Vanessa Gray Bartal - Lacy Steele 07 - Icy Grip of Murder Read Online Free Page B

fine. We’re fine. We’re
having a discussion,” Jason said.
    “A discussion. Okay,” Kimber
drawled. She tugged on Joe’s sleeve, and they eased away.
    Lacy took a breath and purposely
lowered her voice. “I think going to Minnesota is the right thing to do.”
    “I don’t,” Jason said. He was also
making a concerted effort to be calm.
    “I’m going,” she said.
    “I’m not,” he said.
    “All right. I’ll call you when I
get back.”
    “Have a good trip,” he said tersely.
Then he turned and walked out the door.
    Lacy watched him go, a sick heavy
feeling in her chest. This was their first argument as a couple. A part of her
wanted to go after him and make things right. The other part warned her there
wasn’t time. She had other, more pressing things to do.
    First, she needed to close up
Michael’s shop. She removed cash from the register, counted it, and called Joe
to deposit it in her bank a few doors down. She left a note with the exact
amount inside the register so that she would remember to give it to Michael
when he returned. Next she turned down the heat in his store, something that
she asked the store owners to do every night to save
on utilities. Most of them were good about remembering. If not, Joe checked
each thermostat and made the proper adjustment. When that was done, she tidied
the few things that were out, turned off the light, and locked the door. She
would need to put a sign on the door, but she couldn’t decide what it should
say. Closed until further notice? That felt too final. In the end, she borrowed
an extra “Closed” sign from the ice cream store and left it at that.
    Next she went upstairs and began
arranging her own office. While she was away, Suze would face her first taste
of responsibility. Lacy hoped she had done the right thing by hiring her. At
least she still had Kimber and Joe nearby to keep an eye on things. There
wasn’t too much her new secretary could destroy, right? She hoped not.
    She invited Suze into the office
and gave her a list of instructions. Suze nodded and took notes as if she were
paying attention, but it was hard to take someone wearing camo pants and a Violent Femmes t-shirt as a serious professional. When Lacy
returned, they needed to have a serious chat about wardrobe. Of course, she
should wait until the memory of her lost underpants faded into obscurity.
    When she finished at the office,
she went home and packed. Her grandmother fretted in the doorway, stuffing
treats into any available compartment when Lacy wasn’t looking.
    “I wish Tom was here to talk you
out of this,” she repeated more than once. “Of all the days for him to have a
trustee meeting.”
    Lacy had no idea which meeting she
was referring to. Her grandfather was on the board of several local
organizations. “It’s going to be okay, Grandma. I’m going to lend some moral
support and make sure Michael is properly represented.”
    “But Minnesota is so far. Who knows
what they eat up there? I’ve head stories. Are you familiar with lutefisk?”
    “No. What’s that?”
    “I think fish is involved, but I
don’t know what happens to it. The point is that it’s a different place with
different people and different food. I’m worried about you,” her grandmother
said.
    “To be fair, you worry about me
when I’m right here,” Lacy reminded her.
    “That’s true, but at least here I
know you’re eating right.”
    “Finding food has never been my
problem,” Lacy said.
    “I suppose. I would feel better
about this if you weren’t going alone. Maybe I should come with you.”
    Lacy almost choked on that
suggestion. While she had no fears for herself, her octogenarian grandmother
was another story. “It’s cold up there, and there’s snow on the ground already.
Besides, Grandpa would kill me for dragging you away.”
    “He could come, too. We could be
your, what do kids say, wingmen?”
    “I appreciate the offer, Grandma,
but no. I’m going to go make sure