Murder in the Secret Maze by Judith Gonda

Author:Judith Gonda
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: dogs, missing persons, small town, weddings, gardening, landscaping
Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing

Chapter 15

The next day I drove over to Uncle Bob’s and Aunt Veronica’s house. They had lived in the same sprawling hacienda-styled home with a horse corral in the back since I was a little girl. I drove south along the Promenade, turning before I hit the Avenue, and continued for about a mile inland to Ryder Ranch, a gated old-money enclave with a strict set of homeowner association building and landscape guidelines created to preserve its natural beauty and rural setting.

I breezed along the empty road until I came to the hitching post gate that marked their turnout and meandered along their winding driveway bordered by low shrubs. Their two-acre property featured succulents and other drought-resistant plants that aptly reflected Benning Brothers’ environmental sensibility and drought-tolerant landscaping practices.

Aunt Veronica opened the Dutch door as I raised my fist to knock. “Tory! You’re early. I thought your lunch with Sam wasn’t ’til noon. He’s over at our neighbors’ feeding their horses. Come on in.”

“I purposely came early because I wanted to talk to Uncle Bob beforehand. Is he around?”

She pushed back a highlighted strand of her chin-length bob and straightened out the beige Williams Sonoma apron she wore over a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. “You just missed him. He went to the store. He’ll be back soon. Can I get you some coffee?”

Perfect timing. Now I could quiz my aunt on what I believed to be untrue statements made by Uncle Bob. “That would be great. Thanks.”

I followed her into their large kitchen. She poured some coffee into two Franciscan Strawberry Fair cups, a cozy vintage pattern I’d come to associate with the hominess I’d always found at my aunt and uncle’s place.

“How’s Sam doing today?”

She reached over and patted my hand with her French-manicured hand adorned with a simple gold wedding band. “Thanks for asking. He seems to be okay. But you know teenagers, especially boys. Still waters run deep. But I consider it a good sign he’s channeling whatever he might be feeling into productive activity. He was up early to go to work at the nursery this morning and, like I said, now he’s feeding our neighbors’ horses.”

Knowing my uncle was due back, I delved right in. “How’s Uncle Bob? How’d his interview go at the police station?”

For a moment, she looked lost in thought as she pushed another loose strand of hair behind her ear. “He was annoyed because he said they asked him the same questions they asked him the night before.”

“They called me in too. Adrian implied that Uncle Bob might be lying because he’s hiding something or protecting someone. Do you think he is?”

She furrowed her brow, adjusted her round tortoiseshell glasses, and appeared baffled as she shook her head. “Gosh. I really don’t know, Tory. Did Adrian mention what he thought he was lying about?”

“He didn’t tell me. But I was there when he asked Uncle Bob questions the night of the murder after you left. Uncle Bob seemed very uncomfortable talking about Jo, especially about whether or not you and Sam knew she was Esmeralda.

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.