Trash To Treasure Crafting 1 - Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel by Rose Pressey Read Free Book Online Page B

stepped
down onto the stone path, enjoying the view of the perennials along
the way. It wouldn’t take long for me to get used to this morning
routine. I’d eat every meal out here if I could.
    A small table and chairs inside the gazebo
would be great—another item to add to my growing list. Oh, and
lights hanging from the ceiling would look nice, too. Two small
iron chairs currently stood under the gazebo, plenty of room for
more. They didn’t look all that comfortable, either.
    I eased down onto one of the rickety chairs
and listened to my quiet surroundings. The only sound came from the
small, bubbling waterfall pond next to me. How Mrs. Mathers had
kept up the yard, I had no idea. I closed my eyes for a couple of
minutes and willed the tension from my shoulders. The feeling hit
me again, as if someone was watching me. I snapped my lids open and
looked around. I didn’t see another soul, but something red caught
my attention to my right. It was next to the waterfall. I stood and
moved closer, then let out a gasp. My hand flew to my mouth. I made
two steps forward, then I saw her.

Chapter Nine
    She was lying on the grass near the gazebo.
Flat on her stomach, she lay with her head twisted in an awkward
position, her face to the side and her eyes wide open. In spite of
her unfortunate condition, her blonde bob looked as if she’d just
stepped out of the salon.
    As I rushed over, I tossed my mug to the
ground. I’d never had any emergency medicine training. What if she
needed resuscitation? Would I be able to handle the task? I
couldn’t make the situation any worse, right? Well, if anyone could
make it worse, I could.
    I raced toward her, stopping when I was just
a few steps away. Her khaki pants and white blouse looked just as
perfect as her bob, but blood pooled under her head. There was an
object lying beside her body. It looked exactly like the
candlestick that I’d used last night. Blood covered the heavy
wooden base. Unless this was a very popular style of candlestick,
I’d say it was the same one. Why was it outside and covered with
blood? I knew why. It had been used as a murder weapon. Could
someone else have the same candlestick? Unlikely.
    “Oh, my God. Nancy?” I called. “What
happened?”
    She didn’t reply or move, not even a groan or
a whimper. I knelt down and placed my fingers against her neck, but
didn’t feel a pulse. The huge gash to the back of her head gave me
a good indication that she was beyond any help. I prayed that this
was all a dream. Sunlight streamed across her body. I blinked,
trying to adjust my eyes further. The body of Nancy Harper was in
my backyard.
    I hadn’t known her well, but she had always
been nice when visiting the store. She was married with no children
and taught first grade. Who would want her dead? How could she
possibly have had any enemies?
    My heart raced as the blood rushed out of my
face and my stomach turned. Nothing else seemed out of place in the
yard—just the dead body. I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes.
    My hands shook as I struggled to catch my
breath. I needed to call for help. With wobbly legs, I hurried up
and spun around. The earth moved under my feet and I had to stop
myself from fainting. The vision of Nancy’s lifeless body was
burned into my brain. None of this seemed real. It couldn’t be.
People just didn’t discover dead bodies in their backyards… yet
that was exactly what had just happened to me.
    My heart thumped as I hurried toward the
house. I was replaying the scene in my head. If I looked over my
shoulder, would the body still be there? I glanced behind me. Yeah,
she was still in the same lifeless position.
    I’d have to check the kitchen for the
candlestick. Although I already knew I wouldn’t find it there. As
my mind raced with thoughts, the idea hit me that I’d never thought
to look for her killer. Maybe he was watching every move I made.
Explosions of color from the flowers led my way to the back porch.
Once I