come and sit down,” she said, and led Frannie to the only upholstered chair in the store. Angelica had no reader’s nook, saying it took up valuable retail space. Idly, Tricia wondered if she should have flipped the Cookery’s OPEN sign to CLOSED.
    “Can I get you a glass of water or something?” she asked Frannie.
    Frannie shook her head, and pulled a damp tissue from the pocket of her slacks to wipe her nose.
    “Now, tell me all about it,” Tricia said.
    “I’ve never told anyone before, but—” Frannie took a breath, exhaled it loudly, as though trying to steel herself. “Jim Roth and I were more than just casual friends.”
    No surprise there. Tricia waited for more.
    “In fact we were . . . lllllooov—” She couldn’t seem to say the word.
    “Lovers?” Tricia supplied.
    Frannie blushed, hung her head in shame, and nodded.
    “Forgive me, Frannie, but you and Jim were two mature, single adults. What was wrong with the two of you seeing each other?”
    “His mama didn’t approve.”
    “But why?”
    Frannie shrugged. She sniffled, and pressed another damp tissue to her