Murder in the Pearl District (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

up
before dawn and go to the coffee shop. I feel positively decadent.”
    “Well, I’m glad you’re
awake and refreshed. I was going to knock on your door in a few minutes,
because we need to be at the television studio by 9:30 and it’s already 8:00.”
Just then Sophie’s cell phone began to ring, and she walked over to the counter
to answer it. “This is Sophie Marchant.” She listened for a moment and then
said, “Yes, Mitch, I have a key to her house. She was supposed to be at the
studio at 7:30, and she hasn’t shown up? That’s very strange. Dede is almost
fanatical about being on time. I’ll go over there now and call you back in a
few minutes.”
    “Kelly, I have to go over
to Dede’s house and see if she’s still at home. Maybe there’s been an incident
with Francesca. I’m sure there’s a logical reason why she’s not yet at the
studio. I keep her key in my bedroom. I’ll be back in a minute.”
    “I’ll go with you. I could
use the exercise, and it looks like a beautiful morning. Actually I think I’ll
take Rebel. He could also use some exercise after his filet mignon dinner last
night.”
    “If Rebel’s going, Amelie
will want to go too.”
    A few minutes later, the
two dogs, along with Kelly and Sophie, walked next door to Donatella’s house.
“Sophie,” Kelly said, as they opened the gate and began walking up the sidewalk
to the porch, “her house is absolutely beautiful. It looks like it’s been here
since Portland was founded.”
    “It has. Her house is a
good example of the oddities we have here in the Pearl District. This is a
strange area. Originally it was considered kind of like what I think you call
‘the wrong side of the tracks’ with its light industry, warehouses, railroad yards,
and a few scattered homes in between. In the mid-1980’s it went through a
period of urban renewal, and now it has everything from the world famous
Powell’s City of Books to art galleries and dog parks. A lot of the warehouses
were renovated and converted into lofts and condominiums. As you know, my
building is one of those.
    “I love it here. The area
draws people who are quite individualistic. You don’t see the, what do they
call them? The suits? You know, men dressed in dark suits with vests who work in
prestigious businesses. Come to think of it, I can’t remember ever seeing a
woman who lives in the Pearl District carrying a designer logo bag. Maybe
that’s why I love it. It reminds me of France. The people here are oh so very
interesting. What’s also interesting is that it’s named after a woman. A man
who revered her mentioned this area as being Pearl’s District when he was being
interviewed by a magazine. The story was picked up by a number of other
magazines and the name stuck.”
    “How charming. I didn’t
know that.”
    They walked up the steps
to the front porch and Sophie knocked on the door. There was no answer. She
rang the bell and knocked again. Still, there was no answer. She turned to
Kelly, “I really don’t like to do this. Dede is a very private person, and I’m
not sure she’ll be happy about me taking the liberty of walking into her house,
but I’m afraid I have no choice.” She put the key in the lock and opened the
door.
    Immediately a low rumbling
growl came from Rebel. Every hair along his spine was erect, hackles clearly
raised. “Rebel, easy,” Kelly said. “Something must be wrong, Sophie. I trust
Rebel. I’ve seen him do this before when there’s danger. We better be careful.
Rebel, come.” She stepped into the eerily quiet house.
    “Dede, are you here? It’s
Sophie and Kelly,” Sophie called out. There was no answer. They walked down the
hall, looking first into the dining room and then the living room. There was no
sign of Donatella, and everything appeared to be in its proper place.
    As they approached the
rear of the house and started to walk into the kitchen, Rebel began snarling
and barking, standing as close as he could get