Assaulted Pretzel by Laura Bradford

Author:Laura Bradford [Bradford, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Cozy Mystery
ISBN: 9781101619469
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2013-03-05T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

If Claire closed her eyes and concentrated solely on the faint sounds coming from the windows around her, she could almost pretend all was well. How else could one explain the happy chatter coming from Doug and Kayla Jones as they perused the literary offerings in the parlor? How else could one explain the noises from Room One that suggested Wayne and Virginia Granderson were preparing to retire for the evening once their teeth were brushed and a suitable program had been found on their in-room television?

Yet even as she rested her head against the back of the porch swing and did her best to let its gentle sway calm her, she knew things weren’t at all as they sounded.

Ann Karble’s room, on the other end of the porch, was pitch-black, the absence of anything resembling life on the other side of the closed curtain a testament to the deep depression that had kept the woman from eating dinner and engaging in any further conversation.

Upstairs, hidden away behind the one unnumbered room in the inn, was Diane, a woman whose smile had stopped short of her eyes ever since the Karbles’ room had been ransacked. No matter what Claire tried to tell her, no matter how often Jakob relinquished her from all responsibility, Aunt Diane was still convinced she bore the ultimate blame for the crime.

Down the road in Amish country, things weren’t okay for Sarah Lapp, either. And while Claire couldn’t be sure what the expectant mother was doing at that moment, she knew it was being done with a heavy heart. How could it not be when you were afraid your husband was involved in a murder?

Not far from that farmhouse was the one where Martha lived. Like Sarah, Martha was also concerned for Daniel Lapp. But Martha’s fear didn’t stop there. It ran one step further—to her younger brother. In turn, that stress had led to a decision that—if discovered—could result in disciplinary measures from the Amish community.

She stared out at the darkness just beyond the porch railing and tried to focus on the parts of her day that had been good. But try as she might, there were simply too many thoughts and too many worries moving through her head to get any real peace out of Esther’s smile or the brief alone-time she’d shared with Jakob at the pond.

People she cared about were hurting. Some, terribly. How could she truly expect the sights and sounds of a near-sleeping Heavenly to wield its usual sleep-inducing magic?

In two words, she couldn’t.

But, sooner or later, she’d have to sleep. If she didn’t she’d be useless at the shop, the inn, and to any of her friends who might need her help. The problem, though, was finding the energy to stop the swing, stand on her feet, and head upstairs to her room.

The clip-clop of an approaching horse, however, had her glancing at her wrist and turning it so as to read the time in the muted glow of the porch light.

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