Read Online The Popsicle Tree by Dorien Grey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dorien Grey
Tags: Mystery
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My name is Dick Hardesty.”
Silence, then a clearing of the throat, and, “I’m terribly sorry to tell you this, Mr. Hardesty,” he said, causing my heart to drop into my stomach, “but Ms. DeNuncio was struck by a car on her lunch hour. I’m afraid she’s dead.”
CHAPTER 4
Oh, JeezusJeezusJeezus!
I left the office immediately and headed for home. I didn’t know how I was going to tell Jonathan. I knew how sensitive he was, and how easily his emotions get the best of him. But with Joshua there…I just hoped he could hold it together.
And even as I was thinking this, I knew I was going to be calling Mark Richman at police headquarters to find out everything I could about Carlene’s death. It may have been an accident, but something told me it wasn’t.
Jonathan and Joshua were in the living room, playing with some of Joshua’s toys. Jonathan got up quickly and came over to give me a hug.
“What did you find out?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“Let’s go into the bedroom a minute.” He looked at me with a mixture of questioning and apprehension, but didn’t say anything, following me as I left the living room. Joshua was busy talking to G.I. Joe and didn’t notice. I closed the bedroom door quietly.
“What?” Jonathan demanded when we got into the bedroom, and I told him. I could just as well have punched him full force in the chest. His eyes went wide and he sat back down on the bed, hard, his eyes filling with tears.
“But what about Kelly?” he asked, his voice breaking. He clamped his lips together tightly so he wouldn’t make any noise. I moved quickly over to him and pulled him to his feet and hugged him while he made soft mmmph-mmmph-mmmph sounds, his face buried against my neck.
“Uncle Jonathan!” Joshua yelled from the living room. “Come play!”
I sat him back down on the bed and said: “I’ll go play with Joshua for awhile, while you get it together, okay?”
He nodded and I left the room, closing the door behind me.
“Hi, there, Joshua!” I said, going over to him.
“Where’s Uncle Jonathan?” he asked, looking around.
“He’s busy for a minute.” I sat on the floor beside him. “What are we playing?”
He reached over and handed me a cowboy doll—okay, okay, an “action figure.”
“Soldiers.”
*
As he had done with his mother when she was dying, Jonathan did a good job of hiding his feelings for Joshua’s sake and I managed to keep my own concerns in check. Dinner itself was something of an extended skirmish. We had to use the suitcase-as-booster-seat so Joshua could reach the table and he took full advantage of his folks not being there to see just what he could get away with.
Jonathan lifted him into the chair and turned to the stove for something. Joshua immediately got down and followed him.
“You’ve got to sit down so we can have dinner,” Jonathan said.
“Why?”
“Because you can’t eat standing up.”
“Yes I can,” the boy said matter-of-factly.
“No, you can’t,” Jonathan replied calmly, picking him up and putting him back in his chair, then turning back to the stove.
As soon as Jonathan’s back was turned, Joshua started to swing his legs to the side of the chair, preparing to get down again.
“Joshua,” I said, using the same calm but firm tone Samuel had used to get his attention.
He looked at me quickly, but stopped in mid-motion.
Dinner itself was macaroni and cheese and hot dogs, which Jonathan had learned from Sheryl was Joshua’s favorite meal. As soon as the plate was set in front of him, he grabbed the hot dog and began eating it from his hand.
“Here, Joshua,” Jonathan said, reaching for the hot dog, “let me cut that up for you so you can use your fork.”
“No!” Joshua said, moving his hand—and the hot dog—out of Jonathan’s reach.
This really was not a good time for a battle of wills, under the circumstances, but Jonathan handled it like a pro.
“Big boys always use a fork. I
Silence, then a clearing of the throat, and, “I’m terribly sorry to tell you this, Mr. Hardesty,” he said, causing my heart to drop into my stomach, “but Ms. DeNuncio was struck by a car on her lunch hour. I’m afraid she’s dead.”
CHAPTER 4
Oh, JeezusJeezusJeezus!
I left the office immediately and headed for home. I didn’t know how I was going to tell Jonathan. I knew how sensitive he was, and how easily his emotions get the best of him. But with Joshua there…I just hoped he could hold it together.
And even as I was thinking this, I knew I was going to be calling Mark Richman at police headquarters to find out everything I could about Carlene’s death. It may have been an accident, but something told me it wasn’t.
Jonathan and Joshua were in the living room, playing with some of Joshua’s toys. Jonathan got up quickly and came over to give me a hug.
“What did you find out?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“Let’s go into the bedroom a minute.” He looked at me with a mixture of questioning and apprehension, but didn’t say anything, following me as I left the living room. Joshua was busy talking to G.I. Joe and didn’t notice. I closed the bedroom door quietly.
“What?” Jonathan demanded when we got into the bedroom, and I told him. I could just as well have punched him full force in the chest. His eyes went wide and he sat back down on the bed, hard, his eyes filling with tears.
“But what about Kelly?” he asked, his voice breaking. He clamped his lips together tightly so he wouldn’t make any noise. I moved quickly over to him and pulled him to his feet and hugged him while he made soft mmmph-mmmph-mmmph sounds, his face buried against my neck.
“Uncle Jonathan!” Joshua yelled from the living room. “Come play!”
I sat him back down on the bed and said: “I’ll go play with Joshua for awhile, while you get it together, okay?”
He nodded and I left the room, closing the door behind me.
“Hi, there, Joshua!” I said, going over to him.
“Where’s Uncle Jonathan?” he asked, looking around.
“He’s busy for a minute.” I sat on the floor beside him. “What are we playing?”
He reached over and handed me a cowboy doll—okay, okay, an “action figure.”
“Soldiers.”
*
As he had done with his mother when she was dying, Jonathan did a good job of hiding his feelings for Joshua’s sake and I managed to keep my own concerns in check. Dinner itself was something of an extended skirmish. We had to use the suitcase-as-booster-seat so Joshua could reach the table and he took full advantage of his folks not being there to see just what he could get away with.
Jonathan lifted him into the chair and turned to the stove for something. Joshua immediately got down and followed him.
“You’ve got to sit down so we can have dinner,” Jonathan said.
“Why?”
“Because you can’t eat standing up.”
“Yes I can,” the boy said matter-of-factly.
“No, you can’t,” Jonathan replied calmly, picking him up and putting him back in his chair, then turning back to the stove.
As soon as Jonathan’s back was turned, Joshua started to swing his legs to the side of the chair, preparing to get down again.
“Joshua,” I said, using the same calm but firm tone Samuel had used to get his attention.
He looked at me quickly, but stopped in mid-motion.
Dinner itself was macaroni and cheese and hot dogs, which Jonathan had learned from Sheryl was Joshua’s favorite meal. As soon as the plate was set in front of him, he grabbed the hot dog and began eating it from his hand.
“Here, Joshua,” Jonathan said, reaching for the hot dog, “let me cut that up for you so you can use your fork.”
“No!” Joshua said, moving his hand—and the hot dog—out of Jonathan’s reach.
This really was not a good time for a battle of wills, under the circumstances, but Jonathan handled it like a pro.
“Big boys always use a fork. I
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