“Our last night in Amarillo,” I said and sighed. We three women huddled under warm afghans tucked around us in Sophie’s wicker rockers on her front porch. The starry sky seemed almost close enough to touch. The lonely cry of a coyote rose and fell on the wind.
A Crossfire Roadster wheeled into Sophie’s driveway and parked under the yard light. “Well, well, Darcy, it seems you are about to get your wish,” Sophie said.
A young woman slid out of the sporty white car with the black rag top and came up the walk.
“Good evening, Charlene. Pull up a chair,” Sophie said.
“Hi, Aunt Sophie. I’ll perch here on the railing. I haven’t long to stay,” Charlene said. “I came to tell you something, Aunt Sophie. I’d rather you hear it from me so you can be happy for me.” She slipped off the railing and held her left hand out to us. A ring with a large diamond glittered in the moonlight.
“A ring? An engagement ring? Why, that’s wonderful, Charlene. Who is the lucky man?”
“Tom Mott.”
Sophie gasped and I could feel her shock and dismay. “Tom? Oh, no, Charlene.”
Charlene jerked her hand away and crammed it into the pocket of her tight Levis. “Why not? Tom loves me and I’ve loved Tom for a long time.”
Sophie drew a deep breath. Her voice sounded tired as she said, “Oh, Charlene, dear child, I hope you’ll reconsider.”
Charlene stamped her booted foot. “Look, Aunt Sophie, let’s put our cards on the table. You know that I’ve always been crazy about Tom. I loved him even before he married Andrea. She took him away from me and you know she did! But then, I guess she paid for it, didn’t she?”
I spoke before I had time to consider my words. “What do you mean ‘she paid for it’, Charlene?”
Charlene backed up. Her voice sank to a whisper. “I don’t mean what you think. I would never hurt Andrea. Never. Yes, Granny gave her the ranch and it should have been half mine. That was so unfair! But, I am not responsible for her disappearance.”
Standing up, I faced Charlene. “But, you know who is responsible.”
This is the last day to download Grave Shift, the second Darcy and Flora cozy mystery, as a free Kindle. Don’t miss it! Darcy and Flora, on the search for a killer, follow the trail to Amarillo, Texas. Did they find the answer to the mystery there? Read and see.
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