A Death on Fools Lane : An Eve Sawyer Mystery by Jane Suen

Author:Jane Suen [Suen, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-09-09T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I had washed the dishes after making breakfast and eating scrambled eggs and toast. While I thought about getting a second cup of coffee, I heard a knock on the front door. Cassie had a key, and I’d guessed that she, being the thoughtful person she was, had given it to Randall to use so he wouldn’t have to wake me in case I was still sleeping. Who could it be?

“Coming,” I yelled, wiping my hand on a towel and making a dash to the door. I unlocked it and cracked it open.

The woman standing there was older, trim but not frail. Petite, with styled white hair and tortoise-framed glasses. Smartly dressed, she also kept a casual look. She greeted me with an easy smile.

“Hi, I’m Karen, your neighbor.” She waved at a house across the street.

I swung the door open and returned her smile. “I’m Eve. Your neighbor’s house sitter. Are you looking for Madison?”

“Well, yes, I’d like to speak to Madison, and I’m glad to meet you too, young lady.”

“Oh, err, Madison isn’t back yet.”

Her mouth fell open. “Oh …”

“She’s flying in this morning. I don’t mean to pry, but if it helps, I can take a message.”

“I just found out.” Her gaze wavered, and she looked away momentarily before coming back and meeting my eyes. “I’ve been away for a few days over the Christmas holidays, and I just got back myself last night. I knew she’d be gone too, but when I saw Madison’s car in the driveway, I thought maybe she’d come back, you know … early.”

“Cassie has gone to the airport to pick her up. She likes to get there in plenty of time before the plane lands. They’ll be here later. Cassie, Randall, and I are house-sitting. Would you like to come in and have some coffee?”

She hesitated. “Thanks, but I need to unpack and run some errands.”

I had avoided asking her about Mead Parker, as she seemed upset and shaken. But I was curious. “Karen, I’m so sorry. I never met Mead, but what happened to him is so sad. Did you know him?”

She nodded. “The first time I spoke to him was after Madison had hired him. He put a flyer in my mailbox too, but at that time, I was busy dealing with some other things and didn’t have a need for a handyman.” Her voice faltered. “But one time, I needed help with my car. It wouldn’t start. I had a doctor’s appointment that I’d waited a long time for and I didn’t want to miss it. I was getting desperate. I had rushed across the street and was knocking on another neighbor’s door. Mead saw me. Offered to help. He didn’t hesitate and came to check it out.”

“What did he do then?”

“He got into his truck and pulled it next to my car.”

“So you needed a jump?”

“Yes, and I was lucky he had jumper cables. I pumped the gas pedal, and it started. It was enough to get me going.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.