Once in a Blue Moon Read Online Free

she
leaned against the stucco and tried to catch her breath. Again she
thought about what the weatherman had said. Strange events occurred on the night of the blue
moon.
    A chill ran up her
spine and she shuddered, shoulders jerking. She stood for a moment,
letting her breath regulate, then finally reason took over and she
shook her head. She was being ridiculous. She needed to make an
appointment to see the doctor. Obviously she was under too much
stress, or perhaps wasn’t eating enough.
    She glanced across the
expanse of grass; her car door was still open, the briefcase
abandoned on the lawn, one high-heeled shoe half-way between.
    She was a little shaky,
but other than that, felt fine now. She took a step toward the
stairs, but stopped just short of where the moonlight hit the
porch.
    Panic hit hard. She
didn’t dare go. Making an impatient sound in her throat, she glared
at the briefcase. She needed it, and she needed to pull herself
together, not dwell on hocus pocus. She took one more small step,
but still couldn’t make herself walk down the stairs.
    She rubbed her hands
over her face and let out a shuddering breath. Fine. It was fine.
She was sick and shouldn’t go back out there anyway. She turned,
walked slowly to the front door and opened it.
    As she walked into the
house, she stumbled, grabbed at the wall to hold herself up, and
almost knocked the painting by the front door to the floor.
    She righted the
landscape, then stared at the lame depiction of a field, trees, and
some rolling hills in the background. The artist was some ancestor
of Richard’s, a guy who’d moved to Europe to learn to paint before
coming back to the area.
    Her lip curled as she
read the signature. Andy Sullivan, California, 1890. Andy should
have stayed longer and worked harder at his craft. And Melissa
should have let the picture fall. If she ruined it, perhaps they
could put some modern art on the wall. Richard usually left the
decorating to her, but occasionally turned stubborn over the
strangest things.
    “Are you all right?”
Claudia, the new maid, stood by the stairs in the huge entryway, a
scarf tied around her head. A chubby German woman in her fifties,
she held a big Tupperware bowl, a plate of cookies, her handbag,
and was obviously just leaving. She hurried forward.
    Melissa waved a hand to
ward her off. “Of course. I’m fine.”
    The maid looked into
her face, glanced down at her shoeless foot, then into her face
again, a look of skepticism in her blue eyes. But she only nodded.
“Your dinner is in the oven.”
    Melissa opened her
mouth to announce she’d already eaten, then hesitated. After the
weird experience she’d suffered, she’d better actually eat
something. Besides, she needed the energy to finish her designs
later. She closed her mouth and nodded. “Thank you. Did you get
everything done on my list?”
    Claudia nodded. “Yes,
ma’am.”
    Melissa raised her
brows skeptically, glad to have something else to focus on. “The
bathrooms? Did you use a toothbrush around the faucets? And the
cupboards in the kitchen are washed down?”
    “Yes, ma’am. That’s why
I’m here so late. I finished everything you gave me to do. Mr.
Kendal seems very pleased with my work.”
    “Richard is easy to
please.”
    Claudia lowered her
gaze. “Yes ma’am. Is that everything?”
    “I’ll have a new list
of chores on the kitchen counter for you tomorrow.” Melissa
hesitated, and suddenly uncomfortable, she lifted her head high,
looking over the top of Claudia’s head. “Uh. I left some things on
the front lawn. My briefcase and a shoe. Could you bring them in
and shut my car door before you leave?”
    The maid was silent,
and when Melissa finally glanced at her, Melissa noted her surprise
and glanced away again. Claudia finally answered. “Yes, ma’am,” and
opened the front door.
    Melissa took a deep
breath and glanced in the ornate mirror behind the front door. Her
small, angular face was pale, causing her