A Cup of Death
Page 17
Ginger’s honey colored eyes were owl like behind the lenses of her glasses. “Oh dear, Miranda, you startled me. I didn’t think anyone was home and was just about to leave.” The young woman looked fraught. She’d been through quite a lot in the last few days.
“Come on in,” Miranda said with a warm smile. The younger woman followed Miranda into Ragged Rest. It was then that Miranda noticed the suitcase. She frowned a little. What was going on?
Ginger set her case down out of the way and looked all around. “This is a lovely place you have here Miranda,” she said with a smile.
“Thank you. I like it.” There was an awkward silence for a moment then Miranda decided to take the bull by the horns. “Ginger, what’s wrong? Why are you here on my doorstep at six o’clock in the morning?”
Ginger’s face crumpled, and she burst into tears. “Alfie… you remember Alfie Parker?”
Miranda nodded. Alfie Parker was a sad, sorry little man who hadn’t realized that three out of the four of his regular guests were conducting criminal activities out of his bed and breakfast.
“Well, Alfie is closing the Blue Jay and has evicted me. I have nowhere to go. I don’t want to go home to my parents, not yet anyway.” She sniffed and rummaged in her jacket pocket for a moment before pulling out a handful of tissues. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose, hard, causing the tip to turn as red as her hair.
“I’m sorry Ginger, that’s bad luck.”
Ginger sniffed. “I’ve had nothing but bad luck just lately. The love of my life is dead… murdered! Killed by someone I trusted! And now I’ve lost my home too!” She sniffed loudly once again. “My whole world is in tatters.” She collapsed into a chair and sobbed, her long ginger red hair falling around her face like a curtain.
Miranda felt sorry for her. She liked Ginger. She really did. There was something about her that she could relate to. She reminded Miranda of herself at that age. Vulnerable and defiant, both at the same time. She went over to the chair and patted Ginger on the shoulder.
“Is there anything that I can do for you Ginger?”
Ginger sniffed again. Gulping hard, Miranda could see that she was trying hard to get herself under control.
“Well…” Ginger started. Miranda waited for her to continue but the she just sat there, not moving.
“Yes, Ginger. What is it?”
Ginger stood up and faced Miranda. “I was wondering…” She bit her lip like she was working up the courage to say something. Mascara had made black streaks down her cheeks and her pretty eyes were red and moist.
“Yes?” Miranda smiled at her.
“I was wondering if I might be able to stay here for a while…” Miranda just stared at her for a moment. That was not what she was expecting although if Miranda was honest she wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting.
Ginger had the most hopeful, expectant look on her face and Miranda found that she just couldn’t say no.
She smiled at the young woman. “Of course you can stay here Ginger!”
“Whuff” Butter voiced his approval too.
Ginger hunched down to pat butter as a sudden thought dawned on Miranda.
What would Kyle think of this?
-End-
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About the Authors
K.J. Emrick
Kathrine Emrick writing as K.J. Emrick is the author of the popular Darcy Sweet Cozy Mystery series and the Pine Lake Inn Cozy Mystery series.
Strongly influenced by authors like James Patterson, Dick Francis, and Nora Roberts, Kathrine Emrick dreamed of being an author for the majority of her life.
She never quite gave up on the idea of being a published author and at the age of 51, thanks to the self-publishing explosion, she finally realized her dream. Her maturity allows her to bring a variety of experiences and observations to her writing.
She lives in beautiful South Australia with her family which includes several dogs and cats.
Kathrine can always be found jotting down daily notes in a journal and like many authors, she loves to be surrounded by books and is a voracious reader. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering at the local library.
Her goal is to regularly produce entertaining and noteworthy content and engaging in a community of readers and writers.
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To find out more please visit the Kathrine's website at kathrineemrick.com
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Kathryn De Winter is a passionate Cozy Mystery Author & Bookworm who spends her days writing and reading in Melbourne, Australia. Born in the UK her passion for crafting stories began during her childhood and it has stayed with her ever since.
Anytime Kathryn writes, she strives to create something entertaining that her readers thoroughly enjoy to read and dreams of being a New York Times® Best Seller one day. The authors who influence her work the most are Agatha Christie and James Patterson. She is also deeply inspired by her good friend K.J. Emrick.
Kathryn lived in the USA during her twenties where she became a single parent after her first marriage ended. Coincidentally, she met her now Australian husband in the US five years ago, when they were both there on holidays.
When she has a few moments to herself, Kathryn likes swimming, bike riding, cooking tasty meals, and discovering new places. She is also an avid music and animal lover. (Drums are her instrument of choice and she is a cat & dog person.) One of Kathryn’s favourite places to be is her local library. Most importantly, she loves spending time with her wonderful husband and son.
Kathryn De Winter recently finished a three-part cozy mystery series and has written another two mysteries in a different three-part series. To find out more about her publications, visit her official website: http://www.kathryndewinter.com