Page 48 of Dying to Read

As she got into her suit, she thought about Jonathon’s offer to visit him and Edith in Tucson for Easter. She looked at the old picture of her mom and dad. Easter had been important when she was a child. She and Mom would go shopping for new dresses and shoes. One year she even got a new coat. Her basket would be filled with colored eggs they’d made the day before and tons of candy. Enough sugar to put her into a coma as they attended church services.

She hadn’t thought about her parents or Easter for a long time. Maybe it was time to allow family back into her life. She touched her fingers to her lips, then pressed a kiss on her parents’ picture. Yes, maybe it was time.

Chapter 19

Shirley and Katie covered the bookstore while Rarity went to the funeral with Jonathon. He’d come early to write and now had changed into a black suit. Rarity had worn a darker dress to work, so she was just waiting for him to drive her to the church in Flagstaff for the funeral. “We should be back around four since there isn’t any graveside service.”

“I heard he was cremated.” Shirley was unpacking books that had arrived yesterday. “George and I have burial plots. If the rapture happens, God’s going to have an easier time reanimating us than he will all the souls who were cremated.”

“Ashes to ashes,” Katie responded.

“I know. I just don’t like the idea that I’m floating around the lake where Kathy would probably dump our ashes like someone cleaned out an ashtray.” Shirley pinked. “I suppose that’s insensitive to talk about.”

“Well, with what we’re hearing about William Jully now, I’m not sure God would be all that interested in reanimating his body during the rapture.” Rarity smiled as Jonathon came out of the men’s room in his suit. “And I’ve just been saved from saying anything more by the handsome man in the suit. Youlook dapper.”

“Pretty good for my funeral suit, I agree.” He adjusted the sleeves. “When I bought this several years ago, I spent so much money on the suit I made Edith promise to bury me in it. I’ve been wearing it so much lately, I’m not sure it’s going to stay in good enough shape until then.”

“You’ll probably live long enough to have several special suits. At least that’s my hope.” Rarity grabbed her tote and hugged Killer. “You be good while I’m gone.”

“He’ll be fine. We love having him around.” Katie grinned at the little dog. “Besides, who will I order around if he’s not here? I’m bottom on the totem pole unless Killer’s here.”

“No one’s told her that Killer has more seniority?” Jonathon asked with a straight face. “Part-time college kids come and go, but the shop dog,he’s eternal.”

The look on Katie’s face made Rarity laugh. “We’ll see you guys later. I hope you stay busy but notoverwhelmed.”

As they walked outside, Jonathon held the door open to his truck. “Drew sends his thanks for you doing this.”

“The sleuthing club asked me to go, I’m just adding Drew’s assignment to that.” Rarity adjusted her skirt and let Jonathon close the door. It was nice being out with someone who treated her like a lady. When Archer had first opened the door for her, it had felt uncomfortable. Now, she expected it from the men in her life. An old holdover from a time long past.

Jonathon started the truck and turned on the air. “Edith told me last night when we talked that I was supposed to convince you to come for Easter. So now you have invites from both of us.”

“You brought it up first.” Rarity shook her head. “I don’t needa pity invite.”

“I swear, I didn’t. She asked about my day and I mentioned walking you home before I went out to dinner with Drew and Sam. She brought it up then. We both care about you.” He turned the truck around in a U-turn and then headed out of town to the highway that would take themto Flagstaff.

The surrounding mountains sparkled with color. The spring plants were in bloom, making the terrain feel vibrant and happy. Not the feeling she thought she should be having on the way to a funeral. But she hadn’t known William Jully well. And now, she liked him even less than when he’d yelled at Gretchen for bringing dogs into Sedona Memory Care. He just didn’t know how to have fun. He must have had a guilty conscience and not wanted people there to find out his evil plans.

She was making him sound like Snidely Whiplash from the cartoons. “You must pay the rent,” she mumbled.

“Excuse me?” Jonathon turned. He’d been chatting about what the granddaughter had been caught doing when he’d heard Rarity’s mutter.

“Sorry, I was thinking about something else. So Savannah seems like she’s always into things. She must be hard to watch.” Rarity had been listening.

Jonathon chuckled. “We’ve had to babyproof the house. Edith’s always yelling at me for dropping something into harm’s way. Both for the itemand the baby.”

“Killer’s always finding something he shouldn’t have. But my kitchen floor is spotless. There’s nothing that falls from the counter that he doesn’t find.” Rarity wondered what it would be like to have a kid. Pushing that thought aside, she turned to the victim. “Did Jully live in Flagstaff? Does he havefamily there?”

“According to Drew, Jully’s mom and stepdad live in Flagstaff. They didn’t know much about his life. They’d been estranged for years. I guess the stepdad put the kibosh on William coming over and borrowing money from his mom about five years ago. He got mad and stopped talking with them.” Jonathon sighed. “Raising kids is all a crapshoot. You can be great parents and still turn out a kid who doesn’t fit into society. Drew said that Jully’s town house was all chrome and white. Lots of art on the walls, but cold. Emotionless. Our house is cluttered and filled with memories. Edith calls it European clutter.”

“It’s hard to find that décor that matches who you are and what feels like home for you.” Rarity thought about her decorating tastes. “Before I moved here, my houses were mostly a reflection of who I was living with. When I bought this house, it was the first time I made all the decisions, good and bad, myself. I bought my first piece of adult art last year.”

“I remember.” Jonathon smiled. “And you can sell it for twice what you paid right now. The artist is still a favorite of the Moments gallery.”

“I like the painting and it fits the house. I don’t want to sell it.” She grinned. “But that could change if it becomes really valuable. Mama needs new shoes, you know.”

As they pulled into the parking lot, Rarity noticed it wasn’t full. She checked her watch and saw Jonathon looking at her. “I thought maybe we were early.”

He sighed and parked the truck, looking around. “Sadly, I think there just aren’t many people here to pay their respects.”

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