Invitation to Murder (Book 1 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) Read Online Free Page A

relate to the call you
got at the card shop. I don’t know. I kind of thought it might case
your mind.”
    I kissed his cheek. “It helps, it really
does. Thanks for coming by.”
    “ You’re most
welcome.”
    “ Listen, would you like to
join me for breakfast? I’m just getting ready to eat.” I’d been
planning to have a yogurt for breakfast, but if my brother could
come over and check on me, I could make him some eggs. I knew his
wife had him on a strict new diet, but I figured a little real food
wouldn’t hurt him.
    “ That sounds great,” he
said as the radio on his belt suddenly squawked.
    “ Sheriff, are you
there?”
    He answered it. “Right here, Jody. What’s
up?”
    His deputy said, “I need you at 136 Elm
right away.”
    “ What’s going
on?”
    “ We found a body,
Bradford. She looks like she’s barely out of her teens. It’s pretty
bad.”
    My brother said, “Don’t touch anything. I’ll
be right there.”
    As he hurried to his squad car, he said,
“Sorry, Sis, I’ve got to go.”
    I nodded and watched him drive away. There
was a knotted fist in my gut as I found myself wondering if it was
the woman I’d heard scream the day before.
    Sara Lynn was waiting for me out front when
I got to my card shop. “Wow, when you say early, you mean early,” I
said as I unlocked the door and let her in. The mail had already
come—pushed through the slot in the door and scattered on the
floor—and I gathered it up and laid it on the counter as I flipped
on the lights.
    “ I didn’t want to
interrupt you during regular business hours,” she said as she
looked around. Most likely Sara Lynn didn’t want to be away from
her business if it was open. I’d been dreading the day my sister
finally stepped into my shop; I knew that under her scrutiny all of
its flaws would be exposed. I watched her walk around, studying
everything, not giving away the slightest emotion as she did
so.
    “ I love it,” she finally
said, and I felt the relief rush through me. “It’s really quaint.
Jennifer, you’ve done a wonderful job.”
    “ Let’s hope my customers
think so,” I said.
    “ They’ll come; don’t you
worry about that. Have you planned any grand-opening sales events
of advertising? I can help there, you know.”
    “ I thought I’d take a few
days to work out the bugs before I made any formal announcement to
the world.”
    “ Don’t wait too long. Now
is the time to strike, while your store is brand-new. I’ve got some
wonderful ideas on how to promote your shop.”
    I could see the wheels turning in her head.
I wasn’t about to let my sister take over my card shop, as much as
I loved her. “Don’t, Sara Lynn.”
    “ What? I can’t help my
baby sister?”
    “ I can handle it myself.”
I glanced at the clock. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready to open
your own shop?”
    “ Goodness, look at the
time.” As she started for the door, she turned back to me and said,
“This discussion isn’t over, young lady. I can be a valuable
resource for you, and I’m not going to let you squander
it.”
    “ Bye,” I said, not
trusting myself to say anything else. There were some great things
about being the baby of the family, but sometimes they were all
outweighed by my siblings’ desire to run my life for me. I was
going to have to stand firm and keep saying no until it got through
to Bradford and Sara Lynn that I was going to do this on my own,
whether it meant roaring success or dismal failure.
    After Sara Lynn was gone, I was officially
open for business, but customers hadn’t been waiting in line to get
inside. The stack of mail was still sitting on the counter, but I
couldn’t imagine that there was anything but bills and unwanted
solicitations in the pile. If the past few days had been any
indication, I wouldn’t have much to do all day, so I decided to
save the mail for later. I couldn’t start working on the Albright
wedding invitations until I spoke with the mother of the