Jewelry Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 6) by Cindy Bell Read Free Book Online Page A

stepped close enough to his car to make it seem as if he might have hit her. He hit the brakes and leaned out the window.
    “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
    “I’m fine, I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” Jo hugged herself as if she was shaken by the near collision.
    “No, I didn’t see you. I’m sorry.” He put the car in park and got out of the car. He walked over to her. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He touched her elbow gently.
    “I’m fine, I’m just a little shaken up.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry, I’m the last person you should be worrying about right now.”
    “Hey, don’t apologize to me. Do you want me to give you a ride home?”
    “No, that’s the last place I want to be. It’s so empty there.” She reached up to grasp her necklace only to be reminded that it was no longer there. She rubbed the slope of her neck instead. “Sometimes I just get tired of being alone.”
    “I can understand that.”
    “Oh listen to me, lamenting about my problems when you’ve just lost your wife. I’m so sorry. In fact, would you be interested in having coffee tomorrow? We can meet at the café. If you want to talk, I mean.”
    “I would love to.” Roger’s eyes widened. “Around nine?”
    “Perfect. Thanks Roger.” She smiled. “You’ve brightened up my evening.”
    “See you tomorrow. Jo. Right?”
    Jo’s heart dropped. She hadn’t thought about whether Roger might recognize her. There was a time that she was well-known as a cat burglar. Would he be able to recognize her now?
    “Yes. Jo.”
    “Okay. See you then.” He walked back to his car. Jo turned around and walked the other way. She was lost in thought when she nearly walked into Samantha.
    “Jo, I know you’re up to something.” Samantha tried to block her way down the sidewalk. “What were you talking to Roger about?”
    “I invited him to coffee tomorrow morning.”
    “Jo, that’s not a good idea.”
    “I think it is. It won’t take much for me to find out if he’s a thief or not.”
    “He could be very dangerous, Jo. I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Samantha repeated.
    “I think that you are being paranoid.” Jo smiled sweetly. “I’m having coffee. That’s all.”
    “But there’s a good chance that Roger had something to do with the murder, remember? You’re going to have coffee with a murderer?”
    “I’m going to offer sympathy to a widower.” Jo set her jaw. “I will be just fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to get home and get some rest.”
    “Jo, please be careful.”
    “Samantha, you’re always encouraging me to be more social.” She winked at her friend as she walked away. She could feel Samantha’s gaze following after her. She knew that Samantha was concerned, but she also knew that this was the fastest way to find out the truth about Roger. What Samantha didn’t understand, and couldn’t, was that as long as that necklace was floating around somewhere thieves willing to kill to get what they wanted, would draw closer and closer. When she settled into bed that night and closed her eyes, the image of the necklace popped into her mind. Maybe, just maybe, a small part of her hoped to be the one that found it once and for all.

Chapter 7
    T he next morning Jo woke early. She received a few calls from Samantha, but she ignored them. She didn’t want to be talked out of her plan. She dressed quickly and did her best to ignore the fact that her necklace was gone. It brought back some of her best memories, but it also reminded her of a deep pain that she had never been able to shake. When she reached the small café beside the main office she noticed that Roger was waiting for her outside. A smile rose to her lips that didn’t feel genuine.
    “Be nice Jo, you can do that, just be nice,” she muttered to herself before offering her hand to Roger. “Thanks for agreeing to meet.”
    “My pleasure, but I’m afraid we can’t stay here.”
    “Why not?”
    “They’re cleaning