Read Online 1 Who Killed My Boss? by Jerilyn Dufresne - Free Book Online Page B

on my butt. Luckily I had enough padding so I suffered no injury. And because there were no witnesses other than Clancy, even my dignity wasn’t damaged. I laughed so hard that I couldn’t get up. Clancy was laughing too. We couldn’t stop. The guffaws were flying from both of us. The Granville’s light went on and I knew that Georgianne would soon be on the back porch with a shotgun, looking for the intruder. I still couldn’t get up, so I belly crawled next to her house so she wouldn’t be able to see me. Breathing heavily, I pulled Clancy close and begged her not to make any noise.
    Sure enough, “Who is it? I’ve called the police. You better get out of here.”
    I could just picture her hair in curlers and a gun in her hand. Gus, long weary of his wife’s eccentricities, would be snoring happily upstairs. After a few moments, she went inside and I was able to limp back to my house, dragging an unwilling Clancy with me.
    “I know I lied, Clance, but my energy is gone now and I can’t run. Besides, I’m literally freezing my butt off. Would you like some hot tea and cookies?”
    The bribe worked. We drank. Then we slept.
    An early phone call the next morning from Schnitzer in the personnel department notified me that the office would be closed until after Dr. Burns’ funeral on Monday, so I had the whole day to myself. I could clean house, solve the murder, or think about going out with Michael. I chose Door #2 and decided to do some sleuthing.
    First things first. I called Angie, my brother Ed’s wife.
    “Darlings.” She loved to answer the phone that way.
    “Angie, hi, this is Sam.”
    “Oh, hey, I heard about the tragedy at your office. So sorry about it. And to think the murderer was right under your nose. She worked for him for almost twenty years, I heard.”
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that’s not why I called. I want to make a call on Mrs. Burns and I either need to pick up a dish from the deli or call upon one of my favorite sisters-in-law to see if you have anything freshly baked just laying around.”
    I could hear the grin in her voice. My family was used to covering for me at potluck dinners and carry-ins. “Well, it just so happens I’ve made two bundt cakes. And you can have one. Good timing, sis.” Angie was an only child and has certainly adapted well to the vagaries of a big family. She knew how to go with the flow.
    “Thanks, Ang, I’ll pick it up in a little while. I owe you.” I couldn’t begin to count the number of times she rescued me. God help me if she ever decided to keep track.
    “I know you do. Can you babysit for Skeeter tonight so we can go to the game?” There was no need to tell me which game. St. Francis University had a superb basketball team and the entire town attended the games.
    “Love to but I can’t. I think I have a date. Don’t laugh. I really do. But next time you need a sitter, you got one. See you in a few minutes.”
    After hanging up the phone and also saying good-bye to Clancy, I stopped to speak to Gus for a while. I’d seen Georgianne leave a few minutes earlier.
    “Hi ya, gal.” Gus was genuinely glad to see me.
    “I want to run a few things by you.” He nodded and put on his “business” face.
    “Right after we discovered Burns’ body, I saw his receptionist sitting in the corner of his office, sobbing. A little while later she said, ‘I didn’t mean to do it, but…‌’ and then she started sobbing again. It sounds like she was trying to confess, but I don’t think she did it. The next day she acted really weird when I arrived at the clinic. Pretended she didn’t hear me knocking, and then acted phony-sweet to me. I can’t say I like her, but I’m convinced of her innocence.”
    Gus didn’t bother asking me how I knew Gwen was innocent. “Maybe she’s just in shock. Finding Burns dead like that would be enough to make anyone act a bit goofy. Why don’t you give her a few days and see how she behaves?”
    “And I’m the