Ever So Silent: An Emma Thorne Mystery by Christopher Little

Author:Christopher Little [Little, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Honeysuckle Publishing
Published: 2019-05-12T16:00:00+00:00

The message light was blinking on Emma’s answering machine. There were two messages. She pressed Play. Mark Byrne was inquiring about her well-being. He reiterated his offer to help her find Will. The second message was—no surprise—from Dick Wardlaw. He said that he would be in his office at Town Hall between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. “I expect to see you, in person, in that timeframe.”

Emma found one of Pepper’s rope chew toys. She played tug-of-war with her until she became too tired to play anymore. Before making herself lunch, she refilled Pepper’s water bowl. Pepper was still thirsty after the run and the tug-of-war bonanza.

Emma took her sandwich and an icy beer into the backyard, where she sat in the shade of maple tree. Pepper lay nearby, exposed her tummy to the sun, and promptly fell asleep.

In spite of the bumper car ride of the last two months, Emma felt surprisingly good. The weather made her feel even better. She lay back in her lounge chair. She worried for a few minutes about Vanessa before falling asleep with Pepper. She had another Will-dream.

She first spotted Will in the parking lot of the old bowling alley on Spruce Street, now shuttered. They had bowled more than a few frames there in the old days. Will got into an expensive looking sports car. She couldn’t read the model, because he quickly drove away. She tailed him straight to Deb Barger’s house … into the house … and into Deb’s bedroom. Deb, who was dressed in a sheer baby doll outfit, greeted him as if they were lovers. Watching from the doorway, Emma saw her leer at Will.

Deb said, “Come to bed with me. Emma will never be the wiser.”

“No,” Will said, “I can’t do that to Emma. I don’t want to hurt her. She looked after me when I was sick. I owe her.”

“I always knew you were a putz, Will Foster. What do you care what Emma thinks?”

“Oh, but I do.”

When Will left Deb’s bedroom, her smooth neck was unharmed and blood-free.

Emma was no longer in the shade. She awoke, feverish and sweaty, and she remembered every detail of her dream.

Wasn’t this a good omen? she thought absurdly.

She went to take a sip of her beer, but the bottle was empty. She tossed it aside.

Suddenly, Emma remembered the meeting with Dick Wardlaw. Her watch read 3:30 p.m. Damn! She went up to her bedroom to change into her dress uniform. A moment later, she flipped a switch. Why proffer the respect he didn’t deserve? She pulled on a pair of faded shorts and a T-shirt.

Leaving Pepper shut up in the house, Emma drove to Town Hall. Wardlaw’s secretary was there, which surprised her. It was Sunday afternoon.

The secretary said, “Please wait, Chief, the Mayor is not ready for you.”

Without comment, Emma took a seat on the sofa in a small waiting area. She stared at a cactus in a bowl on the coffee table and cooled her heels. A petty power play on Wardlaw’s part.

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