Read Dark Paradise for Free Online Page B

barons, and in
    descriptions of mountain ranges and meadows and high plains.
     
    But the Rainbow was the real thing, and she didn't want to miss a sliver
    of it.
     
    The air in the restaurant was warm and moist, redolent with the rich,
    greasy scents of bacon and sausage, and the sweet perfume of pancake
    syrup. Beneath it all lingered the strong aromas of coffee and men, and
    above it hung a pall of cigarette smoke. The tables were cheap, the
    chairs serviceable chrome and red vinyl that had probably been sitting
    there for three or four decades. Marilee wondered if anyone realized the
    decor would have been considered trendy kitsch in the hip diners of
    northern California.
     
    Somehow, she didn't think anyone at the Rainbow Cafe in New Eden,
    Montana, would give a good damn. The thought made her smile.
     
    A quick reconnaissance of the customers told her she was the only woman
    in the place who wasn't wearing a pink uniform. Regardless of shape or
    size, the men all had the look of men who worked outdoors and made their
    living with their hands greased, leathery faces, narrow eyes that gave
    her hard, direct looks, then slid away almost shyly.
     
    She ordered all the fat and cholesterol on the menu, not in any mood to
    count calories. She hadn't had a substantial meal in weeks, and she had
    a long day ahead of her. Better to face it on a full stomach. While she
    waited for Nora to bring the food, she gazed out at the wedge of town
    she could see through the front window.
     
    There was an old-fashioned hardware store across the street with a wide
    front porch and an old green screen door. Shiny new spades and rakes and
    pitchforks leaned against the weathered white clapboard. A sign in the
    window advertised a special on wheelbarrows. Next to the hardware store
    was a drugstore that had been established in 1892 according to the
    ornate gold lettering on the front window. Next to the drugstore, gaudy
    spandex in neon colors hung like pieces of indecipherable modern art in
    the window of Mountain Man Bike and Athletic.
     
    The sight of the bike shop was jarring, but not nearly so jarring as the
    sight of a money-green Ferrari purring down the street. Incongruities.
     
    "Here to buy land?" Nora asked as she set down a plate heaped with
    golden pancakes and another loaded with bacon and a Denver omelette.
     
    "No, I'm-" It didn't seem right to say she was on vacation in the wake of
    Lucy's death. "It's more of a pause at a life crossroads."
     
    The waitress arched a thinly plucked brow and considered, accepting the
    definition with a nod of approval.
     
    "Guess I've seen a few of those myself."
     
    Marilee snapped off an inch of bacon and popped it in her mouth. "I came
    to visit a friend for a while, but that isn't going to work out after
    all."
     
    Nora hummed wisely. "Man trouble, huh "
     
    "No. She's - um - she's dead."
     
    "Mercy!" Her dark eyes went wide in a quick flash of surprise. Then she
    pulled her practicality back down around her like a skirt that had been
    caught up by a sudden gust of wind. "Well, yeah, that'd put a damper on
    things, wouldn't it?"
     
    "Yeah." Marilee forked up a chunk of omelette and chewed thoughtfully,
    letting a moment of silence pass in Lucy's honor. "Maybe you knew her,"
    she said at last.
     
    "Lucy MacAdam?   She'd been living here for about a year."
     
    Several other diners glanced her way at the mention of Lucy's name, but
    her attention was on the waitress. She already thought of Nora of the
    Rainbow Cafe as being honest and dependable, a woman who would know the
    score around whatever town she called home.
     
    "No . . ." Nora narrowed her big brown eyes in concentration and shook
    her head as if trying to shake loose a memory to connect with the name.
    "No . . . oh, wait.
     
    "Was she that one got shot up on Rafferty's Ridge?"
     
    Rafferty. The name gave Marilee a jolt that was like an electric shock.
     
    "Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry," Nora cooed in sympathy, giving