Free The Lady Who Cried Murder (A Mac Faraday Mystery) by Lauren Carr Page A

than once.”
    “Did they seem to get along?” Mac asked.
    “It’s hard to tell with Bevis Palazzi,” she said. “He’s never happy with anyone except himself.”

    Mac was taking the garbage out with Gnarly close behind him to scoop up anything good that might fall out of the container when David drove his cruiser between the two stone pillars that marked the entrance into Spencer Manor. Spying Molly peering out at him from the rear passenger window, Gnarly forgot about the garbage and raced after the cruiser to greet her. The two dogs ran off to frolic in the gardens.
    After releasing Molly, David opened up the back of the SUV to reveal bags of groceries and boxes of new dishes and cookware.
    “Someone has been shopping,” Mac said.
    “Spoken like an ace detective,” David said. “Grab a box and put it in the garage.”
    “I tossed out my old dishes and cookware when I moved out here,” Chelsea explained. “They were over thirty years old—used to belong to Mom. So I splurged with my first paycheck from my job and bought new.” She showed Mac the picture on the box. “They’re square. How do you like them?”
    “They look familiar.” Mac peered at the image of square white dinner dishes. “Who do we know that has dishes like these?” he asked David.
    “The lounge at the Spencer Inn,” David said.
    “Yeah, that’s where I know them.”
    “I am not copying the Spencer Inn.” Seeing their doubtful expressions, she turned around. “I’ll go show Archie. She’ll tell you.”
    “Spencer Inn,” David mouthed.
    With a laugh, Mac checked the contents of the grocery bags while David put the cookware in the garage. “Do you want my help in moving Chelsea into the condo after they’re done remodeling it?”
    “It isn’t like she has that much to move,” David said. “The new furniture will be delivered there. All she has is her clothes and towels and linens and household stuff.” Seeing Mac examining the steaks, enough for two, he snapped the bag shut and yanked it out of his hands. “Why? Do you and Archie have plans for something else you’d rather do?”
    “No,” Mac said, “but if you’d like for us to disappear, I can arrange that. Chelsea’s first night alone in her own place…with you. After spending the whole day doing heavy lifting for her, maybe she’ll want to give you a massage to relax your tired muscles…” His voice trailed off into a chuckle.
    “In my dreams,” David said. “Now you’re beginning to sound like Archie.”
    “You know what they say about couples,” Mac said. “You hang around each other long enough, and you start to think and act alike.” Seeing David’s lack of humor, he asked, “You two are coming along, aren’t you?” He pointed at the boxes in the garage. “You’re shopping together.”
    “Because I drove her.” David picked up the rest of the grocery bags. “Frankly, this is getting old. I’ve been sucking up to her for weeks, and…” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “She won’t even let me kiss her. Everyone tells me not to give up, but I’m getting close to the point that I’m about ready to. What happened in the past is ancient history. I cheated. I broke her heart. I told her I was sorry and I meant it.” Gesturing for Mac to get out of his way, David slammed the back of the SUV shut.
    Mac watched David looking down at his feet with the grocery bag hanging from one of his hands. A slow smile came to Mac’s lips when he said, “You know what I think? I think you never had to work this hard for a woman.”
    His eyes narrowed, David cocked his head at him.
    Mac chuckled. “You haven’t, have you? Every woman you’ve ever wanted just fell into your lap after you flashed a smile and winked at her. But Chelsea’s different. She knows you inside and out. She knows how you play. She knows your tells. She’s not like other women because you can’t get around her. That’s what’s driving you up the wall.”
    David