Minnie Crockwell - Will Travel for Trouble 01 - Trouble at Happy Trails Read Online Free

at all.
    I left and returned to my RV, ruminating. Had Carl killed himself? I wondered why. I couldn’t help but visualize the tall, thin, angry man I’d seen that morning. Now, he was dead.  
    How are you faring, Minerva?  
    “Oh, I’m okay, Ben. I’m not the one who’s dead or who lost someone. They were talking about suicide. How awful for Sally! She’ll probably blame herself for the rest of her life.”
    Yes, I imagine she will. My uncle took his own life, and my aunt never fully recovered from the grief.
    “Ben! I didn’t know that! I’m so sorry. I’ve heard it called a selfish act, but I think someone must really be suffering terribly to end his life.”
    My uncle was in great pain from a disease of the stomach. The family understood his desire to end his life, but my aunt was disgraced. It is not de rigueur to take one’s own life.
    “Well, it’s none too popular now, and although Sally won’t be ‘disgraced,’ people will always wonder if it was her fault, if he couldn’t stand to live with her so much that he killed himself.  
    A pity…
    Ben’s voice held a soothing sympathetic note.  
    “Well, I’d better set up the couch for her.”
    Sally showed up within an hour, carrying a small recycling bag sold by grocery stores.
    “I took a shower in the campground shower house,” she said as she climbed the stairs. She was subdued. Probably stunned. Her face was swollen, her eyes puffy.  
    “Come, sit down. I made up the bed for you. Do you want something to drink? Tea? Water? Hot milk?” What did one offer a grieving person?
    “Do you have something harder?”
    “Oh!” I mentally rummaged through my cupboards and refrigerator. “Well, actually, I don’t. I don’t drink very often, and since I have to drive a lot, it’s probably best I don’t.”
    That’s not to say that I didn’t tie on a few during my misspent youth, always in search of romance in the wrong place. Bars and nightclubs were not the best place to find true romance. It was no wonder I had never managed to marry again.
    Ah! But had you remarried, it is likely that you would not have met me . Ben’s voice purred.
    He was a bit of a flirt, but I enjoyed it.
    “Well, if you don’t mind, I brought my own stuff.” She reached into her bag and brought out a small rounded bottle clearly marked “Brandy.”
    “Oh!” I said again, nonplussed. “I’ll get you a glass.”
    “Get two if you’d like to join me.”
    I shook my head. “Not for me, thanks.”
    I think that is a wise decision, my dear, although I would so dearly fancy a taste of brandy myself.
    I still can’t believe you can taste what I can.
    It is very odd, I must admit.  
    I reached for a glass and handed it to Sally. I took a seat beside her on the couch. Her short hair was wet from the shower. She wore a loose dark blue flowered shirt, black capri pants and black sandals.  
    She poured herself a glass and set the bottle on the end table beside the couch.
    My first inclination was to ask her questions, but I suspected that would not be welcome, so it surprised me when she started talking.
    “I never thought Carl would do it. He had threatened over the years to kill himself, but I never thought he would go through with it.”
    “I’m so sorry, Sally.” I wished I had some profound words of consolation, but I had nothing.
    “Thank you. I left a message for my brother. He didn’t answer his cell phone. I’m sure he and his wife can come up tomorrow. I’ll have to call the owner, Nick, and let them know that I can’t stay on here…and that Carl is…gone.” Her chin quivered on the last words, and she gulped her drink and poured another.
    I nodded, again wracking my brain for something helpful to say.
    Any words of wisdom, Ben? You’re the one with the flowery words.
    I apologize, Minerva, but I too have nothing else to offer other than my condolences, and you have expressed those adequately.
      Well, I’m going to have a very drunk