Random Acts of Murder: A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery, Book 1 (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries) Read Online Free PDF Page A

wonder—and a shame—she was even home now.
    “Mrs. Paladin ! You look beautiful, like you haven’t aged a day.” Chase gave her a friendly hug.
    My mom fluttered her hand in the air, her entire face beaming. She may have been almost sixty years old, but her skin looked flawless and her hair was still glossy and youthful. “Oh, you. What a sweetheart. Come on in.” She hooked her arm through his and ushered him inside.
    Only then did she glance back at me. When she saw my face, she squinted. “Holly, are you okay?” She dropped her arm from Chase’s.
    “It’s nothing. Just a little accident.”
    “It was more than a little and more than an accident,” Chase interjected.
    “Oh, sweetie.” She reached for me. “Can I do anything?”
    I shook my head. “Just let me get cleaned up. I can explain later.”
    “Call me if you need me,” she insisted, before continuing to lead Chase inside.
    I came from a family of overachievers. They were all type A success hounds. They’d climb one mountain, and instead of enjoying that victory, they’d search for the next challenge, so they could climb higher and higher.
    I’d been more like my dad. I was laid back, a dreamer who enjoyed evenings alone or with a close circle of friends who liked having deep conversations over warm tea. I liked baking using old recipe books from the bygone eras and dancing alone in the living room when no one else was there. I liked sending handwritten notes to people and taking long baths where I could reflect on life.
    I hated fund -raisers and election campaigns and being fake with people just so they’d give you their money or their vote. I hated rubbing elbows with people, only on the premise of what they could do for you. Most of all, I hated hurrying through life so quickly that you didn’t take time to appreciate every moment.
    Now that Dad was gone, I didn’t feel like there was one single person in the world who really understood me. I sighed, pulling back the tears that threatened to emerge. I stepped onto the glossy hardwood floors of my home and shut the door behind me. The comforting scent of orange, rosemary, and vanilla filled my senses.
    Chase and my mom were already gone, though I could hear their voices floating through the air, probably from the sunroom, if I had to guess. My mom laughed as if Chase were hysterical. Chase’s voice rose, like he was telling a great story.
    Too bad Chase wasn’t born into this family.
    I sighed. Maybe that title of “Most Optimistic” didn’t fit me at all. At least when it came to my family and Chase Dexter.
    I dropped my purse by the front door and kicked off my shoes.
    My etiquette guide—one I’d found at a thrift store that was copyright 1955, a real treasure that had made me smile for weeks—would instruct me to go and be social. I just didn’t feel up to it, though. Instead, I went upstairs and changed into a clean dress, another one that I’d found at the thrift store. I loved searching there for finds from eras past.
    After I cleaned up, I made a quick stop in my favorite room in the house—the study. Ceiling-to-floor bookcases and cozy chairs just beckoned someone to sit in them and relax. Which is exactly what I did. This had been Dad’s favorite room also.
    I reached over and pulled out my favorite Ella Fitzgerald album, stuck it on the antique record player, and let the soft strands of “Y ou’d Be So Easy to Love” float through the room.
    I laid my head against the back of the chair and closed my eyes, trying to block out today. Crazy, crazy today.
    Crazy, crazy last night.
    And now my mom and Chase were catching up. Wasn’t that just peachy?
    My mom had gotten to know Chase when she chaired the prestigious Newhart Family Scholarship Fund. The fund offered a full-ride scholarship to someone in the community who’d risen above a hard upbringing and overcome challenges to excel in both academics and community service.
    The committee had weeded out applicants