The Vacant House by Tamara G. Cooper

Author:Tamara G. Cooper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christian suspense, christian mystery, christian fiction, clean mystery, cozy mystery, clean suspense, suspense series
Publisher: Tamara Cooper
Published: 2019-07-23T00:00:00+00:00

10

WHEN VIRGINIA OPENED her front door, I blurted out, “You knew I would come, that I would ask about Frank.”

Virginia seemed resigned to my being there and stepped back to usher me into her beautiful home. But this time, I’d brought Officer Maguire with me.

She attempted a smile. “Burke Maguire. I remember you from middle school. Welcome back to Forman Falls.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Crane.”

“Call me Virginia. I believe this day calls for informalities.”

The large picture window drew Burke as it had me my first visit to this place. But Virginia didn’t tell him about the leaves turning colors or the coming of the first frost in late October. She stood quietly behind us. What in life had taught her to have such reserves of serenity and poise just before she knew the boom would drop?

“It’s beautiful.” Burke turned to look at her.

Her half-attempt at a smile revealed the tension in the room rather than eased it. “Please have a seat.” This time she rang no bell for a maid. She primly sat, crossed her ankles, put her hands in her lap, and leveled her gaze on Burke.

“What was or is your relationship with Frank Zagorsky, ma’am?”

“I haven’t admitted to knowing him.”

“Do you?”

“No. He looks remarkably like a man I once knew.”

“Laura Caldwell’s first husband?”

“No. My first husband. Clarke Zalensky.”

Virginia was married to the Clarke of ‘Laura and Clarke’?

Burke wrote down the name. “A relative of Frank’s?”

“I’m not sure. The resemblance between him and Frank is extreme. They could be the same person except for the nose, the chin. It was certainly a shock to see him tonight. My Clarke died years ago.”

“Are you sure he’s dead?” Oh! I wanted to slap myself. Where had that question come from? I could just imagine my mother sighing at me, rolling her eyes, and signaling me to keep my big mouth shut.

“The car exploded, Sophie. There was a body. Is that dead enough for you?”

“I’m sorry, Virginia. I didn’t mean—”

“Yes, she did.” Burke scooted to the edge of the sofa, his firm gaze aimed at Virginia. “Sophie is under investigation right now, and she’s desperate to know the truth about some people connected to Herman Farnsberry. You’re one of them. You lied to her about Clarke Zalensky. You told her you didn’t know the man in the picture.”

“I didn’t want any of this to get out.” She sighed and seemed to search for a good way to start her story. “Laura met Herman Farnsberry on a double date with me and Clarke in Austin at the university. Clarke was immediately smitten with Laura, but she was never that interested in him. He was older than the rest of us, by about five years. After leaving the university, Laura and Herman met again in Chicago and married after a couple years of dating. Clarke and I eventually married, too. He was killed three months after our wedding. A car explosion. I was heartbroken.”

“But you didn’t mention to me that you even knew Clarke.”

“It was too complicated, Sophie.

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