Matrimony in Miniature by Camille Minichino

Author:Camille Minichino [Minichino, Camille]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cozy mystery
Publisher: Crossroad Press
Published: 2021-12-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

In spite of statistics to the contrary, I chose to believe the theory that no one who’s intent on serious harm rings the doorbell first. I opened the door partway and heard, for the first time outside of an old movie, “Howdy, ma’am.” The tall lanky man touched the tip of his hat brim. No omnipresent baseball cap here, but a full-blown ten-gallon hat in an appealing shade of brown. Western attire was not unusual in much of California, but in Lincoln Point it was a rare sight. Pocket protectors and button-downs outnumbered cowboy hats by a large margin. The nearest town rodeo was many miles away. I glanced around the hat, across the street, as if Mabel were my security guard. If nothing else, she’d summon the police if I didn’t show up soon with soup and crackers. I could have sworn I saw a lace curtain drop.

I looked up at the cowboy, taller by a few inches and broader by yards. “Yes?” I asked, my voice as shaky as my knees.

“I’m Lloyd Albertson. I’d sure appreciate it if you could spare a few minutes of your time.”

“Audrey’s …” What? I was at a loss as to what to call him. “You’re from Denver,” I finished, glad to be able to end my sentence. I was still a little thrown by his size and his outfit. A thin-striped, western style shirt with mother of pearl snaps on his pointy pockets, a bolo tie of turquoise and silver, and a matching silver buckle on his black leather belt. Impressive, but I’d have felt better if he’d had a vest with a star pinned to his chest.

“Audrey’s friend, ma’am, that’s correct. From a little town outside of Denver. Some kind folks in your town pointed me in your direction, and, as I’m sure your neighbor told you”—he pointed across to Mabel’s house and I believed I saw her curtain move again—“I’ve been sitting outside of your house most of today.” He gave me a wink and a smile, so, of course, I opened the door to its full width (I couldn’t have held him back anyway, I reasoned) and invited him in.

Lloyd took off his hat, scraped the soles of his boots on the doormat, and with three strides made it to well inside the atrium. He stood, a somber expression on his face, not saying a word. I checked his hips—no guns—and motioned that he could sit. I took the seat opposite him and breathed as evenly as I could. The atrium was chilly, but I didn’t feel comfortable inviting him across another threshold into my living room. I did, however, feel compelled to break the silence. I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry about your friend.” My word choices were becoming lamer by the hour.

“My one true love,” he said, not adding that it was unrequited in spite of his allegedly overbearing attempts to rekindle it. A country-western tune played in my head, like the ones Susan Giles sang along with on her car radio.

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.