Free A Taste of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Alaine Allister Page B

nothing.  Instead he stomped over to the window and stared outside, silently seething.  Unsure of how to handle him, Clarissa turned her attention back to his mild mannered wife.
    “What can you tell me?  Anything at all,” Clarissa urged gently. 
    “I don’t even know where to start,” Helen said, shaking her head sadly.  “I still have trouble believing this is even happening.  It feels like a bad nightmare,” she said, her shoulders beginning to tremble.  She put her face in her hands and began to sob.
    Will was at his wife’s side in a flash.  He had stopped huffing and puffing and no longer gave the impression that he was a volcano on the verge of erupting.  Now he was, in his macho, gruff way, trying his best to console Helen.
    “It’s okay, dear,” he murmured with surprising tenderness.  “Why don’t you go rest?”
    She nodded and leaned against him as he helped her to her feet.
    Will looked over at Clarissa.  “Maybe this isn’t the best time,” he began apologetically.
    “No,” Helen insisted, immediately shutting that idea down.  “You talk to her, dear.  Answer all of her questions.  Tell her everything.  Maybe she can help Bonnie – and goodness knows our poor girl needs all the help she can get!”
    Clarissa waited patiently as Will helped Helen to bed.  She could hear them talking in low voices and though she couldn’t hear what was being said, it sounded as though Will was trying to soothe his distraught wife.  He seemed brusque but it was clear he had a soft spot for his family. 
    What that meant, exactly, wasn’t yet clear.
    Clarissa was grateful to be left alone for a moment.  It allowed her to take in her surroundings without any distractions.  She took the opportunity to walk around the small living room and study the various family photos hanging on the walls.  There were a lot of them!
    There were photos of Will and Helen together with Bonnie.  There was another woman in some of the photos, a brunette with a pixie cut and a pleasant smile.  She bore a striking resemblance to Bonnie.  It had to be a sister. 
    There was also a photo of that same woman wearing a wedding dress, gazing lovingly into her beaming groom’s eyes.  Bonnie could be seen in the background, holding a bouquet of roses and wearing a lilac colored bridesmaid dress. 
    In every photo, everyone was smiling.  It was clear that the family was close-knit. 
    “Sorry about that,” Will said, startling Clarissa as he returned to the living room.  “Helen has been through a lot and she has bad nerves.  She’s been an insomniac since this all started and she’s completely exhausted.  But I think she’s finally fallen asleep!” he added hopefully.   
    “You’ve both been through a lot,” Clarissa replied sympathetically.  “I’m very sorry this is happening to your family.  Anything I can do to help, I will.”  Gesturing to the photos on the wall, she added, “You have a beautiful family, by the way.”
    “Thanks,” Will said, visibly swelling with pride.  “I can’t wait until this is all behind us and we can get on with our lives.  Our girls are the light of our lives.  Well, and the little guy,” he added, puffing out his chest. 
    “Oh, you have a grandson?” Clarissa asked, wondering why there weren’t any photos of him.
    Will nodded his head enthusiastically.  In true grandparent fashion, he was clearly happy to have an opportunity to brag a bit.  “He’s only two weeks old but I can already see he’s a chip off the old block!”
    Ah.  That explained why there weren’t photos of the kid on the walls yet; he was a brand new addition.  Clarissa smiled broadly and made a point of looking fascinated by what Will was saying. She wanted to encourage him to talk to her openly.  With any luck, he would say something useful.
    “He may be little but I can already tell he’s going to take after his granddad!” he predicted, obviously excited to talk about