Janet McNulty - Mellow Summers 03 - An Apple a Day Keeps Murder Away Read Online Free PDF

his car slowly before getting in the driver’s seat. Before we knew it, he had left.
    “That lawyer won’t get far,” said Rachel appearing beside both Tiny and I.
    “What do you mean?” I asked.
    “Well, most people don’t get very far when you puncture their tires with a screwdriver,” replied Rachel. She flipped a screwdriver in her hands.
    “Tires,” I said.
    “Yeah. I poked all four,” said Rachel. “Imagine how mad he’ll be when he notices that all four tires on his car are flat.” She snickered to herself with pride.
    Tiny cackled. Rachel had just gone up in his book. This little episode more than earned her his respect. Even I chuckled some. That attorney deserved it.
    “Let’s go,” I said.
    Tiny walked me to my car. No one was letting me do anything alone. I figured the last thing they wanted was for me to disappear again.
    “Now you go straight home,” he said.
    “Can’t,” I replied, “I have to meet my Aunt Ethel for breakfast.”
    “Really? Give her a kiss for me,” said Tiny with a smile.
    “That ought to set her off,” said Rachel. “I’ll catch you all after a bit. Got business in the spirit world.” She vanished.
    It was only eight in the morning. I made my way to the Denny’s on Eighth Street. I wasn’t a big Denny’s fan, but it was a restaurant my Aunt Ethel would recognize. She never ate at local places.
    I parked my car in the already crowded parking lot. What was it about Denny’s and breakfast? People must love a good breakfast in the morning. Though their Grand Slams weren’t bad.
    I walked in and greeted the lady by the door. “Has an elderly lady come in yet? She wears pearls, a feather hat, and scarf.”
    The woman’s expression told me that Aunt Ethel had indeed arrived. She must have already been causing trouble.
    “This way,” said the lady. She led me to a table by a window.
    “Mellow, you made it. For a moment I thought you had decided to leave me here in this noisy place.”
    I took a seat across from her. I reached for the glass of water.
    “You should ask for a fresh one,” said Aunt Ethel, “By now that water probably tastes old.”
    “It’s fine,” I said.
    The waitress came for our order.
    “I’ll just have your Grand Slam. Scrambled. Bacon. Coffee,” I said without even looking at the menu. I didn’t feel like looking at a bunch of different menu items and spending an agonizing time trying to make up my mind.
    “I’ll have your item here. Make certain the fruit is fresh and that the yogurt is nonfat. Orange juice.”
    The waitress wrote it down and walked off. Her face told me Aunt Ethel struck a nerve. Telling the staff of a restaurant to make sure the food is fresh implies that you think they serve garbage.
    “Aunt Ethel, a little bit of fat and calories won’t hurt you,” I said.
    “Nonsense,” replied Aunt Ethel, “You should eat more fruit and less bacon. Though I must say you look a bit scrawny. Are you sure you’re eating enough? Maybe you should have asked for a double helping of bacon.”
    Typical Aunt Ethel. She would criticize you for not eating healthy and then encourage you to eat the very food she thought you should stay away from.
    “So what brings you here?” I asked.
    “I told you, Mellow. I thought I’d just drop by for a visit.”
    “From South Carolina?”
    “Well, I’ve been doing a lot of traveling,” said Aunt Ethel, “I’ve been to Massachusetts and Maine. And I’ve already done the Europe thing. Did I tell you I was planning on going to the Grand Canyon? You should come with me.”
    “I really can’t,” I said. “Classes start again in the fall and I need to save my money.”
    “You still hoping to be a director?”
    “I like making films. ”
    “Yes, but you could do something more worthwhile,” said Aunt Ethel.
    “And why is making movies not worthwhile? I want to do my thing. And that was something my parents didn’t understand.”
    “Well, you know they love you. And you and