Reclaim My Life Read Online Free

get-togethers, depending on Ian’s work schedule.”
    “The four of you were new to Drake Springs, right?”
    Elizabeth nodded. “That was our bond. None of us knew anyone else here, so we gravitated to each other as newbies.”
    “How did you first meet?”
    “Sunny and I met at the bookstore on campus and struck up a conversation about where to buy house wares in town—you know, stuff like dish drainers, paper towel holders, and such—and I invited her to go with me to the dollar store that afternoon. Her husband met us for dinner at the Hurricane Lantern, which was the first time I’d eaten there. I’d mistaken it for a beer joint.”
    “Well, it does look rustic on the outside.”
    “Rustic? That’s putting it mildly. Anyway, that’s how Sunny and I became friends. We take turns cooking for each other one night a week, and then we go out one night a week with Kris and Cathleen.”
    “So how did you hook up with them to start the weekly dinner thing?”
    “Ian’s cat got sick, so I rode with them to take the cat to the vet, who turned out to be Cathleen Hodges. Her practice was new, and she needed to spread the word that she was open for business. Sunny and I offered to pin up business cards around campus. We both sensed that Cathleen didn’t really have friends in town, so we invited her to join us for dinner the following Friday. Anyway, Cathleen did all she could for Bebo, but he had to be euthanized.”
    “And Kris Knight? How did she come to be part of your foursome?”
    “The very Friday night we rode over to The Telford Hotel in White Springs—”
    “Your first outing with Cathleen Hodges?”
    “Yes. So that night at dinner, we saw a woman dining alone at the next table. We felt sorry for her and asked her to move to our table.”
    “Sunny’s husband didn’t go?”
    “No, he does a lot of systems maintenance routines at night, which is why Sunny’s on her own.”
    “Then you, Sunny, and Cathleen invited a lone diner to your table. Was that Kris Knight?”
    Elizabeth nodded. “Turns out she had just moved to Drake Springs, too. She teaches English at the high school. She fit right in, and we made plans to meet again the next week. You know the rest.”
    “Okay, so this past Friday night you met for dinner at the Hurricane Lantern. Did anything out of the ordinary happen, like overly friendly advances by other patrons or any altercations with other customers? Anything like that?”
    Elizabeth shook her head. “Not a thing. To an outsider, it would’ve been boring dinner conversation.”
    “I need for you to tell me everything about that night, even the dinner conversation.”
    “I’ll tell you what I remember, but you’ll need to ask Sunny and Kris, too.”
    “I’ll be talking with them.”
    Elizabeth inhaled a lengthy breath, then slowly exhaled. “Kris arrived first and got us a table. I don’t know how long she’d been there when I arrived—”
    “What time was this?”
    “We’d agreed to meet at six. I was about ten minutes early. Anyway, Kris and I ordered iced tea—” She gave him a brief smile. “Not the alcoholic variety. I told you we were real party animals. Anyway, we had our drinks by the time Cathleen came in. Sunny arrived last, right at six. You sure you want all these details?”
    “Yes, I’m sure.”
    “Well, I think Cathleen ordered a Diet Coke. Sunny wanted ice water with lemon. I think. I mean, how important is it to know what we ordered?”
    “Tell me everything. I’ll decide what’s important.”
    The contents of Cathleen’s stomach, for instance, could help determine how long after Friday’s dinner she’d died.
    “I ordered one of those big fried Vidalia onions and shared it with everyone for our appetizer. Then our waitress, whose name was Joyce—I remember because we ask for her anytime we go to the Lantern. She’s great.”
    “I know her.” He made a note to question Joyce Winston. Her husband, Devon, was one of Wil’s deputies.