The Stone of Sadness (An Olivia Miller Mystery Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

maple trees, and flower beds edging the property line.
    “What a peaceful, relaxing spot,” Olivia observed. “Even in the heat of the day this room is so cool.”
    “It really is a lovely place to sit and enjoy the yard. Somehow it catches the breeze.” They sipped their tea. “So, Olivia, Bob tells me that you are related to Mary Monahan and her daughter.”
    “Yes, distantly, though. I didn’t know about them at all until a few days ago when my cousin John told me what happened. No one had ever talked about them to me. Or, of the murders.”
    “Not surprising. It was so long ago,” Lydia said. “Time passes and people move on. Sad things are forgotten.” She sipped her tea with a faraway look on her face. “Not forgotten, just left unspoken.” She gave Olivia a sad smile. “How can I help? What can I tell you?”
    “I guess I’m trying to piece things together and understand what happened. Why no one was arrested. Your husband said that you and Mary were acquaintances.”
    “I would say more than acquaintances, but not full-fledged friends. We both taught at Sunday School and attended the same town events because of our kids, so I got to know her. She was a nice woman, a good conversationalist, kind, helpful. She doted on those kids.” She shook her head slowly and sighed. “Those murders took a toll on me. It hit close to home. I used to imagine being torn from my family like that. My daughter murdered. My husband and two sons left behind. Lives destroyed. Why? For what? The tenuous nature of life…I thought a good deal about that. I believe it made me more grateful for each day. It’s a cliché, I know, but I do believe that I became more mindful of the things that were most important.” She squeezed her hands together in her lap. “I haven’t thought about the murders for a long time.”
    “It must have been a terrible shock to everyone in town.”
    “Oh, my, yes. It was unbelievable that something like that could happen here in Howland.”
    “What did people think? Did the townspeople talk about suspects?”
    “Oh, sure. There was plenty of gossip. There was talk of an escaped prisoner, a young man from town. Rumors were swirling.”
    “What did you think? Did you have any feelings one way or the other?” Olivia asked.
    “I wasn’t sure what to think. I wanted the police to figure it out and make an arrest. Keep us all safe. But you know that didn’t work out.”
    “What’s the story on the young man from Howland? Did you think he was a valid suspect?”
    “There was never much in the papers regarding him, but we all knew he was taken in for questioning,” Lydia said. “His name was Kenny Overman. I think he was about nineteen when it happened. Kenny was a high school dropout, had a tough family life. We saw Kenny as a young man ruined by his upbringing. He did odd jobs for a while, landscaping, delivery man, snowplowing. He was a big drinker. Kind of a lost soul. My best friend, Angela… her younger sister, Emily, dated Kenny for some time. They weren’t a match at all, but she was drawn to his bad boy tendencies. Emily was a rebel. Her parents were strict Catholics, very wealthy, old money. They have a huge mansion here in the Magnolia Hill section of Howland. Emily chafed at their control. She knew dating Kenny would make them furious. Emily told Angela that Kenny had quite a temper, but Emily could match him on that one. She was always fighting with her parents.”
    “Was Angela on Emily’s side in her arguments with the parents?”
    “There were ten years between Angela and Emily. They were never really close. Angela was married already when Emily was in high school. Angela tried to stay neutral in the battles between Emily and the parents. I think Angela felt badly that her parents had so much turmoil going on in their house. After the murders, the parents told Emily that if she didn’t break off with Kenny then they would cut her off financially, so Emily stopped