Read Online 1 Death Comes to Town by K.J. Emrick - Free Book Online Page B

was glad she had seen it. She’d seen something. Something no one else knew.
    The coroner got the time of death wrong by a full hour. That meant everyone’s alibis were off. The entire town was now filled with suspects.
    ***
    Feeling extremely shaken by her vision, Darcy returned home as fast as her legs would carry her. She fell into the rocking chair on her front porch and tried to calm down. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes in the darkness and just sat there. Smudge jumped into her lap, startling her. He curled into her lap and purred. It was reassuring to have him there with her. She could feel her muscles starting to loosen a bit.
    She jumped when someone called her name. Jon. What was he doing here? It was almost midnight, for crying out loud! She was twirling the ring on her finger before he was even within the reach of the porch light. Smudge jumped off her lap and ran away into the house.
    As he got closer to her she could see that he was carrying an envelope in his hand. His hair was damp as if he had just showered. It curled slightly. At the porch he leaned one elbow casually against the railing.
    Her eyes were drawn to his muscled chest and the way the shadows fell across his wonderful face. She did not like this man, did not trust him, but she couldn’t help but be attracted to him. Her hands itched to reach out and touch him. She licked her lips and stopped trying to keep her mind from wandering over his body. She was just too tired to fight it.
    He looked her directly in her eyes. “Is this a bad time?”
    No, she thought to herself. Come inside and let me run my hands through your hair… Darcy cleared her throat and made sure to keep her eyes away from his face. “It’s very late, Jon. What are you doing here?”
    She heard him sigh before he quietly said, “I’m breaking all sorts of rules coming here to talk to you. That’s why I’m here so late. I was surprised to see you up. Surprised, and kind of glad, actually.”
    “Really?” Dear God, woman, she said to herself, get yourself together.
    “There’s just something that I can’t figure out.” He pulled a small tape recorder from the package he was holding.
    Darcy watched as he pressed play. She was surprised to hear Jeff’s voice coming from the small device. “Hi Anna, we need to talk. I don’t know what to do. I need to talk to you about Darcy.”
    Jon clicked the recording off. He looked expectantly at her. “Do you know anything about this?”
    “I have no idea,” Darcy answered truthfully. “Did you ask Jeff?”
    “Not yet. I came to you with it first.”
    “Does…does my sister know?” Jon and Grace were partners. If this recording was evidence in the case, then she had to know about it, too. Didn’t she?
    “Grace knows I pulled the messages off Anna’s machine,” Jon said. “She doesn’t know the contents. Yet.”
    “Yet?” She narrowed her eyes at him. Was that a threat? “You can tell her about it. Tell her you asked me about it, and I don’t know a thing about it because that’s the truth. Now, thank you for sharing this with me but I think you should leave.”
    Jon stared at her for a moment and she found herself hypnotized by his eyes. He nodded and turned away without another word. When he was gone, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
     

Chapter Twelve
     
    As Darcy walked to work the next morning she saw people she had looked at as friends and neighbors, and now she saw them as potential murderers. Pete was walking down the street toward the bank. He waved and smiled at her. She waved half-heartedly back to him.
    Darcy kept walking until she got to the bakery.  A good, strong coffee was just what she needed today. Going inside she found Helen frosting donuts fresh from the oven. Her husband Steve was pouring a cup of coffee for himself.
    “Hi Helen. Hi Steve.” She smiled, putting on a front even as thoughts and worries and theories spun themselves like spiders’ webs in