Elizabeth C. Main - Jane Serrano 02 - No Rest for the Wicked by Elizabeth C. Main Read Free Book Online Page B

around midnight, I turned off my cell phone to discourage Bianca from last-minute questions and stumbled into bed. Sleep dropped over me like a blanket. I’d expected to pound my pillow for hours, seeking answers to the day’s questions, but without consulting me, my brain called a much needed time-out. I knew nothing more until a shaft of morning sunlight warmed my face. Jumping up in confusion, I realized I’d failed to close the bedroom curtains. It was already past eight, barely enough time to show er and meet Nick. Coffee later.
    I grabbed today’s Journal on my way out the door . The pu ffy face of Sheriff Kraft stared out at me from the front page. His expression was no doubt designed to convey steely-eyed competence, but I knew him too well to fall for that. The headline over his picture screamed, “ Sheriff promises quick resolution to murder investigation. ” I skimmed the accompanying article for any reference to Alix , but, to my relief, found none. The paper must have gone to press too early to report her relationship with Hunter Blackburn. A few more hours of grace before the hounds detected the scent. My second reading of the article revealed that it consisted entirely of generalities, indicating only that the local murder investigation was well und er way, with “ promising leads. ”
    I couldn’t resist a detour past Alix’s house, slowing as I rolled by. Her newspaper was still out front, so I continued the short distance to Juniper’s six-block downtown business area. Nick’s blue Jeep was nowhere in sight as I parked near the corner of Fourth and Main as instructed. Only five minutes late. Not bad. By nine-fifteen, I began to wonder where Nick was since he was chronically punctual. Only then did I rememb er that I’d turned off my cell.
    Sure enough. When I powered up, several messages popped up on the screen. The two from Bianca I ignored for the moment, scrolling to Nick’s first.
    “ Turn-about’s fair play, right? How many times have you cancelled on me? Never mind. Guess your cell’s off. You won’t believe this, but remember my parents’ friends in Marion County, Joe and Nellie Arganno? The ones with timber theft problems? Anyway, they need me over there right away , and I’m driving west now. Sorry, but maybe this is better anyway. You should be able to go straight into Wanderers Travel and talk to your old pal Cheryl. She knows all about this, and so would you, if we ever had time to talk. I won’t be back until late tomorrow or the next day. N o cell phone coverage at Joe’s cabin, so I’ll call when I can, or you can leave a message, let me know what you think. ” A short pause before Nick cleared his throat and concluded, “ Or don’t, if the whole idea stinks. ”
    What on earth? Cheryl Younger and I went clear back to middle school, when her name was Phillips and she spo r t e d braces. As an adult , she’d planned every trip I’d ever taken. I studied the inviting tropical posters in the Wanderers Travel office down the block. Before following Nick’s instructions, I listened to Bianca’s messages. The first asked where I was , and the second caused me to snap the phone closed. She and Minnie were on their way to Alix’s house, unable to tolerate any further delay in hearing about what had happened last night. Well, Alix was a big girl. She could tell them whatever she wanted. I had some thing else to do at the moment.
    The exotic young woman ensconced at the front desk at Wanderers Travel provided a more inviting entrée to the agency than any of the glossy brochures on display. Her almond eyes welcomed me, but she was on the phone, so I merely smiled as I made my way past her to Cheryl Younger’s desk further back in the room. Cheryl waved me to a seat and continued clacking away on her computer while talking into the headset that connected to a wire in her ear . The stack of memos obscuring the desktop was testament to her popularity as a travel planner.