Along Came A Needle: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery Read Online Free PDF

an option – ever. I loved them and they loved me unconditionally. Since long before my marriage and long before Diana was born, Hank and Ruby had seen me through all the dramatic affairs of young adulthood and had remained steadfast by my side through all that life had thrown at me and them.
     
    “Good night, sweetheart. Sleep well.” I hugged the love of my life – Diana. “I'll see you in the morning.”
     
    I thought a hot bath would help to ease the tension I felt in my body. It was better than the alternative, although the alternative – wandering the halls – would be inevitable. I had the nagging feeling that what we witnessed wasn't a simple heart attack or anything of that nature. His behavior was off. The signs I would naturally look for just weren't there.
     
    “Sleep, Mercy.” I reminded myself.
     
    Just as I'd drawn a bath, I could hear a new, fresh set of voices speaking on the floor below. I thought I knew who would be speaking. It would have been necessary to have informed Flynn's loved ones. The thought of that broke my heart.
     
    I hadn't known him for longer than five minutes, aside from our hike, which left no room for an actual conversation between us, but I got the sense that he was an interesting, albeit unique, person and that fact alone made me like him. Unique was my middle name. I didn't always play by the rules. I had trouble following direct orders unless they were in alignment with what I found morally obligated to do and was the absolute right thing to do.
     
    The commotion downstairs had gotten louder since I'd jumped into the tub. It almost sounded like Chip had invited several people over for a talk. I'd hazard a guess and say that a few of those folks were police officers, but I couldn't imagine that all of the voices belonged to investigators.
     
    I wouldn't be me if I didn't take a few minutes to investigate further. I promised not to get involved with the actual murder, nor the events that played out afterward.
     
    With a comfy sweat suit on my body and bunny rabbit slippers on my feet – they were easier to sneak around in – I made my way past the closed doors belonging to Ruby and Diana's rooms and down the beautiful, wide staircase to the main level. Considering the throng of voices, I would have expected every light in the house to have been on, but the main level was surprisingly dark, save for a hint of light emanating from under the closed pocket doors leading to the main parlor room.
     
    Standing on the front landing, staring at the closed door leading to the dining room where only a few short hours earlier, we'd all been getting to know one another and watching Flynn go from one extreme to another, cold chills ran up my spine. How quickly life could be taken from a person. I'd seen it before, plenty of times, but this felt different. Nothing about what I'd witnessed earlier remotely resembled a natural death.
     
    Behind me, down the hallway, a voice boomed loudly. “Have you lost your mind? You can't seriously believe this is a good idea, Chip!”
     
    The door was pulled open suddenly. Instinctively, I retreated, taking cover behind a large bureau that sat adjacent to the front stained glass door.
     
    Chip's voice was the one I heard next. “I will do this. He would want me to. We'd always agreed that if anything happened to either one of us, that the other would continue on and keep our business going. What could possibly be wrong with that? It's not like I suddenly decided to create these murder mysteries. We've been doing that since the day we opened. Why not just help add to the ambiance? I think Flynn would get a kick out of it.”
     
    A woman followed behind Chip. “No, I don't think this is a good idea. I think we should take some time to regroup and mourn. It wouldn't be right to continue on just yet.”
     
    Chip sighed, his feet, inches from where I was crouched down, doing a horrible job of hiding my ample frame behind the bureau. Please,