Read Murder and Salutations (Book 3 in the Cardmaking Mysteries) for Free Online

I’ll give you five
minutes to bake and five to cool, but that’s my best
offer.”
    Sara Lynn came out, and I noticed she held
the note from Bailey clutched in her hand.
    Before I could warn Lillian not to say
anything, our aunt asked, “What’s that you’re holding so
tightly?”
    “ It’s a note from Bailey,”
Sara Lynn said simply.
    “ How sweet,” she said, the
sarcasm dripping from her words. “So he’s already apologizing and
trying to crawl back to you. I know how you feel about him, though
I can’t imagine why, but if you do take the cur back, I hope you’re
going to make it so miserable for him that he cries like a little
girl.”
    Sara Lynn handed Lillian the note, then
after she explained its meaning, she said, “Somehow I don’t think
this is a reconciliation attempt.”
    Lillian looked surprised by the admission.
“Everyone knows I’m not Bailey’s biggest fan, but it seems petty
even for him, to rob you on his way out the door.” She tapped the
note with a finger, then said, “If that’s what he did. Sara Lynn,
when was the last time you saw that cash?”
    She thought about it a few seconds, then
said, “It’s been months. I don’t ordinarily keep tabs on my
emergency fund. Every now and then I’ll check on it, though, just
to make sure it’s there if I need it.”
    Lillian said, “Then how do you know he took
it tonight? This note’s not dated, is it?”
    Sara Lynn took it back from her, studied it
a few seconds, then said, “No, there’s nothing here that would tell
me he robbed us tonight, but somehow I know in my heart he did. Why
else would all the lights be on in our house?”
    Lillian shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t have an
answer for that. You’ll just have to ask him the next time you see
him.”
    The oven timer went off and Lillian said,
“The brownies are ready.” She opened the oven door and poked a
toothpick into the center of the rich brown concoction. After
seeing that it came out clean, Lillian pulled the pan out and put
it on a cooling rack. “I’d like to wait an hour, but I insist we at
least wait five minutes.” She reset the timer, then put out plates
of fine china, Waterford drinking goblets and linen napkins.
    “ You don’t have to bring out
your best for us,” I said. “A paper plate and a plastic cup apiece
would be fine.”
    Lillian arched one eyebrow as she looked at
me. “Jennifer, how can it be a party if we treat it like it’s so
commonplace?”
    Sara Lynn was still staring at the note when
I looked over at her. There had to be some way to get my sister out
of her funk. I thought furiously of all the things that had worked
in the past, but none of them seemed appropriate tonight. Finally,
I decided to let her have her silent introspection. After all, if
Bailey really was gone, she had something worth mourning. While I
wouldn’t have been able to live with the man for more than fifteen
minutes without wanting to beat him to death with his television
remote control, he and Sara Lynn had found a happy balance in their
lives together, and I knew my sister would be devastated by her
marriage’s demise no matter what the circumstances. I lifted my
eyebrows as I looked at Lillian, hoping that she could make things
better, but she just shrugged as the timer went off again. Putting
on an air of false buoyancy, Lillian said, “It’s time to
indulge.”
    As she lifted crumbling fragments of brownie
out of the pan, I was there with a knife, ready to slather on the
frosting. The brownies were from a boxed mix and the icing was in a
plastic container, but I didn’t care. They smelled delicious, and
besides, who had the time to make them from scratch anymore?
    After Lillian had filled our plates and I
had topped the brownies with an ample layer of milk chocolate
icing, we took our treats to the table and sat down.
    Our hostess said, “I’d offer you ice cream,
but all I have at the moment is peach, and I’m not sure how it
would go with our main