Murder Comes by Mail Read Online Free

two of downtime. Maybe I’ll come for a little R & R in Hidden Springs. You’d put me up, wouldn’t you, Aunt Clara?”
    Shock colored with a dash of dismay flashed across Clara’s face before her inbred hospitality came to her rescue. “Well, of course, Lynne. My door’s always open to family, but I’m afraid you might find us a bit dull, dear.”
    “Extremely dull,” Aunt Lindy stuck in as if trying to do what Clara clearly couldn’t. Snatch away the welcome mat before Julie Lynne could step on it.
    “Dull sounds delightful right now.” Julie Lynne aimed her smile squarely at Michael.
    “Besides, it’s not all that dull.” Edith Crossfield launched into the story of Michael pulling the guy back over the railing at the bridge. Several of the other ladies chimed in with their versions.
    During the third recap, Michael grabbed his opportunity to exit. He grinned and waved at Julie Lynne, then made his escape to bring the bus around.
    The streetlights were blinking on in Hidden Springs by the time Michael pulled the bus into the First Baptist Church parking lot. The trip home was uneventful. Nothing vital fell off the bus, the ladies settled on the first fast-food restaurant they saw, and the Eagleton Bridge was empty of jumpers.
    Aunt Lindy hadn’t done much talking on the way home, but then Aunt Lindy wasn’t the type to waste her breath making small talk about whether or not it looked like rain or about the sun going down when any idiot knew the sun went down every day.
    She did have something to say as Michael drove her home. She waited until they were turning into the street leading down to what some in Hidden Springs called the Keane mansion. It was far from mansion size, no bigger than most of the other houses on Keane Drive, but the stone structure sat impressively on the end lot with ancient oaks around it to prove it had been there a very long time.
    A Keane had founded the town and Keanes had played a major part in the town’s history ever since. But now the town was down to its last two Keanes.
    Aunt Lindy accepted being the reigning Keane in Hidden Springs as the natural order of things. Should anything ever threaten the town’s existence, Michael had no doubt she would marshal whatever defense necessary to save the town. He also knew she was determined to keep the next generation of Keanes in Hidden Springs. If indeed there ever was a next generation of Keanes.
    So Michael wasn’t surprised when, without preamble, she said, “I would advise you not to encourage Julie Lynne if she should decide to carry through with her threat to visit Clara.”
    “But, Aunt Lindy, just last week you were telling me I needed to settle down, get married and produce some little Keanes.”
    “Not with Julie Lynne Hoskins.”
    “What’s wrong with Julie Lynne? You practically forced me to ask her out when we were in school. You must have thought we’d get along then, and I’m beginning to think you might be right.” Michael kept the smile off his face. “You have to admit she’s grown up nicely.”
    “Yes indeed.” Aunt Lindy kept her eyes forward and her voice unperturbed. “And no telling what it cost her to do the growing. Still, I suppose if one is going to take one’s clothes off in public, it’s best to be sure everything is properly filled out and inflated.”
    “It looked all natural to me.”
    “I’m not going around in circles with you on whether or not Julie Lynne’s curves were all her or part fiberfill, Michael. I’m merely pointing out that encouraging her would be foolhardy.”
    Michael finally let himself laugh. “If we ever discover the woman who meets both our qualifications, she’ll probably tell me to get lost.”
    Aunt Lindy didn’t laugh. “If she did that, then she definitely wouldn’t meet the qualifications I would have for her. If indeed I did have such qualifications in mind. Which I do not.”
    Michael pulled into the circular drive in front of the house. He