Midnight Rain: A Detective Jack Dunning Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

she was accused of complicity in the crime. How could she know so much if she hadn’t been there? She was exonerated when Bucky’s stepfather confessed to “maybe going overboard” with his discipline when the boy dropped his cigarettes in the toilet.
    Cookie became less forthcoming after that. When fourteen year old Gretchen Fry gave birth in secret and extinguished the child’s brief flame of life she kept her own council. Six months later the remains of the infant were discovered beneath the chicken coop by the family dog. Even if she’d reported the incident the baby wouldn’t have been less dead.
    Then came the stabbing of Louise Crowley, a girl who’d been left to die in a remote section of the cold, rainy woods. Because she believed the girl might still be alive, she risked coming forward and her information was instrumental in saving the girl’s life. Even the most skeptical cop had to admit, there was something to the mysterious visions of Madame Zarina.
    Joe climbs the inner staircase and Cookie invites him in. He’s an industrious, handsome man, tall and fit with silver hair at the temples, kind brown eyes and a straight solid nose she finds very sexy. He’s considered quite the catch among the growing population of local widows.
    Joe looks approvingly around the cozy parlor with its over-stuffed velvet sofa and chair. A flowered rug covers the floor and gold tassels secure the soft scarlet drapes. On a round table in the center of the room, a crystal ball rests on a cloth of midnight blue brocade. There’s a grandfather clock in the corner and Maxfield Parrish prints on the papered walls. Cookie is really quite the gal. He walks over and hands her a pink donut box.
    “Your favorites,” he says. “French twists with cherry frosting.”
    “You are so naughty,” she says. “You know I love all things French, including perfume, lace and kisses.” They share a moment of laughter and she gives him a peck on the cheek. She opens the box. “Look at all these. You’re going to make me fat.” She looks up and sees that he’s wearing his top coat. “Don’t tell me you’re closing early.”
    “It’s the storm, Cookie. I’m going home to make sure Cooley’ delivered my sandbags. The Saddle Shop closed an hour ago because nobody knows how bad it’s going to get. Why don’t you come home with me? I hate leaving you by yourself.
    “I don’t think so, Joe. If the creek goes over I’ll be stranded out there. Besides, the weatherman says it might not get as bad as predicted.” It’s really about her headache but Joe already has enough on his plate.
    “You shouldn’t be living alone anymore, Cookie, especially with your heart condition,” he says.
    “It’s just a little irregularity, Joe. That’s what the pills are for.” He studies her face. A beat or two passes in silence and she knows what’s coming.
    “What?” she says, taking a bite of donut. “Do I have frosting on my nose?”
    “What about my proposal, Cookie? I hope you’ve given it some serious consideration this time.”
    “Believe me Joe, I’m thinking as fast as I can, but what’s wrong with things the way they are?”
    “Cookie, I’m lonely in that big house. Sometimes I wake up at night and feel like the last person on the planet. No one to put my arms around. No one to talk with. You’ve had five years to think.”
    “You do have Pumpkin,” she says, with a bewildered look.
    “Yes, a cat is very nice, but he doesn’t keep up his end of the conversation.”
    “I don’t mean to be so stubborn. You know how I feel about you, but after Skip died, I swore I’d never get trapped like that again. I wasted so many years putting up with that cad.”
    “You were young, Cookie. You made a mistake. Besides, I’m not Skip.”
    She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Skip wasn’t Skip either until I married him! Then I found out who he really was.” Her head begins to throb just thinking about her disastrous