Vanilla Vices Read Online Free

I shook my head. I knew that Gabby was just trying to get a rise out of me, and I wasn’t about to satisfy it. “So, we have one suspect. Can you think of anyone else?”
    Gabby frowned before she spoke again. “This isn’t common knowledge, but he’s been seeing a woman from April Springs.”
    “Romantically?” Grace asked, the skepticism thick in her question. She’d better be careful, or she would find herself on the wrong side of Gabby Williams yet again.
    “Don’t act so surprised,” Gabby said. “We are older; we’re not dead.”
    “Is it you, Gabby?” I asked her.
    She turned to me, frowned for an instant, and then the woman chuckled softly. “You never fail to amuse me, Suzanne, even if most of the time it’s done inadvertently. No, I wasn’t keeping company with him, but one of my friends was.”
    “Would you mind telling us her name?” I asked.
    “As a matter of fact, I would, at least until I get her permission to disclose it to you.”
    “We can wait, if you’d like to go ahead and call her,” I said helpfully.
    “That won’t be necessary. I’ll let you know after I speak with her,” she replied.
    Apparently that was going to have to be good enough. “Is there anyone that you can tell us about?” I asked.
    “Someone who had animosity towards Dan? No. You’ll have to ask someone who knew him even better than I did.”
    “Who might that be?” Grace asked her.
    “If it were me, I’d talk to Benny Flint. He has been selling his finds to Dan for more years than I can count. He most likely passed for the man’s best friend, if you could call him that. If anyone knows who might have had a vendetta against Dan, it would be Benny.”
    “Thank you, Gabby. You’ll let us know once you speak with Dan’s secret paramour, won’t you?” Grace asked her.
    “If the answer is yes, I’ll let you know immediately,” she said. As we started for the door, Gabby added, “Thank you for coming by, Grace. I feel much better about things between us.”
    “So do I,” Grace said.
    Once we were outside, I asked, “I didn’t see that coming, did you?”
    “You’ll have to be a little clearer than that.”
    “All of it,” I admitted. “It all caught me off guard, especially the hug. I had no idea you were going to apologize to her, Grace.”
    She grinned at me. “Neither did I. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”
    “Was it sincere, though?”
    “Surprisingly, it was,” Grace said. “When she hugged me and apologized in return, I nearly fainted, and we both know that I’m not the fainting kind.”
    “Wonders never cease,” I said. “Who do you think Crazy Dan was dating, Grace?”
    “If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to just call him Dan from now on.”
    “Gabby can’t hear you out here,” I said.
    “Maybe not, but it just feels better to me, as though it’s the right thing to do. You can call him crazy all you’d like to, but I’m going to go with just Dan.”
    “Dan it is,” I said.
    “Good. Should we go off in search of Benny Flint now?”
    “There’s no need,” I said as I pointed to the Boxcar. “Unless I miss my guess, Trish will know where he’s likely to be.”
    “Why is that?” Grace asked me.
    “Gabby might know the town’s secrets better than anyone else around, but Trish knows where to find folks. I don’t know how she does it, but we should go speak with her.”
    “Are you sure you don’t want to stop by Donut Hearts before we head over to the grill?” Grace asked me. “After all, we could be there in thirty seconds.”
    “Thanks, but I’ll pass. Come on. Let’s go.”
    “I have to say, you’re made of sterner stuff than I thought,” she said with a smile.
    “Don’t think I’m not dying to go over there right now,” I said, “but a promise is a promise.”
    “Then let’s go see if Trish has any idea where we might find Benny,” she answered.

Chapter 3
    “W ow, it’s really odd seeing you here this