Diner Impossible (A Rose Strickland Mystery) Read Online Free PDF

fired.” She plucked another chocolate and crumpled the wrapper, tossing it at the trash can. It wound up on the floor. “Everyone knew what was going on between Delia and Martin. She didn’t care. In fact,” she practically snarled, “she liked that everyone knew. Got off on the power.” She crammed another piece of candy in her mouth.
    “What did she plan to do about the baby?” Roxy asked.
    Randa laughed bitterly. “She lost it. Or so she claimed. She probably had an abortion. God knows Martin didn’t want any more kids. According to Delia, the two he already has are a pain in the ass.”
    Oh, that Martin. He may not have been a devoted husband or father, but he was ranking right up there as the world’s biggest asshole.
    “Do you think he killed her?” I asked.
    She used her pinky nail to pick at her front teeth. “Probably. The way I hear it, she threatened to tell his wife all about their affair.”
    “But according to you, Delia enjoyed her position of power. Why would she go blabbing to Mrs. Martin?” It didn’t make sense. Either Randa wasn’t privy to all the information regarding Delia and Martin’s affair or she was wrong. So far, all she’d done was spew venom, but hadn’t given me any useful information.
    “Who knows?” she said with a shrug. “Maybe they had a fight. Maybe he was as sick of her as the rest of us were.”
    “Did she have any friends around here?” I asked.
    Randa laughed, showing me her candy-coated front tooth. “She didn’t have friends. She had informants. Everyone was scared to death of her, of what she could do if she decided to destroy your life. A one woman wrecking crew.” She poked inside the box, picked up a chocolate, and broke it in half. “Damn it, vanilla crème.” She tossed it at the trashcan as well. This time, two points.
    Roxy shifted against the wall. “Who was Delia’s next victim?”
    Randa leaned back in her chair. “I couldn’t begin to guess. But you know who she was always going on about? David Ashby. I think she must have had a crush on him because she was always talking about him, telling me about his latest cases. Like I gave two shits. And when he’d come into the cafeteria, she never took her eyes off him.” She looked from the nearly empty box to the wrapper littering the floor. “God, now I’m going to have to spend an extra three hours in the gym this week.”
    “Who’s David Ashby?” I asked.
    “Assistant Prosecuting Attorney? Hello?”
    “Never heard of him,” Roxy said.
    Randa slammed the lid on the box and tossed it back in the drawer. Then she started straightening the papers on her desk. They crackled as she gathered them and tapped the bottoms against the desk blotter. She adjusted the stapler, her pencil holder, the computer monitor. Sliding her tongue over her teeth, she shooed me with one hand. “I shouldn’t even be talking about this. It’s time for you two to go. Get rid of that photo.”
    She watched as Roxy fiddled with her phone screen and nixed the picture. “Happy?” Roxy smacked her gum and breezed out the door.
    I stood to do the same, but turned back to Randa. “One piece of advice. Next time, before hitting it with Sam and his snake? Lock the door.”
    Roxy and I had the elevator to ourselves and as we made our way upward, she shot me a wide-eyed glance. “What a freaking nutbar.”
    “Totally. Think she could have killed Delia Cummings?”
    She popped another piece of gum in her mouth. “Um, yes. She hated Delia enough.”
    “True. We’ll keep her for now.”
    “What’s our next step?” Roxy asked.
    “Find out about David Ashby. If I manage to survive dinner with my parents.”

Chapter 5

    I arrived at my parents’ house ten minutes late—if anything would cure my mother’s strange behavior and induce her ire, tardiness was the ticket. It wasn’t my fault. I got held up by an accident on Apple Tree Boulevard. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t accept excuses.
    I noticed my