A Magnet for Murder by Judith Jackson

Author:Judith Jackson [Jackson, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-11-11T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

“Listen to that sound,” said Rose, picking up the phone and holding it in the air.

I put my coffee down and listened carefully. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly. That’s the sound of the phone not ringing. If it weren’t for the Nosey Parkers calling to see if there was any new gossip about you and Will, we wouldn’t have had a call in two days.”

Our morning confab at the office was off to a gloomy start. It was gray and threatening rain outside, and inside it wasn’t much more cheerful.

“Maybe it’s the season,” said Julie, as she stared out the window. “Every business has its slow times.”

Rose shook her head. “It cuts deeper than that. I’m going to spend some time on the website today. Really jazz it up. And I’ve been researching SEO —” she looked at our blank faces — “Search Engine Optimization. We need to get our name out there. Expand beyond the neighborhood.”

Julie stepped away from the window and pulled up a chair beside me. “No muffins today?”

“The Kafe was closed when I went by. Karla was supposed to be in early today. How are we ever going to keep that place going if the customers can’t even count on it to be open in the morning?” It sure seemed like I’d hitched my sail to two sinking ships.

Julie and I sipped our coffee in gloomy silence while Rose checked the e-mail.

“Well if that doesn’t just take the cake,” she said. “Mary Ellen Pratt says she wants us off the case. Too chicken to call me, so she sends this long nasty note. Like it’s our fault Charlie isn’t speaking to her.” Rose pushed away from the computer and turned to face us, her head resting on her hand. She looked so despondent. I wasn’t used to this morose version of Rose. “I need this place girls. I can’t go back to idling away my days, playing cards and socializing. Working here has given me such a zest for life, I feel like I’m fifty years old. Maybe fifty-five first thing in the morning.”

“What happened with Mrs. Pratt?” asked Julie. “I thought she’d be happy we couldn’t find any evidence her husband was having an affair.”

Rose turned back to the computer and re-read the e-mail. “Turns out Charlie was taking those dancing lessons so he could dazzle her at their fiftieth wedding anniversary next month. After Mary Ellen accused him of chasing after someone in his dance class, he’s so mad he wants to cancel the anniversary party. She’s threatening not to pay us. She’ll pay all right. We did exactly what she hired us to do.” Rose sniffed in disdain. “Charlie taking dance lessons.”

“Now what?” I asked.

“I suppose I’ll have to bite my tongue and run interference with Mary Ellen. I’d like to give her a piece of my mind, but I can’t have her telling people Bona Fide is going around breaking up marriages.”

“Hello,” called a male voice, from the bottom of the stairs. “You up there, Rose?”

“That’s Forrest.

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