Read Trash To Treasure Crafting 1 - Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel for Free Online Page B

sorry. There’s been an
accident over on highway fifty-eight.”
    “Go. Go.” I motioned. “Hurry.”
    He gave a half smile, flicked on his lights
and siren, then sped away.
    I’d dodged a bullet. What had I been thinking
inviting him over? Perhaps the heat was getting the better of me.
The last thing I needed was the complication of another man. Kent
in my kitchen would not be a good thing. So why had I been
fantasizing about sitting close to him on the front porch of my new
house? I could almost smell his spicy scent at the thought. The
feel of his hand caressing mine was almost real. The fantasy stayed
with me the rest of the way down Main Street.
    After struggling with the watermelon the rest
of the way home, I heaved the big sucker onto the countertop,
selected the biggest knife in the drawer, and carved a gigantic
piece. Juice from the wedge covered my hands and arms as I devoured
the sweet fruit. To avoid eating another piece, I shoved the rest
in the refrigerator and retreated to the living room. I sat on the
ugly sofa, daydreaming and plotting out my plans for the house. If
I was opening a hotel, I’d need a sign out front. People would have
to know I was open for business. Occasionally I had enjoyed
painting as a stress reliever. Sure, I wasn’t very good, but I
tried. Flowers, fruits, and landscapes were my best work.
    My few art supplies would come in handy for
making a sign for the hotel. I grabbed my bag with the paints and
brushes. In the hall closet, I remembered seeing a medium-sized
piece of wood—perfect for a sign. What it was there for, I had no
idea, but I was glad I’d found it.
    After setting out my supplies, I painted a
honeysuckle flower in the left corner, then wrote the words
Honeysuckle Hotel with ‘open’ underneath. Simple, but it would do
until I could afford better. The pale yellow, cream, and green with
a little red matched the outside of the house perfectly. After it
dried, I’d put it outside under the porch light. That way,
potential customers could see it at night. I’d worry about getting
a license to run the hotel later. No time for bureaucracy now, I
had bills to pay.
    When I peered up at the clock, I realized it
was after midnight and time had slipped away from me. I had to work
in the morning and my afternoon and evening would be spent
continuing to plan my strategy for this place. If I wanted to be on
time at the supermarket, I needed to get some sleep. After grabbing
my pen and paper, I stood, stretched, and then walked toward the
hall. Then a loud crash rang out making the back door rattle.

Chapter Eight
    My pen went one way and paper flew the other.
I froze in my spot. The noise sounded as if it had come from the
back porch. I swallowed hard, cursing myself for not pulling the
shades down. Was someone outside my window peeping in? Visions of
various slasher films ran through my mind. I refused to be the
woman hacked to death.
    Chills prickled along my arms and down my
back at the thought. I hurried over and pulled down the shade on
the back door. It would take a whole lot of nerve to go outside and
investigate, and I wasn’t sure I had enough guts for that mission.
So instead, I went around to all the windows, checked each lock and
pulled down the shades. Then I paced—back and forth. Finally, I
made my way over to the chair and sat, waiting for the noise to
return.
    After thirty minutes of fidgeting in the
corner chair, and no further disturbances, I slipped into my
pajamas and crawled into bed. I tucked the covers up under my nose.
The noise must have been a stray cat or a rabid raccoon. Yes, it
had most definitely been an animal. I stretched out in the middle
of the mattress, confident that I was safe from any further
disturbances.
    A big lump poked me in the back, so I slid to
the left side. A spring gouged my calf, making it impossible to
sleep, so I shifted again. The right side wasn’t much better, but
at least no sharp coils jabbed me. It would have to do