Darcy Sweet Mystery Box Set Four by K.J. Emrick

Author:K.J. Emrick [Emrick, K. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: South Coast Publishing

Chapter 2

Smash!

Darcy actually ducked, even though she wasn’t sure what had just made that horrendous noise. The world was still for a handful of seconds.

“I told you it wouldn’t stay up there.”

On the other side of the entranceway, a wide space of dark wood paneling and hardwood floors and woven rugs, a registration desk stood in front of pigeonhole mailboxes. A middle aged woman stood there, leaning her crossed arms on top of the desk, shaking her head slowly back and forth. Long auburn hair spilled forward over her shoulders to fall across a sleeveless blouse almost the same deep green color as her eyes. When she saw Roy and her and Jon standing there, she stood up and pulled the unruly hair back in place again.

“Greetings all,” she said to them. “Welcome to the Pine Lake Inn. Hey, Roy. Got me some new guests, did you?”

Her accent wasn’t anywhere near as heavy as Roy’s. He nodded to her, already putting down the luggage he had carried in. “Sure do, Dell. They, uh, already booked themselves a room. This here is Miss Darcy Sweet, and Mister Jon Tinker. Darcy here owns her own bookstore. Jon’s a cop. Like your son. Er, how is your Kevin?”

Dell lowered her eyelids in a lazy way. “He’s right as rain, Roy, thanks for asking. Hasn’t had to arrest any taxicab drivers in a dog’s age.”

With a nervous laugh, Roy turned and nearly ran out the front door.

“That man needs to be on new meds,” was the comment from the other person in the room, a man with gray hair wearing blue denim overalls, heavy boots, and a tool belt around his waist. He had been busy sweeping up broken glass while Roy introduced them to Dell. A large, framed picture of a man with a distinguished handlebar mustache sat propped up against the wall. The frame was bent now, and only shards of glass remained intact at the edges.

This was what had come crashing down. Darcy felt foolish. Just a painting falling to the floor. She needed to relax. That was what they were here for, after all.

Now the handyman swept the broken bits into a dustpan and shouldered his broom. “Anyway, Dell, I’ll try hanging this picture again. Must be something wrong with the wall. Warped, or something.”

Dell, the woman behind the register, smiled patiently. “That’s not the way of it, George. I told you, nothing stays on that wall.”

George waved the broom handle at her. “Now, don’t go starting that. Buildings have their quirks, that’s all.”

On the registration desk next to Dell, between her and the desktop computer monitor, a beige colored phone rang.

She picked it up, never taking her eyes off George. Without saying a word she handed the receiver towards him. “Maybe you should tell that to them.”

Darcy watched the strange interplay between the two of them. What was going on here? George stared at the phone as if it was a live snake ready to bite him. Then he swallowed loudly and grumbled as he took his broom and broken glass out of the room.

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