The Deep End (A Saints & Strangers Cozy Mystery Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

Chilton sitting on her electric scooter on the sidewalk. Phyllis lived across the street and, although she could walk, she preferred the ease and comfort of her particular set of wheels, much to the chagrin of local drivers unlucky enough to get stuck behind her on the road.
    “You’d need to actually use your limbs,” Kit remarked. “All of them.”
    “Well, how about I just critique your progress then?” Phyllis suggested. “Oh look, here comes Thora. She can help you.”
    Thora Breckenridge lived in the house next door to Kit. Kit doubted the octogenarian’s usefulness in an activity that required a bit of muscle. Despite an iron will, Thora was a petite, thin woman who looked like she’d break in half if the wind blew too hard.
    “Have you brought more things from Los Angeles?” Thora asked, eyeing the boxes on the front lawn. “Maybe a replica of the Millennium Falcon? I’ve always wanted to see one in person.”
    “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a Star Wars fan, Thora,” Kit said.
    “That’s because you don’t know about the time I got stuck in an elevator with Harrison Ford,” she replied, raising a suggestive eyebrow.
    Kit closed her eyes and tried to wrestle the image from her brain. “My friends are staying with me for a little while until they find a place to live.”
    “You mean the Tilton sisters?” Phyllis whispered.
    On cue, Charlotte and Rebecca emerged from the house, ready for another round of boxes.
    “Oh, hello,” Charlotte said, taking notice of the neighbors.
    “So sorry about your father,” Phyllis told them. “I played golf with John at the country club on occasion, when he was healthy and I was more mobile.”
    “Yes, a golf cart is so different from the way you get around now,” Kit said.
    Phyllis glowered at her. “I would have come to the funeral party, but I already had a colonoscopy scheduled. I figured that was a good way to honor his memory.”
    “Welcome to the neighborhood, girls,” Thora said in her usual pleasant manner. “It’s a nice change to see multiple young people on the street.”
    “Have you heard anything about the people who bought Peregrine’s house?” Kit asked. Peregrine Monroe had lived in the house on the other side of Kit’s until she moved to Sedona to live with her sister. Peregrine had been obsessed with a tidy house and yard and Kit hoped that the next owner would have a more relaxed attitude.
    “Not yet, but my ears are open,” Phyllis said.
    “Not as often as your mouth,” Thora chided her.
    A phone rang and every woman there padded her body to locate her respective phone.
    “It’s mine,” Rebecca declared, holding her phone aloft. “Hello?” She broke into a broad smile and moved into the house for privacy.
    “Are your ears open now?” Kit asked Phyllis, nodding toward Rebecca’s secret caller.
    “Don’t need to hear a word to know that it’s a man on the phone,” Phyllis replied.
    Charlotte looked perplexed. “What man? She isn’t seeing anyone.”
    The mystery was solved a moment later when Rebecca reappeared, her cheeks glowing. She seemed oblivious to the curious looks of the others as she hopped down to the lawn and lifted one of the boxes. She stopped short, finally noticing that they were all staring at her.
    “What?” she asked, blinking.
    “Who was on the phone?” Charlotte asked.
    Rebecca’s cheeks colored. “It was just Jake calling to apologize for the cider incident.”
    Kit and Charlotte exchanged knowing looks. “Didn’t he already apologize at the party?” Kit asked.
    “He didn’t think that apology was sufficient.” Clutching the box, Rebecca bolted for the front door, but Charlotte stepped in front of her and blocked her path.
    “Spill it,” she demanded, her hands on her hips.
    Rebecca’s shoulders relaxed. “He wants to take me to dinner tonight.”
    Charlotte clapped her hands together. “Are you serious? Jasmine will be livid when she finds out.”
    Rebecca brushed past