Murder in the Marigolds by Dale Mayer (good books to read for 12 year olds txt) 📗

“I told you,” he bit off, “I was down at the station.”

“Well, that’s one thing about Mack,” she said. “He never discusses cases. He is not allowed.”

Mathew looked at her searchingly and then relaxed slightly.

“I don’t know anything about the case. But you’re in town when somebody was murdered. You were the last person in her personal relationships,” she said, “so I guess a little questioning is normal.”

“Maybe,” he said, settling in a little bit more into his seat. “Just something about seeing cops like that makes my back go up.”

“Well, I just haven’t had any reason to be sideways of the cops,” she said, “and he’s always very nice to me.”

“That’s because he wants you,” he snapped.

She looked at him in surprise. “I don’t think so.” Well, she hoped so, but she still wasn’t quite ready, and that just took her down that pathway of how she was a confused mess.

“Any guy can see it. That’s the only reason he is hanging around.”

“Well, it’s nice of him still,” she said. “Being here on my own has been a challenge.”

“It has, but, like I said, it’s not something that you have to do anymore.”

“Well, that’s romantic,” she said in a dry tone.

He chuckled. “I think we’re well past that.”

“I don’t know,” she muttered. “It does feel a little wrong, when you’ve been out of my life for so long and after your ex has just been murdered.”

“Well, I didn’t do it,” he growled.

She sighed, shrank back slightly into the seat, and said, “I never said you did.”

He pulled up in front of the Capri. “Will this work?”

“Of course,” she said. In fact it was better, as she didn’t think they could get into The Yellow House without a reservation. It was a small catered scenario over there, where they only did so many dinners for so many people in the evening. She’d walked past their building once and had stopped to study the menu and had wondered what it would be like.

But the Capri would work just fine. As she walked toward the front door, he rushed forward and held the door open for her. She smiled her thanks, wondering at his actions. He’d done things like that early on in their courtship but had very quickly stopped. As if he already had her, so why bother with niceties. She’d always found that difficult. Now it was almost more difficult to let him do it. He was after something. … He was also perturbed at Mack’s presence at her house. She had to admit to feeling a certain joy over that too.

They were given a table with a view. Mathew smiled. “This is nice. I mean, it’s a small hick town, so you can’t expect much.”

“Nope, you sure can’t,” she said, agreeing with him.

“I don’t know why you couldn’t have stayed on the coast.”

“I didn’t want to,” she said simply. “It wasn’t the life I wanted to lead anymore.”

“So you wanted to come to this little hick town and be a country girl?”

“Well, it’s hardly a country-girl life I live. I’m here in a town, not raising chickens on a farm.”

“Well, that’ll probably be next,” he said, with a wave of his hand. “I think I even passed cows on one of the roads. Like somewhere off Benvoulin or some such thing. Cows,” he said, pointedly looking at her. “Did you hear me? Like they actually have cows here.”

She burst out laughing. “Well, you’ll probably order a steak for dinner,” she said, “so it does make sense that they have cows here.”

“That’s just wrong though,” he said. “Steak belongs on your table, but cows do not belong in a field beside me.”

“Everybody wants the food lot to be in somebody else’s backyard,” she said simply.

“Of course and thankfully it’s here because then it’s not my backyard,” he muttered.

She chuckled. “I don’t mind seeing the cows, and the horses are a joy, as is all the other wildlife. I’ve seen quite a few things since I’ve been here.” That was to put it mildly.

“I’m sure you have,” he said, with the shake of his head. “I mean, it’s not as if you stayed in the same social circles, the same level of lifestyle.”

“Yeah, how would I do that?” she said. “I didn’t have any money. Remember? All our friends dropped me, when they heard that.”

He smirked. “Well, you could have it again though.”

She didn’t answer him. Why would he even dangle something like that, when it’s obvious he didn’t care about her? What was this all about? The maître d’ came around and brought a drink menu and a regular menu for them. Doreen looked quickly and decided that one of the things she hadn’t had in a very long time was fresh tuna. So she ordered a glass of white wine, and, when the waitress came, Doreen placed her order, and her husband approved.

“That’s always a good dish, isn’t it?”

“Well, I haven’t eaten things like that recently,” she said, “so I will enjoy it.”

“Good,” he said. “Anything that reminds you of the lifestyle that we had together is helpful.”

Again she said nothing. When everything was delivered, and the staff left them in relative peace, he said, “So what’s going on between you and the detective?”

“Nothing,” she said in surprise. “We’re friends.”

“Yeah, friends,” he said sarcastically.

“It is possible to be friends.”

“Not really,” he said, “he wants something from you.”

She stared at him. “Well, I’m sure he’d probably say that about you too.”

At that, his eyebrows rose. “I told you that I wanted something,” he said. “I want you back home, where you belong.”

“Robin’s hardly even dead,” Doreen murmured. “Isn’t that a little fast?”

“We’d already split up,” he said. “Thankfully. Otherwise the cops would be looking at me a little more intently.”

“Well, I don’t think Mack wants anything from me,” she said. “I’m more of a pain in the butt to him instead.”

He laughed. “Well,