Muffalettas and Murder by Jann Franklin

Author:Jann Franklin [Jann Franklin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rougarou Press LLC
Published: 2023-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

“Ev, darling! How are you? I hear you have a new friend? Is he replacing me?”

Was Elizabeth talking about the dog or Shorty? Since she was married to the veterinarian, I assumed she meant the dog.

“Of course not! Let’s talk about you—how’s your father?”

Elizabeth Trahan had been over the moon to learn I was moving back to Graisseville. We’d both admitted long distance friendships, like long distance romances, were hard to maintain. Unfortunately, just as I closed on my new home, Elizabeth’s father suffered a heart attack. She packed her bags and headed for the boot of Louisiana (the southern tip of the state) to help with her father.

“Dad’s doing better, but Mother’s still just a basket case. She can’t keep the home health care schedule straight, and struggles with Dad’s medication. Oh, Ev, I’m not sure I’m ever coming home!”

Things get complicated when the child becomes the parent. “Well, don’t you worry about Cliff! Your daughter-in-law has him over most every night for a wonderful home cooked meal. Please don’t repeat this, but I think Cliff’s gained an extra ten pounds since you’ve left.” Was that a chuckle on the other end of the phone?

“Yes, he complained about it last month.” Her voice dropped an octave as she mimicked her husband. “‘Elizabeth! I’ve got to call Shorty to fix our dryer—it’s shrinking my pants!’” Her voice trailed off into peals of laughter, resonating like a medium pitched wind chime with mellow but vibrant tones. That laugh put a smile on my face more times than I could count.. Nobody understood me like Elizabeth.

Oh, how I missed my friend! “Well, stay as long as you need, and don’t worry about Cliff. Or me either. We’re both doing fine.”

“Yes, I hear you and Shorty Cormier are working a case for Nate. What’s that all about?”

Shorty dropped me off from our trip to Stella’s, just about the time Elizabeth called. Listening to her updates gave me time to hang my purse on the hall tree and head to the kitchen to brew a pot of tea. Wheeling my tea cart with both hands and Elizabeth on speakerphone, I hurried to the couch to share my new adventure.

“Honestly, I think we’ve narrowed it down to two suspects: the drug addicted friend, and the disgruntled co-worker. Although I’m not ruling out the sister.” Stella was back on my radar, so I felt comfortable sharing that with my bestie. We talked for almost an hour, and I brewed another pot of tea. Finally, we said our goodbyes. She couldn’t come home soon enough.

My eyes rested upon the picture frame on the end table. My favorite picture of me and the kids, when we rented a cabin on Caddo Lake. Our first trip without Doug, and we’d worked hard to have fun. We’d succeeded too, at least in my mind.

The frame always faced the couch, so I could see it while watching TV or reading a book. Why was it turned just slightly, so I couldn’t quite see Matty’s face?

The hairs on my neck vibrated, like a tuning fork.

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.