1 Death Comes to Town Read Online Free PDF Page B

away.
    Feeling completely drained Darcy went into the kitchen. Dirty dishes were set in the sink. She had planned on getting to them later. Well. It was later. Trying to keep her mind busy and off what had happened she filled the sink with hot, sudsy water and set to doing the menial task. She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt the tears running down her cheeks. Sensing her distress Smudge appeared from wherever he’d been hiding to rub up against her leg.
    “Hey there, Smudge. Want some dinner?” He meowed and she imagined she could hear a question in it. “Oh I’m fine. I’m just so upset about Anna. I just don’t know how something like this could have happened. And I just let her go home when she told me she was upset. If only I’d made Anna talk to me. Maybe she might still be alive. You know?”
    Smudge meowed again and shook his head energetically. It made her laugh. “Yeah. You know.”
    Darcy finished washing the dishes and went up to bed. As she got comfortable under the covers Smudge jumped up onto the foot of the bed. He sat there looking at the bedroom door like he was on guard, protecting her.
     

Chapter Five
     
    She should have stayed home from work the next day. She said it to herself over, and over, every time a customer asked the same question.
    “Oh Darcy, isn’t it awful about Anna? And I heard you found her. Poor you. Oh my, the whole town is talking about what happened to Anna. They’re saying she was murdered. Is that true?”
    It figured that the whole town was talking about what had happened. The town was filled with people ready to gossip about any little thing. Something this horrifying would never go un-discussed.
    The bell over the door jingled to announce the arrival of a customer so Darcy left Sue with the unpacking of their shipment of new books and went over to the counter. Mark Cameron, who worked just down the street at the bank, was standing there jumping from foot to foot.
    “Oh D-Darcy. I-Isn’t it awful about A-Anna?” He peered at Darcy, taking a second to concentrate. Mark had been a stutterer since he was a little boy. Excitement made it worse. “I-I heard that y-you were th-the one to f-find her. Th-that must have b-been awful f-for you. W-what d-did you s-see?”
    “Yes it was awful, Mark.” That was all she gave him. She wasn’t going to help turn her friend’s death into gossip. She avoided answering any more of his questions by changing the subject. “Um. Did you want to buy a book today?” He nodded and when it looked like he was going to keep going on about Anna, Darcy called for Sue to come and help him choose a book. 
    As she went back to unpacking the boxes and making a mark in pencil on the inside cover of each new book to show they belonged to her store, she could hear Mark chattering on to Sue, who was a willing participant in the conversation. Darcy could tell he was getting more excited by the minute as his stutter got worse and worse. Shaking her head with annoyance she ripped another box open with more force than was needed. It did make her feel better though.
    Mark and Sue finally came back to the counter with a book that Mark had chosen. He was still going on about the murder of Anna and Darcy snapped, “Really, Mark. Can’t you think of anything better to do today than gossip about someone we all knew?”
    Sue raised her eyebrows in surprise. Darcy suspected that Sue was a little scared of her when she got like this. At that moment she really didn’t care; she just wanted Mark to shut up.
    Sue rang up Mark’s purchase herself on the cash register and he paid for his book and walked away with a sheepish look. As he was about to leave another customer came in to the sound of the bell over the door ringing. Darcy looked up to see Jess O’Conner, who worked at the bank with Mark, entering the shop. Great another person come to gossip about the events of the previous evening.
    Sue quickly greeted Jess, probably sensing that