Laid to Rest (A Darcy Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 18) Read Online Free

couldn’t be right.  Darcy checked her watch, and then checked it against the little clock up on the filing cabinets.  Sure enough, it was already half past five o’clock.  Oh, for Pete’s sake.  Where had the time gone?  She’d been reading through this journal all this time, trying to puzzle out the pieces of the past, and she’d gotten through so little of it!
    “Well, I guess we’d both better get home,” was all she could think to say, with a little laugh at her own expense.  “Is Lilly still here?”
    “She’s out in the shop waiting for me.  She’s anxious to get home and enjoy the rest of her weekend.  After tonight she’ll have to get back to school.”
    “That’s right, I forgot.”  Darcy closed her aunt’s journal and stood up.  “I’m still on Australian time, I guess.  It’s Spring down there, you know.  Not Fall like it is here.”
    “Heh.  I hope some dashing Prince Charming marries me someday and whisks me off to Australia for a honeymoon.”
    “Well, I don’t know if Jon Tinker would ever make it as Prince Charming, but he sure comes close.”
    The two of them giggled together at that.  Darcy almost felt guilty.  She had her man, a wonderful man who treated her like a princess, to hold her at night and kiss her during the day and be there for her whenever she needed him.  Izzy’s husband had faked his own death and tried to blame her for it.
    Someday, she hoped her friend would find love, too.  Real love.  Like she and Jon had.
    On her way out of the office, Darcy tapped the open book of history on the desk.  “Thanks, Millie,” she whispered.  “I’ll figure this out tomorrow.”
    She tucked the journal into the empty paper sack her pretzel bun had been in and headed out after Izzy, ready to tackle more of the journal in the comfort of her own house.
     

Chapter Two
     
    Izzy gave her a ride home.  Their houses were close to each other and it only made sense.  Most days Darcy would have enjoyed walking the short distance from the center of town out to her home.  It gave her time to think and reflect and unwind from the day.  Still, a ride from a friend was always appreciated.  Plus she was in a hurry to get back to reading through the journal.
    Darcy walked from Izzy’s house after saying goodbye to her and Lilly. It was a short distance.  A few minutes at most.  She hummed to herself on the way, hoping that Jon had already made something for dinner.  She could see his car parked up next to the house already.  Figured.  The one day that he got home on time was the one day she was late.
    Every light in the house was on.  Strange, she thought.  Even down in the cellar, lights shone through the little rectangular windows.  They never turned on every light.  There were always rooms that they weren’t using, where the lights should be off…
    What was going on?
    She picked up her pace, stepping quicker, hoping nothing was wrong.
    For a moment the night of Aunt Millie’s death flashed back to her, the night she had come home to find the police waiting and her whole world changed forever.
    That was silly.  Just bad memories, resurfacing.  That’s all it was.  Nothing was wrong.
    Only bad memories.
    She quickly entered through the front door and made her way into their kitchen.  She’d expected to find Jon at the table, or Ellen even, but the room was empty.  Her big goofball of a cat wasn’t even around.
    “Hello?” she called out, kicking her sneakers off.  Where was everyone?  She set her aunt’s journal down on the table, calling out to the house again.  Just as she was taking her denim jacket off Ellen came running in from the living room.
    “Darcy, oh Darcy I’m so sorry.  I just went out for a walk.  I went for a walk with Connor and I was gone for maybe fifteen minutes, Darcy, I swear to you.  I came right back.”
    Her friend’s short, dark auburn hair flew around her face as she shook her head wildly, apologizing again and