Death among the Roses: a Melanie Hart Mystery (Melanie Hart Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Anna Drake Read Free Book Online Page A

here. I’ve got my boys to think of. And Candy has a daughter. She’s not going to want to risk putting Becky in harm’s way.”
    “Nah,” Ginger responded. “It’s just Cordelia is a little upset. Apparently she heard some silly story or other about the party. We thought you could maybe put her worries to rest.”
    I sat back amazed. When it came to lying, Ginger had me beat and then some.
    Julie sighed. “I’d do anything to help Cordelia. You know I would.”
    I cast a quick glance at Ginger, but she kept her gaze carefully averted from mine.
    What, I wondered, were we getting ourselves into? Lying to friends? Chasing down rumors? Tracking a possible killer?
    Still, I remained committed to our goal. Even if this session had come to nothing. I had my appointment with Larkin this afternoon. He heard a lot of gossip from all over the county. There was a good chance he’d have the scoop. If he couldn’t provide answers, when I stopped off at Cordelia’s place afterward, I could pump her little brother about the party. I was nearly certain that at his age he’d have tracked down something on the proceedings.
    But, as they say, hope springs eternal and often for no good reason at all.
     
    ***
     
    Mid-afternoon Sunday, I eased my car off a gravel road and onto a patch of neglected ground five miles east of Cloverton. This spot was the hidey-hole where Deputy Allen Larkin and I exchanged confidences.
    I winced internally as my little Fiesta bounced over the uneven ground located along County Road 341 East. Once upon a time, this square patch of grass had served as a farmer’s barnyard. The house had long since vanished, probably pulled down to shave a bit of money from the property tax bill. Ditto apparently for the barn.
    But a decaying shed still stood near an ancient fir-tree, giving testament to the fact that some family in time long gone had called this little plot of ground home.
    I found Larkin’s car hidden behind the sagging shed. It was unusual for us to meet during daylight hours. The sheriff would hardly approve of our sessions. Certainly, Larkin would not fare well if it became publicly known he was meeting with me. I wouldn’t care to face the sheriff’s anger, either. Hence our near obsession to hide ourselves as best we could.
    I had also avoided mentioning this session to Ginger. The way I saw this, Larkin was more tied into my job as reporter than my role as Ginger’s partner in crime. A part of me knew I was fudging, but I absolutely refused to share my trade secrets with anyone outside the profession. Even my father didn’t know about Larkin.
    After switching off my engine, I looked up to discover the deputy standing outside his squad car. He squinted in the bright sunlight, his sandy locks tossed by a brisk, northerly wind.
    Larkin was a tall, lean man, who in turns could be deathly serious or wildly funny. His face was too long, maybe, to be handsome. And his nose was maybe a bit too large for the rest of his face, but his eyes were a deep, penetrating blue. And I knew a lot of local women who considered them the perfect color to grace their bedrooms.
    At this particular moment, those eyes were twinkling merrily at me.
    I took a deep breath and exited my car. I never knew what kind of tack the man might take with me next. He’d always gotten great pleasure in keeping me just a bit off-balance. But his attitude didn’t cost me anything, and his information was always solid.
    “Ah,” he said now with that wicked grin of his, “Like the swallows, you’ve returned to me.”
    I pulled a face. “What are you babbling on about?”
    “Well, last I heard, you were wrapped up in some stranger’s arms.”
    “Sheesh, I guess gossip reigns supreme in small towns.” I couldn’t imagine how he’d heard about me and Josh. “Plus, if I ever find a dead body again, I could do worse than to have Josh Devon around. For your information, it was his steady hand that pulled me out of my hysterics.