All the Beautiful Brides Read Online Free PDF Page B

shadows from the woods suddenly looked ominous, the thick trees a perfect place for a predator to hide.
    Icicles clung to the awning, breaking off in the wind and crackling like glass. She kicked snow from her boots and unlocked her door, the blustery wind rolling off the mountain confirming another storm was imminent.
    The house was cold, the furnace grumbling as it tried to warm the interior, the windows rattling with such force she thought the panes might explode.
    She turned on the gas logs, the silence in the house making her ache with loneliness, a reminder that Brent was gone and would never walk through the door again.
    The wedding photo of her and Brent on the mantel drew her eye, and she blinked back tears. They’d been so happy that day.
    With her parents gone and Brent’s family deceased as well, they’d decided on a simple ceremony at a little chapel in the woods that overlooked the valley below.
    Cal had been Brent’s best man, but he’d looked nervous at the ceremony. Then she’d heard Cal and Brent arguing. When she’d asked what they were fighting about, both had clammed up.
    It must have been important because after that, the two men had barely spoken.
    Why she was remembering that argument now she didn’t know.
    Maybe because Cal was in town and she hadn’t heard from him. Maybe because he was working a murder case, and she worried about him just as she’d always worried about Brent when he’d been on assignment.
    She’d been terrified that he’d be killed on the job.
    Ironic that he’d died from a car accident on a mountain road in the middle of nowhere instead of in the line of duty.
    The gas logs slowly warmed the den, and she brushed away fresh tears and poured herself a glass of chardonnay.
    A noise sounded out back, and she walked to the kitchen and glanced out the window. The woods backed up to her property, the night dark with clouds, shadows hovering everywhere she looked.
    Maybe she should call Cal and ask him about the case. He might drop by to visit, talk to her, assure her she was safe.
    Assure her he was safe.
    She’d lost Brent already. She didn’t want to think about Cal falling prey to the dangers of his job.
    Remembering the commendation Brent had earned for bravery and courage, she went to the desk in the corner of the kitchen.
    She removed the keepsake box where she’d stored the medal, opened it, and ran her fingers over the carving. She’d been so proud of her husband the day he’d received it, although Brent had been humble, had shaken off the praise, saying he didn’t deserve it.
    She studied the photograph of the award ceremony. His face was stoic, eyes cast downward. Cal stood beside him, ramrod straight, not looking at Brent as Brent shook hands with the mayor, who’d called him a hero. Brent had not only busted up a big gang, but he’d saved two lives during the takedown.
    Later at dinner, though, neither Brent nor Cal had wanted to talk about the actual arrests. She’d heard Cal mention something about losing a CI and suspected there was more to the story. But she hadn’t pushed Brent.
    She found Cal’s number in her phone and punched Dial, but the phone rolled to voice mail.
    “Cal, this is Mona. I need to see you. There’s something of Brent’s I want to give you.”
    Maybe Cal would finally tell her what had happened that day, why neither of them wanted to talk any more about it. Why Brent being heralded a hero had made them both so uneasy.
    She’d also find out what he knew about the murder in Graveyard Falls.

    Cal’s phone dinged that he had a message, and he checked it, surprised to hear Mona’s soft voice.
    His gut clenched as he listened. She needed to see him. Was something wrong?
    Had she learned more about her husband since his death, something that had upset her?
    Of course it would upset her . . .
    Sweat broke out on his neck. How could he tell her that he didn’t want anything that had belonged to his best friend?
    Anything except