Valentine Murder by Leslie Meier

Author:Leslie Meier [Meier, Leslie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery
ISBN: 9781575664996
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 1999-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Then one day, Bambi’s mother told him that hunters had come to the forest.

After the meeting Lucy hurried out to her car. She had no inclination to linger and chat with the other board members. She no longer felt comfortable in the library; she just wanted to get away. When she pulled open the door to the car, yanking hard because it was stiff in the cold, she spotted a foil-wrapped package she had left on the back seat and paused.

With a sinking heart she remembered she had another errand—she had planned to make a condolence call at Ralph’s, bringing a sour cream coffee cake she had baked especially for him.

She was tempted to skip it but her conscience got the better of her and she drove across town to the house he had shared with Hayden. She paused before knocking on the door, wondering briefly if she could just leave the cake. Instead, she raised the knocker and pounded it home. It was an ornate knocker, hanging on one of a pair of carved oak doors, with huge black wrought iron hinges and a dangling iron circle instead of a traditional doorknob. That was because Ralph and Hayden had converted a church, abandoned when the Methodists joined the Congregationalists to create the Tinker’s Cove Community Church, into a home.

Hearing the click of the lock being unlatched, Lucy braced herself to face Ralph. Even so, she was shocked when the door finally opened, revealing his ravaged face. The dark shock of hair that had reminded her so much of the young Gregory Peck hung limp and greasy today and there were deep hollows under his cheekbones.

“I wanted you to know how sorry I am about Hayden,” Lucy began. “I baked this coffee cake for you.”

“Thanks.” Ralph took the foil-wrapped package and stood looking at it. “Would you like some coffee?” he finally asked. “I know I should eat but I can’t face sitting at the table alone.”

“Of course,” said Lucy, swallowing hard. It would be easy enough to make an excuse and flee back to the comfort and security of home, but that would mean abandoning Ralph to his grief and loneliness. “I’d love some coffee,” she said.

Ralph lead her through the spacious living room, formerly the sanctuary of the church, which was now furnished with Victorian sofas and Oriental carpets. They went downstairs, where the old church hall now served as an elegant dining room and the spacious kitchen had been modernized with top-of-the-line appliances and cabinets. While Ralph filled the coffee pot, Lucy sat herself at the huge antique refectory table and sliced the cake.

“This is good,” said Ralph, taking a huge bite and showering brown sugar and nuts onto the table. Embarrassed, he brushed them away. “I haven’t eaten much, lately.”

“I wanted to make popovers for you—I remembered you saying how much you like them—but they didn’t come out.”

He nodded. “That happened to Hayden, too, until he started using four eggs.” He sighed, and his voice quavered.

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