(2008) A Cold Dark Place by Gregg Olsen

Author:Gregg Olsen [Olsen, Gregg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crime
Published: 2011-12-08T05:55:35+00:00

Saturday, 11:15 A.m., north of Seattle

Traffic was uncharacteristically light as Emily Kenyon drove northward from Seattle. Her back ached from the long drive from Cherrystone, and her car smelled of a cinnamon scone she'd picked up from a Starbucks drive-through. She told herself to ignore the exit off the freeway that led to the home she and David had shared when they were first married. It was a classic Craftsman in the University District. It had more built-ins than they had things to stash. David was doing his residency at the University of Washington Medical Center back then. She was finishing up her stint at the police academy south of Seattle. All was good. Too good. Too short. She knew that the fragmentation and ultimate destruction of their marriage had been shared by both, but even so she wished she'd given in more often. For her daughter's sake, and deep down, she knew, for her own.

She glanced at the Mapquest printout of directions to Olga Morris-Cerrino's address and pulled off the freeway onto a two-lane road along the creamy green waters of the Nooksack River. A grove of cell towers flew by the driver's window. She passed a small dairy farm and wondered how much longer it would be there. New homes were pushing the countryside farther and farther away. It was true of just about every populated part of Western Washington. In time, she knew, there would be no more farms. That would never happen in Cherrystone, of course. As David had pointed out time and time again, "Nobody with half a brain would want to live there."

If it was home, you would, she'd thought.

She passed by an emu farm, its sentinel of birds standing along a wire fence line like prehistoric creatures. All turned their heads in unison as her Accord drove by. Emily thought they were ugly, but considered stopping to snap a photo with her cell phone. Jenna would think they were cute. She thought opossums were adorable. Emily turned right up the long dirt driveway, a tuft of grass separating two parallel grooves. The mailbox: CERRINO.

Olga Morris-Cerrino was already waiting out front of the big white house, the chief benefit of a very long driveway. Standing over the sink in the kitchen window, one could see a car coming two minutes before it arrived. There was always time to do a little urgent straightening of the house and a cursory check in the mirror to see if the hair looked all right.

"You made good time," Olga called out, walking toward the car. "Perfect timing. Minestrone sound good?"

Emily shut the car door and extended her hand. "You must be Italian."

Olga ignored the hand, and embraced Emily with a warm hug. "Don't let the last name fool you," she said, with a laugh. "I married into that one. And the minestrone? It's my mother-in-law's recipe. I claim nothing."

"It is so beautiful here," Emily said, looking around at the garden as they walked toward the open front door.

Olga bent down to pick up the cat.

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