Free Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry by Denise Swanson Page B

she had entrusted Skye with her home.
    During the six months Skye had owned the house, she’d been trying to fix it up. After hiring one horrible contractor, she had been lucky to find a great woman who had whipped the outside into wonderful shape. Skye admired the new siding, windows, roof, and sidewalks as Frannie pulled into the driveway.
    The instant the truck stopped, Skye jumped out and headed up the steps, pausing on the wraparound porch to dig through her purse for the keys. Justin and Frannie caught up to her as she swung open the front door.
    Inside, Skye had had the contractor fix the plumbing and wiring, but she had run out of money before she got to the cosmetic repairs, so she had been trying to do those herself. So far she had managed to paint the entrance hall,parlor, dining room, and kitchen, but the hardwood floors still need refinishing, and the drapes had to be replaced. She hadn’t even begun to touch the upstairs, except for removing a loathsome moose head from the wall of the master bedroom.
    Now, as she stood in the freshly painted foyer, she tried to decide what to do about the present situation. Should she change into the clothes she had planned to wear for the dinner? Should she even attend the dinner? She had no desire to sit through a formal banquet, but if she didn’t May would demand to know why, and that would mean news of Ashley’s disappearance would be all over town. Maybe Wally would want her to go to the party just to keep things quiet. If that was so, she’d better get dressed. He was due in less than five minutes and was rarely more than a minute or two late.
    Turning to the teens crowded behind her, Skye pointed to the kitchen and said, “Why don’t you guys help yourselves to some sodas and snacks while I change? When the doorbell rings, make sure it’s Chief Boyd; then let him in. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
    “What are you changing clothes for?” Justin demanded, looking her up and down.
    “Shut up,” Frannie hissed, elbowing him in the side. “I’ll explain later.”
    Skye ignored both teens and took the stairs two at a time, shutting the bedroom door behind her. Kicking off her shoes, she wiggled out of her slacks and yanked her blouse over her head. Luckily she had already selected a dress to wear, and she grabbed it from its hanger.
    As she pulled it over head and started to shimmy into it, she heard the phone ring. The dress was a straight black sheath, and required some time to get on. Hurrying was not an option, and before she was able to poke her head out of the draped neckline, there were two more rings.
    Skye rushed to the phone by her bedside, another improvement she had finally made to the house. Previously the only phone was in the parlor.
    Grabbing the receiver, she heard Wally say, “Skye—”Then an extremely loud buzzing sound interrupted, and she couldn’t make out a word.
    She shouted into the mouthpiece, “Hang up and call back.”
    After returning the receiver to its cradle she waited, wondering if this was one of her ghost’s latest tricks. She and Wally had just about given up trying to spend any time at Skye’s house. It seemed that whenever they started to get intimate, something would short out the power, cause the plumbing to spew like a fountain, or blow up. Secretly—she had never shared this thought with anyone—Skye thought the ghost of the previous owner was behind the mischief.
    Mrs. Griggs had taken quite an interest in Skye, and Skye was pretty sure that Mrs. Griggs didn’t want Wally around. Skye wasn’t sure if that applied to all men she might date or just Wally, since she’d been broken up with Simon before taking ownership of the possessed house.
    The phone rang again, but this time when she tried to answer it nothing happened—no voice, no buzzing, just empty air, so she hung up. When it didn’t ring again, she tried Wally’s home and cell phones, but couldn’t reach him on either.
    Grinding her teeth, Skye