Summer Reading is Killing Me (Phee Jefferson Book 2) Read Free Page B

the loose!” I heard the nervous
snapping of gum through the phone.
    “That’s odd. Two crimes in one day? Did someone
local know the victim?”
    “You don’t keep up with the celebrity gossip do
you? Elody Campbell is Senator Campbell’s daughter.
They had a huge falling out when she dropped out of college and went on the
party circuit with her grungy artist boyfriend a little over a year ago.
His name is Jay something or another. Anyway, he’s a petty criminal who got
lucky when he hooked up with Elody . An article about
his artwork appeared in a big spread in a magazine. He went from drinking cheap
beer at the local bar to sipping champagne with the jet setters. It was on the
cover of  People Peepers  a
few months ago. The Senator cut her off without a dime, but she kept on
partying. It almost lost him the last election. I can’t believe you didn’t hear
about this. You should read more than just those dusty old books in the
library,” Tina admonished.
    Feeling chastised, I said, “You’re right. I tend
not to keep up with the news or gossip rags.”
    “The sheriff already notified the family. As soon
as I saw the crime scene photos, I recognized her,” Tina bragged. “At first I
wasn’t sure because in all the magazines she had her hair and makeup done to
the max. I follow her on Twitter though, and she posted a no makeup picture of
herself supporting a celebrity cause. I’m positive it was her. Her daddy may
have cut her off from the family trust, but she was still living a trust fund
baby’s life. She went on vacations on tropical islands and dinner in Paris with
that Jay guy. She tweeted about everything she did until about a month ago,
then no one saw hide nor hair of her. The rumor is that she dumped him and was
trying to get back in good with the family. Who knew she’d been hiding out here
in Miller’s Cove the whole time!”
    “Thanks, Tina. I guess you didn’t need my
information. Between you and Nellie, the sheriff knows everything that everyone
is doing. Could you let Mark know that I talked to Nicolette Simonton? Elody gave Stone Street Gallery her paintings to sell on
commission. It might be nothing, but I am sure he’ll want to speak to Nic. I’ll
chat with you later.” I hung up and contemplated Tina’s celebrity gossip. It
was odd that a famous for being famous social butterfly would be murdered in
remote Miller’s Cove. We were as far removed from the nightlife of the city as
you could get. My next step would be to find out as much as I could about Elody outside of the gossip pages. The only problem was how
did a small town librarian with the fashion sense of a gnome learn about the
hip and chic crowd of the big city?

 
       CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    I spent the rest of the afternoon unloading
boxes of books from the van. I explained to patrons that no, I didn’t know
when the Founder’s Day Celebration would be rescheduled, and yes, we would
still hold a book sale. By the end of the day, I was grubby from the boxes and
cranky from answering the same questions a dozen times. I loved the town of
Miller’s Cove, but the town’s overactive grapevine of gossip exhausted me.
Despite my protests to the contrary, everyone assumed I had all the gritty
details of the investigation since I found the body. They gave me a wink and a
nod hinting they understood I had to keep things under my hat. If I told them
just a little nugget of gossip, they promised to stay mum. When I didn’t spill
the beans, they gave me a disappointed shake of their head and walked away.
    When I got home, I fed Ferdie ,
my oversized Maine Coon cat. I poured myself a tall glass of iced tea and
turned on the Philco Model 70 Cathedral radio I
rescued and restored after one of my antiquing trips around the state.
Soft jazz played as I strolled into my living room. I kicked off my
flats and sank into my favorite chaise. With the heat of the late afternoon
beating against my windows, I was grateful the prior