Read Dangerous Secrets for Free Online Page A

we were out on the crowded sidewalk.
    She frowned. ‶ I′m sorry. It′s
just ... the inn is filled with such stuffed shirts, I needed to cut loose. Are
you mad at me?″
    I gave her what I hoped was a stern look. She
struggled to keep a straight face, but I was the first to crack. ‶ Yes,
but it isn′t the first time and it won′t be the last.″
    ‶ Spying on the rich
folks?″ came a voice at the doorway. It was the young woman who′d
greeted us when we′d first arrived.
    Maggie′s cheeks flushed. ‶ Were
we that obvious?″
    She laughed. ‶ I’m afraid so.″
    ‶ They′re staying at the
same place we are,″ Maggie volunteered.
    I nodded toward the lovebirds. ‶ Do
they come here often?″
    ‶ She dropped a couple grand the
other day. Hadn′t seen them before that.″
    ‶ Won′t you get in trouble
telling us this?″ Maggie asked.
    She shrugged. ‶ I′m out of here on
Monday. Back to school.″
    ‶ Kathy?″ came a male voice
from inside the store.
    ‶ Gotta go.″ She schooled
her features before heading into the store.
    ‶ Two grand,″ I mused.
    ‶ When you’ve got it, flaunt
it,″ Maggie suggested.
    I looked down the street. ‶ Anywhere
else you want to go?″
    Her gaze traveled across the road to a store
placard that read Everything Cows . ‶ How
about there?″
    Ten minutes later, our shopping expedition was
over. Maggie bought black-spotted cow salt-and-pepper shakers as a souvenir of
our Vermont trip.
    ‶ What′ll we do about
dinner tonight?″
    Maggie clutched her gift bag and shaded her
eyes, looking toward a restaurant up the street. ‶ I don′t want to eat for a
week. How about that place?″
    We inspected the menu, and the menus of every
other restaurant along the street, trying to narrow down the choices. We came
to no conclusions and decided we′d better start back for the inn.
    It was close to eleven by the time we hit the
road. About a mile from the inn, I again got that sick feeling in the pit of my
stomach. I tried to take in as much of the scenery as possible, but could see
nothing but trees, meadows, and more trees. Nothing out of the ordinary.
    I wanted to believe that odd feeling in my gut
was heartburn, but I knew better.

Chapter 5
    ‶ There you are,″ Susan
said, her mouth pursed as we slunk past her like a couple of truants. ‶ Ms.
Marshall′s room is all ready for you.″
    She ushered us directly to Eileen′s room,
which had been restored to move-in order, with her possessions neatly stacked
in the closet.
    The spacious, attractive corner room had
windows on the outside walls. Two double four-poster beds lined an inside wall.
Maggie admired all the knickknacks, the coordinating wallcoverings, bedspreads,
curtains, and new carpet. A cozy little sitting nook, with a loveseat and
cocktail table, beckoned. Most attractive to me was the huge bathroom with a
working double shower. Compared to the hole in the wall we′d been
assigned, it seemed like we′d stepped into heaven.
    We hauled the equipment downstairs and I spent
the next two hours setting up. Maggie seemed to be underfoot the whole time. I
could′ve assembled the rig a lot faster if she hadn′t been there.
But while I fiddled with the umbrellas, she played photo stylist, arranging and
rearranging the furniture and bric-a-brac until she achieved feng shui—a
thoroughly harmonious composition. I thought she′d been reading too many
decorator magazines, but the room did look more inviting for her efforts.
    If I′d been a more experienced
photographer, I′d have had a laptop on hand to give me a better idea of
the results I could expect. A variety of lenses would′ve been nice, too,
but we already had too much money tied up in this little escapade to justify
spending another nickel. I took a number of shots from every possible angle and
hoped for the best.
    Between changing sheets and taking stints on
the vacuum cleaner in the other guest rooms, Susan popped in to check our
progress. She let us