Silver Lake Secrets by Alison Stone

Author:Alison Stone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-09-20T04:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Nicole and Brett stood on Mr. and Mrs. Peters’s front porch. She shifted from one foot to the other, partly to thaw out her toes, partly wanting to make a fast exit. “Last time I came here, I was forced to take a vacation.” She rolled her eyes.

“We need to address the jewelry incident head-on or they might think you’re hiding something.”

Nicole had a distinct case of déjà vu, but hoped Brett’s presence made a difference this time.

Nicole lifted her hand to knock on the Peterses’ front door when it flew open. She stepped back, startled, and Brett placed his hands on her waist to steady her. Gene, the mortician, muttered a curt greeting and rushed past them and down the driveway. The door stood ajar, but neither Nicole nor Brett felt it was their rightful place to walk in.

Gene strode down the street. “I wonder what he was doing here. I thought he worked at the funeral home.”

Nicole tapped her thigh, the urge to turn and run nearly overwhelming her. She drew in a deep breath. “That isn’t exactly a full-time job. The Peterses always have him running errands and such. Similar to how I do hair and makeup and paperwork around the office.” She watched Gene get into a beat-up old car under the shadow of a huge pine tree.

The home nurse, dressed in a crisp gray uniform, appeared in the open doorway. She had a curious expression on her face. “I didn’t hear you ring.”

“Gene was just leaving,” Nicole said.

“Well, Mrs. Peters is resting in the sunroom. Please, come in.” The middle-aged woman ushered them toward the back of the house, her cushy white shoes silent on the tile.

Mrs. Peters was sitting in the same chaise as the other day with a blanket draped over her legs. The elderly woman covered her mouth and coughed. Her eyes, with just a shadow of their usual feistiness, registered their presence. “To what do I owe this visit? The chief of police himself.” Mrs. Peters’s gaze drifted past Nicole without acknowledging her.

Nicole felt a little light-headed. Had Mrs. Peters already made up her mind about her?

“How are you, Mrs. Peters?” Brett took off his hat and tucked it under his arm.

The blanket twitched over Mrs. Peters’s feet as if she was wiggling her toes. “I don’t know what’s worse, to lose one’s body or one’s mind.” She lifted a shaky hand. “I’m sharp as a tack, but my body has failed me. But if I had lost my mind...” a wet, popping laugh bubbled up “...I wouldn’t be any the wiser.”

The nurse hovered in the doorway for a moment, then, as if on some unknown command, disappeared into one of the other rooms.

“Is Mr. Peters home?” Nicole clasped her hands in front of her and shifted her feet. Heat pooled under her arms. She fumbled with the buttons of her coat.

“He had to run out for a bit. I was in the mood for some ice cream.

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