Morning Glory Circle by Pamela Grandstaff Read Free Book Online Page B

derision.
    “What have you got against Ava?” Scott asked her.
    “She may have all you men wrapped around her little finger but she doesn’t fool me. She’s no saint.”
    “I never said she was. She doesn’t look like any saint I ever saw. An angel, maybe.”
    Hannah rolled her eyes.
    “Well, if you’d been hearing what I’ve been hearing…”
    “That’s just gossip, Hannah, you know that.”
    “It may be, but you’re missing out on some pretty interesting theories about why Theo left her all that money.”
    “Speaking of vicious gossip, have you seen Margie today?”
    “Speaking of crazy criminals, I can’t say that I have. Why?”
    “Even though she knew Enid was scheduled to move to Mountain View this morning, Margie went out early and didn’t come back.”
    “That’s weird, even for her.”
    “I thought so too.”
    “I can ask the scanner grannies, if you like.”
    The scanner grannies were a group of senior citizens in town who used their older model police scanners to listen in on cordless and cellular telephone calls. It was terribly illegal and immoral, of course, but it was also very useful in gathering information.
    “That would be great, thanks.”
    “You know, Scott, for someone who doesn’t listen to gossip you sure don’t mind asking me to, except of course, when it comes to Saint Ava.”
    Maggie came over to their table and handed the small dog to Hannah.
    “It’s scaring the customers,” Maggie said.
    “Well, off with its little head then,” Hannah said. “Let’s not let a poor little homeless dog get in the way of your profit margin.”
    Maggie put her hands on her hips and glared at her cousin, who also happened to be her best friend.
    “Are you saying I care more about making money than anything else?”
    “I am.”
    “Well, you’re right,” Maggie said, and then turned on her heel and walked away.
     
     
    Scott spent the afternoon asking people if they’d seen Margie that day, but no one had. Many people took the opportunity to share stories of their past unpleasant run-ins with the former post-mistress, and Scott felt renewed regret over how long Margie had been allowed to make malicious mischief in Rose Hill, especially on his watch.
    He checked back at her house again before he went off duty. Her handbag and heavy winter coat were still hanging by the door, with her gloves and hat sticking out of one pocket. Up in her room, despite feeling squeamish about it, Scott checked her dresser and closet, which were both full of clothes. There was an old cardboard suitcase under her bed, but it was empty. Where could she have gone without coat, purse, or a suitcase full of clothes?
    Scott hated to think the worst, but he was beginning to.

Chapter Three – Wednesday
     
     
    M aggie called Hannah at 2:30 in the morning. Hannah’s husband Sam answered on the first ring, as he was still up working in his home office. Sam owned a network security-consulting firm, and had contracts with several large corporations and government agencies. He worked odd hours from a room that looked more like the command center of a futuristic space ship than a home office in a hundred-year-old farmhouse.
    “I know she’s sleeping,” Maggie told him, “but Caroline just called from the Pittsburgh airport and Hannah and I said we’d pick her up.”
    “Wasn’t she supposed to come home next Sunday?” Sam asked.
    “That was the original plan, but you know Caroline, she said she had a premonition she needed to be home sooner.”
    “Are these her ‘guides’ talking to her again?” Sam asked in a sarcastic tone.
    “She didn’t say that,” Maggie said, “but it wouldn’t surprise me.”
    Caroline Eldridge was a free spirit, and a generous trust fund had allowed her to dabble in many different religious and charitable organizations. As a result of this decade-long spiritual and cultural exploration, Caroline espoused a mélange of ancient mystical and new age beliefs that