Murder in the Meditation by Kari Lee Townsend

Author:Kari Lee Townsend
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oliver-Heber Books

“Are you ready?” I asked my mother as I picked her up from the inn.

“Yes, thank you, darling,” she responded, dusting off the seat and laying a paper towel down before climbing in, of course. “No way would I let your grandmother drive me in her hearse-mobile. That woman is a menace on the roads. Fiona isn’t any better, and your father is too busy for me these days.” My mother sniffed sharply.

“Really? How so?”

“He is being ridiculous, following Harry around on his quest to complete his bucket list. Now, mind you, Harry is a fit man for his age, but he’s much older. I can see the rush for him. Your father has plenty of years left, so I don’t know why he’s acting crazy. At least, I hope he does.” She pursed her lips, forming rare creases in her face. “You don’t think there’s something he’s not telling me, do you?” My parents might not be the most loving parents, but they adored each other. I had always wanted a marriage like theirs.

“Dad, is fine, Mother.”

She harumphed and looked out her window.

My father had always been Dad to me, but my mother preferred Mother. That pretty much summed up my relationship with my parents. My father was my big teddy bear, while my mother was, well, my mother.

“I think he’s just having a lot of fun,” I added. “He had a stressful job for so many years being a cardiologist.”

She sat up straighter. “Well, I had a stressful job, too. Being a lawyer isn’t easy, you know. I was up against sharks.”

“Exactly,” I said and meant it. “Did you ever think maybe you should join him? You might find yourself having some fun as well.”

“Good Lord, no.” She looked aghast. “You will never see me running around acting like a fool.”

I thought of Mimi’s Sound of Music spectacle, but wisely remained silent.

“Retirement has made him lose his mind,” she went on. “Good thing our grandchild will have at least one grandparent who is sound of mind.”

A warmth filled my chest. “You’re really excited about being a grandmother, aren’t you?” I peeked at her sideways, curious to see her reaction.

“I will make a great Mimi,” she said, looking straight ahead. “Like you said, I’m not in that stressful, time-consuming job anymore.” She hesitated a moment, then added, “I wasn’t around as much as I would have liked while you were growing up. It was difficult to be taken seriously as a woman in a man’s world. I had to do things I didn’t always like in order to get ahead.” Her gaze met mine. “My only regret is not being there for you enough. I’m sorry, truly.” She nodded once. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

I blinked tears away, unable to believe I was finally hearing the words I’d longed for my whole life.

“Sylvia,” my mother shrieked, “watch the road.”

I jerked my bug back into my lane, my heart pounding.

“Sorry, I meant Sunny.” She cleared her throat.

“It’s okay,” I replied, and we both knew I was talking about more than my name.

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