Lethal in Lavender: A Honey Pot Mystery by Sarah Hualde

Author:Sarah Hualde [Hualde, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indie Christian Writers
Published: 2019-04-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Maven's sleep was lush and fruitful. She arose enthusiastic for the day. Her body delighted in her yoga routine. She meditated for a full thirty minutes and then curled up with her journal. Perhaps, she’d take a drive later. Maybe she’d meander through the crazy small town she was visiting and see what all the fuss was about.

Berna interrupted her morning primping. The inn owner knocked on Maven’s door. Maven chose not to allow the disruption to annoy her. She answered the door, cheery. “Hello, Mrs. Berna.”

Berna appeared discombobulated for a moment. Maven was not the same weary woman from the morning. The only thing dark on this woman was her hair. Berna held the tray out toward her guest. "Thought you'd appreciate lunch before you head off to see your cousin."

Maven’s smile flickered. “My cousin?” She whispered. “I’d almost forgotten about poor Averie.” She guided Berna into her room. “I slept so well. I thought, for a second, yesterday was only a nightmare. Your French toast borders on the miraculous. I slept better than a baby.”

“Good, good. I’m glad.” Berna set down her tray.

Maven stood in the bathroom, applying her makeup. "Thanks for lunch." Berna watched Maven grab her eyeliner and apply a thin, perfect line with ease. "Was there anything else? I believe Averie paid through the weekend."

Embarrassed and blushing Berna responded, “Oh no. My, nothing like that. Yes, you’re paid up through Tuesday. I was just wondering if you’ve heard anything else about your sweet cousin. Any news?”

“Only that they believe she’s gone loony. You know, yelling at the walls and talking to invisible people. That kind of thing.” Maven’s steady hand completed her second eye’s liner without a smudge. “They’ll probably tell me more about it later. Maybe they’ll lock her up for good this time.”

“This time?” Berna felt awkward and useless. So, she removed the room’s trash bags. She hopped between flat surfaces dumping only the visible trash items.

Maven chortled with cool numbness. “Oh, you didn’t know? Yes, cousin Averie goes off her rocker from time to time. I'm so sorry you had to witness it here at your beautiful inn." With a flick of the switch, the bathroom went dark, and Maven led Berna toward the door.

"Oh, that's too bad." Berna consoled, "I'll come to pick up the tray when I come clean your room. I don't want to keep you from the hospital."

“Thank you. Aren't you sweet?” Maven offered a goodbye leaving Berna confused and wandering the hall with a half-empty trash bag.

Clattering, from outside, awakened Berna from her haze. There was a lot to do. No use wasting time coming back up to Maven’s room. It was the last day of the festival. The vendors were preparing to open shop. She’d spend her lunchtime cleaning the bedrooms on the third floor. Olive, her assistant, would have to tackle the bottom story suites.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.