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

you?"
    "It's fine,” I said. “If you turn left at the corner ahead and stay on Lafayette Street, the road will take you straight to the restaurant."
    Josh nodded and hit the gas. We shot off into the darkening night.
    A bank of clouds loomed off to our west. Lightning flickered in their upper reaches. Muted rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance. We’d suffered a dry spring so far. I knew farmers would be eager for the rain. I only hoped the system would deliver a mild storm, not the kind that roars in with strong winds and damaging hail.
    As Josh drove, I watched the town flit past the car window. Mostly filled with old homes, Cloverton’s population hovered just under twenty thousand. Clapboard houses were the norm, most of them built around the turn of the last century. An outbreak of brick ranch houses had arisen during the fifties and sixties. But today’s recent McMansions had bypassed us completely.
    We were a quiet, gentle community where the biggest sport revolved around sticking our noses into each other’s business.
    Returning my attention to inside the car, I discovered Josh and Tony in the front seat swapping life stories. "You know, I grew up in New York City," Stepich announced. "I couldn't imagine living in an isolated spot like this one." He twisted his head sideways to get a better look at me. "No offense meant."
    "None taken,” I answered, barely managing to curb my wish to respond in kind. I’m sure I could have come up with a few well-chosen words about his home town, too. I sighed. “I know Cloverton's easier to put up with if you are raised here."
    Living in Cloverton had been the biggest bone of contention between my college heartthrob and me. He’d informed me on breaking up that he’d find life in Cloverton to be like living in a snow globe — all shut off from the world and surrounded by drifting soap flakes. I would have laughed off his comment, except I understood the earnestness of his words.
    "Anyway,” Stepich rushed on, “my family runs an import-export business." He chuckled. "After college, I sort of moved right in."
    "Do you like the work?" Josh asked.
    "Yeah. The job's interesting. The operation isn’t the kind of thing that would ever go over in this burg, though."
    Somewhat offended on Cloverton’s behalf, I struggled to keep my tone neutral. "Well, of course we’re not exactly sitting next door to an ocean. That makes a difference, you must admit.”
    "You're not next door to nothing," Stepich answered. He turned toward Josh. "How about you? Do you think you could live in a small town like this?"
    "Actually, my mom was a Cloverton native," Josh said. "And I was already planning to stay on for a few days to get to know the area. Mother never talked much about the town she grew up in."
    "The sooner I’m back to New York, the better. I was planning to fly home tomorrow. But now with Gary’s murder, I’ll be staying for the funeral."
    "That's nice of you," I said.
    "It’s not all my choice," Stepich replied. "That old goat of a cop pretty much made it clear he expects me to hang around. That is until he says it’s okay to leave. Can you imagine? He actually delivered that dreaded ‘don’t leave town’ speech to me."
    "I'm sure Gary's parents will appreciate your staying on."
    “Yeah,  that's probably true. But you don’t know my dad. He expects me back home, pronto.”
    “No, I don’t,” I replied, although I thought his father was probably no more demanding than mine. Not considering the new version of Dad I’d dealt with tonight.
    Moving beyond Cloverton proper, we came to corn fields and the aging two-lane highway that carried traffic from the Interstate to town. Then, we rounded a curve and the bright lights of the popular restaurant came into view.
    "Guess we’re here?" Josh asked me, giving his head a nod toward a glowing neon sign signaling Bella's Place.
    “Yup. Well done. You’ve struck the target.”
    Part truck stop, part upscale