Murder on the Rocks by Shawn Reilly Simmons

Author:Shawn Reilly Simmons [Simmons, Shawn Reilly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Cozy Mystery
ISBN: 9781635112962
Google: O8UqtAEACAAJ
Amazon: 1635112966
Publisher: Henery Press
Published: 2018-02-05T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

“Chef!” Tama’s voice came to her in waves, getting louder as she came to. “Chef,” Tama urged. “What happened?”

Penelope focused on the wood floor slats she was now sitting on, the pool of milk at her feet. Her heart was still pounding, but her breath had slowed. She concentrated on filling her lungs slowly, then exhaling as her vision regained focus.

“Chef,” Tama said, more panicked this time.

Penelope looked at Tama, then put a hand on her shoulder. She was sitting on the floor, her back pressed to the refrigerator door and Tama had squatted down next to her.

“What’s going on?” A man emerged from the office door and hurried to Penelope. “Are you okay?”

“I’m not sure what happened,” Penelope said thickly. “I thought I saw someone I recognized.” Her eyes darted to the front of the store, but she couldn’t see the door from her seated position.

“Come on, let’s get you up,” Tama said, lacing her arm behind Penelope and urging her to her feet.

“Yeah, thanks,” Penelope said foggily. Tama pulled her to a standing position with the help of the store manager, each of them on one side of her.

When she was back upright, Penelope saw the cashier from the front of the store staring at her from the aisle, with the three boys who were now all inside watching her silently in a loose circle.

“Cheri,” the man said gruffly, “stop staring at the lady and help, will you?”

Cheri blushed and she turned around, ushering the others away from the aisle so Penelope could pass through.

“Do you need an ambulance?” the man asked. He was short and solid, his arm under Penelope’s hand thick and muscular.

“No,” Penelope said quickly. “I just got dizzy there for a minute. I’ll be okay.” She shot a glance at the boys who were pretending not to watch her walk to the counter and a strange weightless feeling slipped over her again. None of them looked familiar to her, they weren’t the boys from the attack at Sonya’s. Penelope’s cheeks blushed as she pushed down her embarrassment. “Sorry about the milk. I’ll pay for it, of course.”

The manager waved her off. He was dressed casually in jeans and a flannel shirt. He didn’t have a nametag and Penelope realized she just assumed he was in charge. “It’s nothing. I just want to be sure you’re okay.”

Cheri pulled a wooden stool from behind the counter and offered it to Penelope, who smiled gratefully. Penelope closed her eyes and took a few breaths.

“Okay, we’ve all seen enough,” the man said. “You boys go about your business now.”

The three young men shuffled away from the counter, heading further into the store to finish their shopping.

Penelope opened her eyes and smiled weakly at the man. “I’m really sorry.”

The man put a burly hand on Penelope’s shoulder. “It’s nothing. Honestly.” Tama looked at her with concern.

“Tama,” Penelope said, clearing her throat, “go ahead and get the stuff on the lists. I’m going to rest a bit.” She pulled out the one from her pocket and handed it to her.

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