Maddie's Gift of Mystery (A Rockcrest Cove Cozy Mystery Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Her sudden movement sent Astoria scampering to the other side of the room. “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “I totally forgot about something I had to do today.”
    Maddie set down her plate with nothing left but a few crumbs, mere remnants of the treats Eleanor loved. “Oh?” she said, surprised.
    “I’m so sorry, Maddie,” Eleanor said getting up from her seat. “I really do have to go. Thank you so much for the conversation and the comfort.”
    “All right,” Maddie said, her voice showing a little alarm at Eleanor’s sudden change. “But we’ll see each other tomorrow, won’t we?”
    “Yes, of course,” Eleanor agreed. “Jimmy’s funeral is tomorrow. We’ll see each other then.”
    Grabbing her bag, Eleanor took off in a hurry. Maddie stood at the door watching her friend leave, even more concerned than she had been before. She couldn’t help feeling that Eleanor was not telling her everything about Jimmy or the students in her class, and an uneasiness was beginning to overwhelm her about the whole case.
    The funeral was held at the Rockcrest Cove Mortuary, which sat on the top of the hill looking down over the small town. It was a beautiful setting with a majestic view of the surrounding mountains and the river meandering through them in the distance. It was the perfect spot for someone’s final resting place. When Maddie arrived, the place was already packed with both students and faculty, all separated into small groups and reminiscing about their interactions with young Jimmy. A coffin was set up in the front of the room for those who wished to view the body before interment. Always feeling uncomfortable about viewings, Maddie choose to stay in the main lobby where most of the guests were waiting for the service to start. This way she could mill about the room and catch a few snatches of conversations about Jimmy.
    True to Eleanor’s words, all the comments about him were highly complimentary. Everyone there remembered him fondly, and she heard not one negative comment about the man during the entire time she milled about the room. The man must have been a saint , she thought to herself, and she wondered if anyone would remember her so favorably when her time came.
    Suddenly the quiet hum of conversation changed and a buzz of hushed whispers were being uttered as people’s gazes traveled toward the main entrance to the mortuary. Maddie’s eyes followed the direction of pointed fingers to see her friend Eleanor standing in the front doorway with Emily by her side. The young girl looked extremely nervous and fearful as Eleanor escorted her inside.
    Maddie quickly got over her shock and came to stand on Emily’s other side, escorting the young girl to the auditorium where she could view her friend’s body. Both Eleanor and Maddie stood in the back of the room to allow her some alone time with the body, and they chatted quietly.
    Eleanor turned to Maddie and answered her questioning eyes. “Yes,” she said. “I bailed her out.”
    “Really?” Maddie asked. “You’re that convinced she didn’t do it.”
    “Yes, I am” Eleanor answered, a little defiance in her voice. “She’s going to stay with me until this matter is settled.”
    Maddie looked around the room at all the guests who were now filing into the room for the service. They all stared at young Emily standing over Jimmy’s coffin, her silent tears falling unbidden from her eyes. She listened intently for any sign or comment that would give her a clue, but still nothing was said that would even remotely implicate anyone else in the whole affair. This was going to be one of her most frustrating cases. Before, the victims had usually had something about them that other people didn’t like that left a trail to follow, but with Jimmy, it wasn’t that way. Everyone liked him, and Emily too it seemed. Exasperated, she found a seat for all of them directly behind the family, and Eleanor went and retrieved Emily so the service