The Maestro (Cold Hollow Mysteries Book 3) by Emilie J. Howard Read Free Book Online

went down the hall and up the stairs to her office. They heard her scream, “My fiancé never farts!” Her office door slammed, and they heard the lock engage.
    Alice Dumont peeked around the corner of her day care, staring at Amanda and Artie in shock, her fingertips raised to her lips. It took all of three seconds before they began cackling like hens. Amanda whacked Artie in the arm and giggled. “It was your entire fault.”
    He grinned, chuckled, and said, “I think I better get out the air freshener.”
    Upstairs, Myrna plopped down behind her desk and sat back, staring at the ceiling. She ran her hands over her face, pulled her long red hair back into a ponytail, and dove into the pile of lists for the wedding. As she worked, she took time out to grab a bottle of water from the small refrigerator and turn on some soft music on the radio. As she made phone calls, accomplishing each task on her list, she scratched the task off and went on to the next. The seamstress was hard at work making Alice Dumont’s gown, and Amanda’s and Delilah’s bridesmaid dresses. Tom had promised he would take care of the tuxes for his father, Wally Dumont, Liam, and Artie. She was racking her brain, trying to think of gifts to present to the parents of the bride and groom, not to mention her bridesmaids. Tom was taking care of his father’s and Artie’s, but Myrna was lost as to what to get Wally and Alice. She was officially stumped, but she would ask Liam. The boy spent a great deal of time with them and would have greater insight, she was sure of it. The cake tasting hadn’t been scheduled yet, so she was somewhat grateful that it was one less thing she had to worry about.
    When she was three-quarters of the way through her lists and pleased with her accomplishment, there was a soft knock on her door. She grimaced, got up from her chair, and unlocked the door. The chief was standing there. He pushed past her and sat in his usual seat. She followed suit and sat in her own, glaring at him. He raised his arms in surrender. “Don’t bite my head off,” he said. “I came with some disturbing news that couldn’t wait.”
    Myrna sat back in her chair and growled, “I swear, Chief. I won’t tolerate any shit happening in town this close to my wedding. I just won’t.” Her hands formed clenched fists.
    “Hold on, Missy. I’m just here to report that Sarah’s friend, Tilly Hughes, was reported missing by her parents this morning.”
    “Poke around. Sarah told me that a group of kids was going out hiking last night. Find out who went and who returned. More importantly, get a hold of Hugo. He knows those paths and can smell something rotten a mile away.”
    “Done and done. I also went to the farm and asked Fran O’Connor what time Reginald left for home last night. She said he left early because he had plans for the evening. She also said she spied a cute young girl, about Sarah’s age, poking around the farm lately, flirting with him.”
    Myrna sighed. “Teenage girls can be so careless. She may have wandered from the group without a flashlight and got lost last night. Did you ever get a tracker on his car?”
    The chief chuckled and laughed as he explained, “Yep, and we have a new sleuth in town. Fran is something, Myrna. She called me when it was safe to come by, stood guard, and watched out her farmhouse windows to make sure I wouldn’t get caught while doing it. She even had goddamn binoculars!”
    Myrna grinned. “She’s a fine woman.”
    “I checked the tracker, and he never left home using his car, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t go anywhere by foot. One thing I do know: Robert met him and doesn’t like him at all. The guy flirted with his daughter, Becky, and you know Robert. He just wanted to punch him. The funny thing was, he didn’t like Reginald’s charming smile either. Just like you.”
    Myrna stared at Chief Hanover. “Reginald’s hiding something. We need to step this up. Try to get his