SHADOW DANCING by Julie Mulhern

Author:Julie Mulhern
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: amateur sleuths;humorous mysteries;murder mystery series
Publisher: Henery Press
Published: 2018-06-19T14:25:38+00:00

Twelve

We drove home in silence. To be more accurate, we drove home without talking.

Even the cabby was quiet. His sole comments were, “Where to?” and “Radio’s broken.”

Starry sniffled and hiccupped.

I swallowed trite expressions of sympathy.

No, I didn’t understand what she was feeling.

No, I couldn’t promise her problems would look smaller in the morning.

No, every little thing was not going to be all right.

Poor kid. She’d only left the hotel with me because she had no place else to go.

We pulled into the drive.

Starry looked at the house and shot me a you-didn’t-tell-me-you’re-loaded look. “You live here?”

I glanced at my house. “Yes.”

She crossed her arms and slouched lower in the seat. Why was she upset? The size of the house meant I had the means to help her.

“It’s just a house.” A big house. “Come on.” I handed the cab driver the fare and a tip and opened the car door. “We’ll get you settled.”

I climbed the front steps and slid the key into the lock.

Starry shuffled behind me.

I pushed open the front door and looked over my shoulder. Starry lingered at the bottom of the stoop. The cab’s tail lights glowed red at the bottom of the drive. By the curb, the streetlight illuminated a car I didn’t recognize as it cruised slowly by.

I’d never seen an El Camino within two miles of my neighborhood before. It was as out of place on my street as…as a teenage stripper. My heart skipped a beat. “Come on in. Hurry.” We stepped into the foyer and I closed the door and locked it. “Grace? Are you home?” My voice sounded too loud.

“Family room.”

I exhaled.

Max trotted into the front hall and stopped when he saw a stranger.

“What a pretty dog.” Starry crouched and held out her hands. “What kind is she?”

“He’s a Weimaraner. His name is Max.”

Max trotted up to Starry, stuck his face up her skirt, sniffed, and let her scratch behind his ears.

“You’ve made a friend for life.”

“I love dogs.”

“Mom—” Grace stopped in her tracks and stared at the stranger petting her dog.

“Grace, this is St—Jane. Jane, this is my daughter, Grace.”

“Hi.” Grace wore a who-the-hell-is-this expression. “Nice to meet you.”

Jane stood. “Hi.”

“Jane’s going to be spending the night. Would you please loan her a nightgown?”

“Sure. Of course. No problem.” Grace tore her gaze away from Jane’s outfit. “I’m glad you’re home. Someone’s been calling and hanging up. Like a million times.”

And there was an El Camino cruising my street.

Ice trickled through my veins. “I’ve got to make a call. St—Jane, would you like some hot chocolate?”

“No, thank you.”

“How about you and Grace go watch some TV? I’ll be in shortly.”

Both girls gave me what could be charitably called baleful looks.

Brngg, brngg.

They’d have to figure things out on their own. I had bigger problems.

I hurried into the study and reached for the phone.

What had Ray said? “I know who you are. I’ll find out where you live.”

I picked up the receiver. “Hello.”

Nothing. Not even breathing.

“Hello.”

Still nothing. Well, no sound. Menace traveled the phone line loud and clear.

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