Read If She Should Die for Free Online Page B

Tess close early?” Rey’s wife owned the adjoining bookstore, whimsically named Calliope for the antique musical instrument on display in her showroom. “Take her out for dinner at the Tudor Rose.”
    “I went there for my birthday,” Jeremy offered. “Me and Christine and Ames and Patricia. They had really good food, and after I finished my meal waiters and waitresses brought me a cake and sang happy birthday to me. It was great.”
    Rey looked at them angrily. “I can’t believe you two!”
    “What?” Jeremy quavered. “What did we do?”
    “Dara’s body is found and you want me to take my wife out to dinner and eat, drink, and be merry?”
    “Rey, we didn’t mean to offend you,” Christine said. “It was just a thought, something to take your mind off things until we know something for sure. After all, wedon’t
know
that the body is Dara’s. I thought you understood that.”
    “I do. But still . . . if nothing else, out of respect . . .” Rey ran a hand over his forehead, then stalked to the coat tree and whipped free his raincoat. “I’m outta here.”
    “Don’t let Tess see how upset you are,” Christine said.
    “In here I take orders from you, Miss Ireland. Once I’m out that door, I’m my own man,” Rey snapped.
    She and Jeremy watched Rey slam out the front door. Jeremy frowned. “He must be really mad to call you Miss Ireland.”
    “No kidding.”
    “Today’s been a real bummer, hasn’t it?” Jeremy asked.
    “It sure has, and I can’t wait to get out of this store.”
    “I don’t feel like working anymore, either. Hey, Christy, I don’t think Rey loves Tess as much as he loved Dara.”
    “Unfortunately, I don’t think Dara loved him,” Christine said as she put on her silver-gray raincoat and drew the belt tight. “But she was very young.”
    “Yeah,” Jeremy said. “But even if she didn’t love Reynaldo, she wouldn’t have loved me instead. Sometimes that used to make me mad.”
    “It did?” Christine asked casually, although a finger of alarm touched her neck. “How mad?”
    “Oh, pretty mad sometimes. Then she’d be real nice to me and I wouldn’t feel so mad anymore that a girl like her wouldn’t ever want me for a boyfriend. I guess it was okay just to be her friend.”
    “Yes, sometimes it’s better just to be someone’s friend,” Christine said, hearing the false brightness in her voice. “Like Sloane and me. We were engaged and I wasn’t very happy. Then I broke the engagement, we didn’t get married, and now we’re good friends and I’mhappy. Happier than I was when I was his girlfriend.”
    Jeremy shook his head. “Sometimes I don’t get all this love stuff. Love like men and women have, not the way I love you and Rhiannon.”
    “Me
and
Rhiannon?” Christine asked with a smile as she handed him his tan raincoat. “Who do you love more? Me or the cat?”
    “I love you both the same,” Jeremy said with great kindness. Then his face grew troubled. “Do you think my dreams will stop now?”
    “Your dreams?”
    Jeremy slipped into his tan raincoat. He was as tall as their father, Edward, had been and just as handsome, but he and Christine had their mother Liv’s Scandinavian coloring. “I said something to you about my dreams a long time ago. You said not to worry, but now I wonder about them.”
    “Tell me about the dreams again, Jeremy. I don’t remember all the details.”
    “You weren’t paying close attention like you expect me to do all the time,” he said with reproach.
    “I’m sorry. You’re right. So tell me once more as we lock up, and I’ll pay very close attention.”
    “Okay.” Jeremy paused, gathering his thoughts. “Ever since Dara went away, I’ve been dreaming about water,” he said in a slightly anxious voice. “Dark, cold water that won’t let me see or breathe. And something that won’t let me move, something wrapped all tight around me. But in the dream, I’m alive. I know I’m gonna die and I’m