Death among the Roses: a Melanie Hart Mystery (Melanie Hart Cozy Mysteries Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

terribly comfortable for a serious-minded accountant.
    As if he’d read my mind, Josh asked, “Would you consider taking part in a jail break with me? My treat?”
    "Maybe, how far do you want to run, and how long will we be gone?”
    “I thought we could grab a bite to eat somewhere local.”
    My thoughts turned to Father in the kitchen prepping another of his glorious meals, and I experienced a wish to get a little of my own back. "That sounds perfect," I said, smiling.
    “Good. Gary's best man, Tony Stepich, is coming with us. We hung out in the church basement for a while after you left.”
    If I said I wasn’t a little disappointed at the inclusion of Stepich in our little outing, I’d be lying. But I rallied. After all, men hadn’t exactly been a hot item in my life recently, nor was I looking to make them one. I didn't want to put myself back in a place to be hurt all over  again.
    This wasn’t a date, I reminded myself, just a friendly outing. “Inviting Stepich along is a good idea. He might be able to fill us in on Gary's final hours.”
    “I’m hoping he can tell me a few more facts about my cousin. Getting to know Gary and our family history was one of the reasons I came to the wedding. And I guess, it's still a pretty important part of my trip here. Even if Gary is gone.”
    “That's understandable," I said. "And commendable, too.”
    For my part, my motivation wasn't half so noble. Besides looking forward to spending more time with Josh, I couldn't help being curious about Gary’s murder. And now that I'd been pulled off the news story, I felt completely cut out of the information loop. Maybe spending time with Stepich tonight would give me access to facts as yet unknown. He’d been very close to Gary.
    After disconnecting, I jumped into a pair of jeans and slipped into a bangled T-shirt. It was warm enough outside that I decided to don sandals for the first time this spring. After using the dryer on my hair, I piled it on top of my head. I also spent a couple of extra minutes slipping in a surplus of bobby pins. I wanted to protect against the entire concoction tumbling down during dinner. I’d appeared disheveled enough in the church parking lot this afternoon. I didn’t want to repeat that trick tonight.
    Back downstairs, I found Father camped out in the living room in his favorite chair. The scent of a home-cooked meal wafted around us. I raised my chin and informed Dad I would be dining out with Josh. He didn't look terribly pleased.
    “Where are you going?” he demanded.
    I shrugged. “I don’t know. We haven’t decided yet.”
    His brow furrowed. “Melanie, what do you actually know about this fellow?”
    “Josh? He’s good. He helped me through a difficult time today. I don’t know how I would have recovered from the sight of Gary’s body if Josh hadn’t come along when he did.”
    “So he just turned up while you were standing in the parking lot?”
    “Yes. That’s about the size of it.” I decided to omit the part about his scooping me into his arms.
    After badgering me with several more questions, Dad, who was apparently enjoying his new role as drill sergeant, still didn’t look happy.
    Fair enough, I thought. I wasn’t pleased, either. I tossed him a smile and slithered out the front door.
    Just as my foot hit the porch, Josh pulled his car to the curb. Joining him, I found Tony Stepich seated in the front passenger seat. I clambered up into the back. As I reached out to close the car door behind me, I was surprised to see Dad watching us from the living room window.
    How odd, I thought. He hadn't overseen my departure like that since I was in high school. I raised a hand and waved farewell. With a somber face, he returned the gesture.
    "So where to," Josh asked, pulling my attention back to the here and now.
    "We went to Bella's Place for Gary's bachelor party," Stepich said. "The food was great."
    Josh caught my gaze in the rearview mirror. "Is that okay with