Read Holly Grove Homecoming for Free Online Page B

breath and exhaled slowly. He couldn’t believe Nelson Myers had returned to Holly Grove. Fury, combined with hatred and no small degree of fear, pulsed through his system. Adrenaline pumped into his bloodstream and set his heart to pounding so fast that he feared he’d suffer a heart attack if he didn’t calm down.
    He hurried into the hallway and lowered the thermostat by five degrees.
    It wasn’t fair. Nelson wasn’t supposed to come back. There was nothing for him here, not after twenty damn years. Nothing but Myrna Johnson and a few other relatives, but after he’d ignored them all this time, there was simply no reason for him to come back.
    Just because he’d been wounded and forced to take a leave of absence was no reason to change his habits.
    But change them he had. He was back now and that meant he had to be watched.
    But he’d have to be watched very, very carefully. After all, he was no adolescent distraught with grief and confusion now.
    He was a hardened FBI agent, and if what they said about him was true, he was damn good at what he did.
    Now that he was a trained investigator, maybe he was back to try to clear his mother’s name. Some of the townspeople had said when he left that he’d sworn to do just that someday. Clear his mother’s name.
    “Well, Mr. FBI agent,” the man muttered. “You can try all you want, but the evidence was buried long ago, and if you aren’t careful, you’ll be buried along with it.

Chapter 5
    A fter Trooper left , Carly wandered through the house, unable to settle. She knew she’d never be able to concentrate enough to write, so she decided to go outside and water her flowers before the day heated up too much.
    Despite what she’d told Myrna about her impatiens, she wasn’t entirely ready to give up on them. Mr. Starr had suggested she try fertilizing them and had even sold her a container that held fertilizer and could be fastened to the end of her water hose. That way, he had said, she could water and fertilize at the same time.
    She went out her back door and to the small shed where she stored her lawn supplies. After measuring out six tablespoons of fertilizer, she spooned it into the container, screwed the container onto the end of her hose, and dragged it to the front yard.
    Water hose in hand, she approached her rather pathetic plot of impatiens in the circular flowerbed near the street. It was then she spotted Myrna Johnson watering her lush impatiens with an old-fashioned watering can.
    Myrna noticed her and immediately waved. Deciding this was as good a time as any to pick Myrna’s brain, Carly laid down her hose and walked across the street.
    “Good morning,” Myrna called when Carly stepped into her yard. “I see Arlis Starr sold you one of them fancy fertilizer gadgets.”
    Carly’s face warmed. “Why? Is it not any good?”
    “Lord, child, I couldn’t tell you, never having used one. Arlis says they’re good and I expect he would know. Now myself, I just use a time-released fertilizer when I put the plants in the ground. But seeing as it’s too late for you to do that, I’d say Arlis’s gadget is as good as anything.”
    “So you think I need to fertilize my impatiens?”
    “Can’t hurt.” Myrna cocked her head to one side. “Nelson said you was up early this morning. He said you told him you couldn’t sleep. I’ll bet it was those new air conditioners you bought. You were used to the night noises and when you shut your windows and it was quiet inside, your subconscious noticed the difference. Pretty soon you’ll adjust though.”
    Carly wasn’t particularly impressed with Myrna’s assessment of the problem, but she smiled and nodded. “Thanks again for inviting me for dinner last night. I’d love to get your recipe for chicken salad. If you share your recipes, that is.”
    “Of course I share my recipes. I can’t abide a person who won’t, because that’s pure selfishness if you ask me. I’ll copy it off for you and send