P.I. I Love You (Miss Demeanor Suspense Series Book 1) by Joanne Jaytanie Read Free Book Online

Darnell family. River wondered how much support, other than money, Trudy’s father had given to the start-up of Trudy and Wade’s company.
    She walked into the courthouse and was instantly greeted by a friendly woman.
    “Good morning, miss. You must be new to town. How may I help you?” the woman asked.
    “Good morning. My name’s River Nightingale, and I’d like to do some research. I’m looking for the list of births and deaths in Cellar Glen for the past twenty-seven years.”
    “I see. Looking for anyone in particular?”
    “I’m here on my client’s behalf and I’m sorry that’s confidential.”
    The woman studied her for a minute. She hoped the woman wouldn’t decide to shut her down.
    “I’m not here to make any trouble, I promise.”
    “Oh, all right. You look like a nice enough young woman. Follow me and I’ll show you to our microfiche room.”
    Uggggh . Her worst nightmare—microfiche. These people needed to join the current century.
    After a couple hours of searching, River found what she was looking for, a copy of the town’s newspaper for the date which coincided with the birthdate of Blake’s and Garnet’s half-sister. However, it wasn’t a list of only the births in Cellar Glen; it included two towns nearby. Now she had a list of eleven births, four boys and seven girls. Her stomach growled. She’d eaten breakfast at the crack of dawn. She glanced at her phone and realized it was time to take a break and head to the local diner, get something to eat and maybe some information. She still needed to locate the Darnell residence. Somehow they’d managed to keep their physical address from cyberspace, so she’d contacted Blake to get it.
    “What’ll you have, sweetheart?” asked an older woman.
    “What do you recommend?” River asked.
    “Anything on the menu is top-notch. I taught my girls well.”
    “Oh, you’re the owner? It’s a very nice place.”
    “Yep, been in the family since the day it opened. My daughter and granddaughter do all the cooking now. I get to order them around and chat with the diners.”
    The woman took River’s order to the kitchen and returned with her iced tea.
    “In town sightseeing?” the older woman asked.
    “No, on business. But I would love to come back and spend some time here. What a quaint, picturesque town.”
    “Sure is, and that’s what brought lots of the folks out here to live, even though they have to drive over an hour during rush-hour traffic to get into the city.”
    “Like the Darnells?”
    “You know them? They’re wonderful folks, and were the first to move here and commute. They’re well-off, but never flaunt it. Don’t get me wrong, they live in a grand house up on the hill. But anytime you needed help, the Darnells were there.”
    “They sound wonderful. I don’t personally know them, but I do know their grandkids,” River said.
    The bell in the kitchen dinged and the older woman walked away. She returned with River’s lunch and sat down across from her.
    “Ahh,” she said. “I love the job, but my old body gets tired faster. It’s a real shame about their girl, Trudy. Poor Mrs. Darnell lost her husband a couple years back, and now her daughter. Losing Trudy really hit her hard. It’s like she aged ten years in one day. Poor woman.” The older woman shook her head.
    “I’m sorry to hear that. You think she’ll need to move into a home?”
    “Never happen; she has no plans to leave. She might’ve aged physically, but her mind’s still sharp as a whip. She always had a housekeeper and a handyman. Until recently, she kept her own gardens. Unfortunately she needed to hire a gardener a couple months back. After Trudy’s death, she needed a full-time nurse. She turns eighty next month. The town is planning a special party. It’s a surprise.”
    “What a wonderful thing to do.”
    “Like I said, the Darnells give a great deal to this town.”
    “I’m here on behalf of her grandkids. You mind giving me