Good, Clean Murder Read Online Free PDF

her schedule, if she put off studying until night.
    “If you can, make
yourself available to the kids. This is a real crisis for them and knowing they
have someone they can call on to help will be invaluable.”
    “I can certainly
keep their house clean while they sort things out for themselves.”
    “You can do more
than that. They may need to talk to someone that they feel isn’t connected to
family. Be available to listen. I’m sure you are up to taking care of the
practical stuff, but make sure your heart is ready for the other stuff too.”
Mr. Daniels looked over her shoulder for a second, then continued, his voice
low. “There may be a lot of dumping going on, since they are your peers. That’s
what this class is about, though, how to be Jesus in the lives of families in
crisis.” He caught her eye again while he spoke. “You were supposed to have a
class on reverse culture shock, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “But that won’t be
useful until you come back from your first overseas trip, and by then you would
be in reverse culture shock so you wouldn’t be of much use counseling
yourself.”
    “And since this
school program is worthless…”
    “What?”
    “I mean the
certificate is meaningless.” Jane leaned her chin on her fist again. The
thought of being a dumping ground for Jake and Phoebe’s issues made her tired.
    “But what is
meaningless, really? A certificate from Harvest means you were serious about
studying the Bible and cross-cultural engagement. It might not be necessary,
but it’s not meaningless.”
    Jane closed her
eyes. Not necessary. Weren’t those the exact words her parents used when they
told her not to waste her time here?
    “If you do go into
fulltime ministry this won’t be your last family in crisis.” Isaac looked like
he had more to say but the class began to filter back in. “You can head home,
if you need to. You can get the rest of the notes from another student.”
    Jane shook her
head. “I’ve got a family in crisis on my hands. I guess I’d better stay here.”
    Mr. Daniel’s
offered a sad smile. His eyes were still thoughtful, but he walked to his
podium with a lighter step, and when his lecture started up again he was much
more animated.
     

Jane had to wait
until Wednesday to hear how the Crawfords were doing. By the time she reached
their house she was itching to serve them—and to get paid. She tried to keep
her financial needs in the back of her mind. God had taken care of her issue
with the schoolbooks. He was sure to have a plan for her student fees and rent
as well. As for lunch…her stomach grumbled. She could figure something out for
lunch. Dinner might be an issue though.
    Jane pushed the
vacuum around the front hall of the Crawford house. The morning light showed
gray through the windows, but Jane didn’t want to turn on all of the lights. It
felt disrespectful in a house of mourning.
    She shivered in
her hoodie. She had turned on the furnace when she arrived, but it had yet to
warm the house. It had clanked into life eventually and the dusty warm smell of
the furnace waking up after a break had already filled the room, so she had
hope she would be warm soon.
    Like last week,
all was quiet. There was no sign of police and no indication that she shouldn’t
be there. She clicked her machine off. What if her guess was wrong? This could
still be a crime scene.
    Jane drummed her
fingers on the handle of the Crawfords’ Dyson. How should she go about this?
Did she need to call the police to find out if being here was okay? Or could
she call someone in the family?
    Phoebe came to
mind. She lived nearby and had answered the phone last time. Of course, she
hadn’t been up yet, and there was a good chance that was the case this time
too.
    Footsteps on the
stairs shook Jane out of her reverie. Jake was home. His sandy brown hair stood
up on end and he had a two-day growth of blond bristles on his thin face. His
short bathrobe was open, revealing his skinny