Swan Song (Julie O'Hara Mystery Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

together.” She sighed. “She was very smart, too. Maybe a little naïve…”
    “Naïve? In what way?”
    “Oh, she was an optimist, that’s all. She believed in happy endings.”
    “That doesn’t sound very suicidal,” said Joe.
    “No. That’s the whole thing…she wasn’t like that. I can’t believe she did that!”
    Her face crumpled.
    Julie quickly reached out and covered Evelyn’s hand with her own. “Obviously, she meant a lot to you. If it’s any comfort, Evelyn, I don’t believe it, either.”
    Unsure of where to go from there, Julie was glad that Joe intervened and changed the direction of the conversation.
    “Evelyn, do you happen to recall a ‘letter of complaint’ that was filed against Bay Street Realty?”
    “Ah, let me think,” she said, withdrawing her hand from Julie, momentarily resting her chin on her hand. Her index finger rubbed along the side of her nose. “Lee may know something about that. He’ll be here later today. Do you want to come back?”
    “No, we can’t today,” said Joe, “we’re headed up to Ocala.” He stood up and so did Julie. “Just tell him we’d like to talk to him about it, if he can. One of us will call tomorrow, okay?”
    “Of course, I’ll tell him you stopped by.”
    They both thanked her, and she walked them out to the lobby, where workers had disappeared and the din of remodeling had abated.
    They were getting into the Land Rover when Joe asked Julie a question.
    “The nose thing, when I asked her about the complaint, was she lying?”
    “I don’t think so, Joe. Sometimes a person just has an itchy nose, you know,” said Julie, smiling. “Seriously, though, I think it was significant. Up until then, her posture was open and she was leaning forward. She sat back and closed up slightly when you asked that question. But I’m thinking it was a secretary’s reaction. I think your question went beyond her personal feelings…and into Lee Porter’s business.”
    “So she was dodging the question, right?”
    “No, not dodging. She wanted us to come back today . She wanted Lee Porter to tell us. I believe Evelyn Hoag wants to help us in every possible way, Joe. What she felt for Dianna was more than friendship.”
    “But Dianna didn’t…”
    “No…probably not.”
    * * * * * 
     
    Chapter 7
    T he countryside flew by as Julie looked out the window of the Land Rover. Nothing in the passing landscape itself said cold . Flat land had given way to green, gently rolling pastures dotted with massive Century oaks and stands of palm, all of it bathed in brilliant afternoon sunshine. The land was stoic in the face of the frigid air that swept down overnight from the North. It lay in wait, trusting in the power of the Florida sun to eventually warm things up. But the behavior of cows gave away the breezy, mid-fifties temperature. Usually, they were grazing or reclining under the trees in a loose cluster, shaded from the hot afternoon sun. But today, as Julie and Joe sped by on the turnpike, small groups stood in the sunshine, black and white bodies pressed together, as if enclosed by invisible pens.
    “Do they leave the cows out all night when it’s this cold, Joe?”
    “Cattle? Sure. I’m not sure about dairy cows. They take horses in, though.”
    “So what exactly does Lincoln Tyler do at Pleasure Ride Farm?”
    “He’s a hired hand, basically. Lives in a cottage on the property, tends to the horses and works wherever they need him. Lincoln’s real interest is rodeo competition. He’s won some all-around cowboy championships in the International Pro-Rodeo Association.”
    Joe was on I-75 now, and Julie noticed the marked difference in the land as the hills became more pronounced. Still, it sure didn’t look like cowboy country.
    “I just don’t think of Florida when I think of cowboys,” she said. “Maybe it’s because I’m from the northeast. Everything I know about horses and cattle comes from western movies.”
    “I know,”