Cut to the Corpse Read Online Free

see Margie. It felt like a bold maneuver to donate them to the rummage sale. As if she were making an official break from her old life and embracing this new one.
    “These are exquisite,” Margie said. She ran her hand over a plastic-covered, plum Nicole Miller. “Several steps up from what I’m donating at any rate.”
    Margie gestured down at her feet and Brenna saw she was wearing a pair of tan work boots.
    “You really want to part with those?” Brenna asked. “They could be pretty spiffy with some hot pink laces.”
    Margie smiled but it was rimmed with sadness. “They’re Jake’s. He outgrew them before he even scuffed them. I’ve been using them in the garden, but they’re too good to keep for myself. It seems like just yesterday he and Clue were catching tadpoles in the lake and begging to keep them as pets, and now he’s getting married.”
    “Lillian says once you’re a parent the days are long and the years short,” Brenna said. She looped her arm around Margie’s shoulders and led her back out into the main room. “It’ll be all right.”
    “Maybe you could donate some of your furs, Mom,” Tara was saying as they rejoined them.
    Tiffany gave Tara a weak smile, and Brenna knew she was clearly not as enamored of the thought of her furs in the rummage sale as her daughter.
    Brenna glanced over at the Porter sisters. They both looked disapproving and she hoped they didn’t give Tara or her mother a hard time.
    “Why don’t you ladies help yourself to some wine and cheese?” Brenna said, and she led the way to the refreshment table. On the way, she leaned close to the Porter sisters and hissed, “Be nice.”
    They both gave her wide-eyed innocent looks, and she shook her head. This was going to be a long class.
    Tenley brought two chairs from the break room and shifted the places at the table to make room for the Montgomery women, while Brenna grabbed two more clear glass plates from the armoire. Tara oohed and aahed over Brenna’s work and even her mother seemed impressed.
    When all of the women were seated, Brenna had them sift through the baskets of paper cutouts until they found enough to use on their plates. She then had them turn their plates upside down and glue the pictures facedown onto the glass.
    “That’s a lovely engagement ring, Tara,” Lillian said as she leaned over to grab a bottle of white glue. “It’s very delicate.”
    “Thank you,” Tara said. She turned her hand in the light to watch the diamond sparkle. “It was Jake’s grandmother’s.”
    Margie gave her a wistful smile. “My mother wore that ring from the day Daddy proposed until the day she died.”
    “And I will, too,” Tara said. She clutched her hand to her chest, looking painfully earnest.
    Brenna glanced at the ring. A small round diamond was nestled in the center of an ornate gold filigree ring. It looked very Art Deco, which would be about the right time for Jake’s grandmother to have been engaged.
    The diamond was not the usual size that someone of Tara’s social standing would normally wear. Brenna glanced at Tiffany’s hand and noticed she wore several diamond rings, all of which dwarfed the petite diamond on Tara’s hand.
    Tiffany took Tara’s hand in hers to study the ring. “It has an old-fashioned charm,” she said. “It’s a lovely starter ring.”
    Margie bit her lip, and Brenna couldn’t tell if she was holding back a sharp retort or if it was a reaction to having her feelings hurt.
    “Does everyone have their pictures glued on?” Brenna asked, swiftly changing the subject.
    Ella Porter was just gluing on her last picture. She wiped the excess glue off of the glass with a damp rag and looked up at the rest of the table.
    “Okay, we’re going to let these dry until our next class, and when we come back, we’re going to paint the back of the plate with latex paint. I have several colors here, but you’re welcome to bring your own. When the paint is dry, we will then seal