[Mace Bauer #1] Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp

Author:Deborah Sharp
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mystery, Cozy, Humour, Chick-Lit, Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Women Sleuths, Thriller, Women's Fiction
ISBN: 9780738720234
Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK
Published: 2008-05-14T23:00:00+00:00

Mama stood on the walkway in front of her house, tapping her foot and staring at her watch. The color of the day was yellow, from the chiffon scarf around her neck to the sling-back sandals on her feet. Standing in the bright morning sun, she looked like a four-foot-eleven-inch lemon slush. Her white puff of platinum hair could have been a straw, peeking out over the rim of the slushy cup.

Teensy was barking, spinning like a circus dog, on the other side of her living room window. Mama turned to blow him a final kiss, and rushed to the car. “I thought you’d never get here, Mace.’’

I looked at my watch. “Mama, it’s only twenty-five minutes after eight. I’m early.’’

Settling into the seat, she glanced again at her wrist. “So you are, Mace. I’m sorry. I’m as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I barely know Pastor Bob. I can’t imagine why he’d call me for this meeting about Emma Jean.’’

I told her about my own strange call.

“She never even bothered to show up, Mama, after calling past midnight.’’

“That’s nice, honey.’’ She turned the rearview mirror to apply more lipstick. Fishing a tissue from her purse, she blotted. “Now, what do you suppose Pastor Bob is going to want me to do about Emma Jean?’’

“I have no earthly idea,’’ I said sharply. “And there’s no sense in worrying about it now. Why don’t you wait the five minutes it’ll take us to drive over? Then you can ask him yourself.’’

She aimed a glare at me. “You know, little Missy, you’re not too old to spank. No one likes a girl with a smart mouth.’’

I punched on the radio. They’d just started a news break. We arrived at Abundant Hope before they’d even finished the weather. Temperatures in the nineties. Afternoon thundershowers. Not exactly news in central Florida in September. Still, it was the height of hurricane season, and the northern edge of the county was still recovering from a relatively weak storm in June. So the fact nothing new was gathering strength in the tropics was a hopeful sign.

Someone peered out of the mini-blinds of the storefront church’s window, following our progress into the parking space. All I could see were heavy eyebrows and dark eyes. Within moments, Pastor Bob opened the front door and walked out to greet us. His eyebrows needed a trim, but his smile was as blinding as a Hollywood actor’s. And just about as authentic. The work in his mouth had surely financed a brand-new luxury car for some dentist somewhere.

The pastor raised his hands skyward. “Isn’t this a beautiful morning, ladies? It’s a gift from God.’’

Not to be sacrilegious, but if God had asked me what kind of day to send, I’d have requested a break from the summer swelter. It wasn’t even nine o’clock, and already the sun was baking the VW’s roofless interior. The temperature on the Big Lake Bank sign read 94 degrees. We peeled ourselves off the sticky car seats and joined Pastor Bob on the sidewalk.

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.