Read Dread on Arrival for Free Online Page B

Methodist and Baptist churches from Covert because attendance at the Church of the Word of God is a tenth of what it used to be.”
    “I get the point,” Quill said soberly.
    “So there’s Marge, our very own Croesus, fussing about the effects of parking meter charges on her restaurant customers because there’s nothing she can do about the rest of it. And she cares about this town, Quill. She really does. That’s why she’s running for mayor.
    “Fear. I think that’s what we’re seeing. Fear. Half the village is getting richer and the other half is looking at living on a street corner with a coffee can full of quarters as their only hope. There doesn’t seem to be anything that anyone can do about it. So there’s a three-way race for mayor and in my opinion, it’s going to get very ugly, very quick.”
    “It’s not that bad, surely?”
    “You don’t think so? How long have we known about the Ancestor’s Attic visit?”
    “You mean the show? Gosh. It was before Myles and I left for the mountains. A month at least.”
    “We’ve had a couple of TV shows come here over the years. How has the village handled it in the past?”
    Quill chuckled. “The Chamber forms a committee. Harvey starts an advertising campaign. Elmer tries to find an angle that will benefit the town. The usual self-interest balanced by civic pride.”
    “You heard Carol Ann about the number of break-ins?”
    “You mean that’s not just a Carol Ann statistic?”
    “Nope. And do you know what’s being burgled?”
    Quill shook her head.
    “Attics. Basements. The Volunteers of America charity shop. Even the Historical Society. Me!”
    “Oh my goodness, Miriam. I am so sorry! I had no idea! Was anything valuable taken?”
    Miriam shrugged. “Who knows? It’s stuff I haven’t looked at for years. Old files were riffled through, old boxes were turned over, a trunk I’ve lugged around for years was pried open. I don’t know if anything important is missing or not.” She rapped her knuckles on the table, like a first-grade teacher calling the class to order. “Here’s the thing. Our good citizens are sneaking around ripping off forgotten items in the hope that Edmund Tree will tell them they’ve found a treasure. So there’s no nutty ad campaign from Harvey and no Ladies’ Auxiliary committee to set up a fancy reception for Edmund Tree and his TV cameras. Just petty theft. Or,” Miriam added with a conscientious air, “grand theft, depending. Who knows?” She shook her head. “I’m telling you, Quill. It’s a sorry state of affairs. It looks to me like greed’s got the upper hand.”
    3
     
    ∼Roast Leg of Lamb Quilliam∼
     
    Bone a leg of lamb. Flatten meat onto the prep table. Sprinkle a small handful of coarse sea salt, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Roll up lengthwise, secure with kitchen twine. Bake at 450 degrees eight to ten minutes a pound.“You’re kidding. Marge is running for mayor? And Carol Ann, too? Against Elmer?” Meg paused in the middle of making a roux, egg whisk in midair.
    Quill, more unsettled than she wanted to admit by the conversation she’d had with Miriam, had decided to reveal the most immediately sensational news from the Chamber meeting to Meg. “Wow. How long has Elmer been mayor?”
    “Ever since we’ve been here. Carol Ann’s platform is Progress for the People. Whatever the heck that means. More Ten Most Wanted Animals posters in the post office, I guess.”
    Quill had been wandering around the kitchen. Mindful of being in the way, she settled into the rocking chair by the stone fireplace. The activity around her was purposeful but peaceful. The dining room would open in an hour. The special tonight was roasted lamb, and the air was redolent with rosemary, garlic, and butter. Dried herbs hung from the old wooden beams that crossed the ceiling. Late afternoon sunlight flooded in from the large back window. Meg’s collection of copper pans glowed against