Read Online A Slice of Murder by Chris Cavender - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Chris Cavender
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Sheila clearly didn’t have an answer for. “You were ready to kill Eleanor this morning.”
“That’s before I spoke with her,” Sheila replied. “I’ve come to believe that you’re focusing on the wrong suspect.”
Kevin looked ready to explode, but he buried his temper as quickly as it had fought its way to the surface. “You’re mistaken,” he finally said.
“That’s your opinion, not mine,” Sheila snapped. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we’ve got work to do.”
“What work is that?” the chief asked.
“These ladies have kindly offered to help me go through the house. There’s a great deal of work to be done, and I can’t do it all by myself.”
“This is still a crime scene,” Kevin snapped.
“But you released it to me this morning, remember? Unless you’re afraid there was something you missed the first time you went through it.”
He had the choice of admitting that he’d been sloppy, or giving us what we wanted. I was certain neither option was all that attractive to him.
“Fine, we’ll play it that way for now,” he said, then left.
I turned back to Sheila once I was certain he was gone and said, “I don’t know whether to hug you or scream. Why did you disappear like that?”
“I didn’t disappear. I simply changed my mind about dessert.”
I wasn’t buying that, but there was really no way I could call her a liar, not after she’d stepped in and saved us.
“That’s good, because it’s all gone,” Maddy said. “Now, where should we get started?”
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Sheila said. “The police chief seemed pretty upset with you being here.”
“You don’t want to find out who really killed your brother? Is that what you’re saying?”
My sister had that edge in her voice that I’d heard a million times before. She was going to bully Sheila into helping us, and I wasn’t going to stand for that. “Madeline, back off. She’s already helped us by keeping us out of jail.”
“Whose side are you on?” my sister asked me.
“Sometimes I wonder myself.” I turned to Sheila and said, “If you want us to leave, we’ll go. Just say the word.”
Sheila seemed to think about it, then said, “No, I meant what I told the chief. I do need help here, if you don’t mind.”
“On the condition that we’re allowed to search for clues while we work,” Maddy said.
Maddy glared at me, daring me to overrule her, but I wasn’t about to. I wanted to dig for information myself.
“I suppose that would be all right,” Sheila said.
“Good, then that’s settled. Let’s get to work,” I said before she could change her mind.
I looked around the house and realized that Richard Olsen had two sides to him. The living room was neat, clean, and well organized. It wasn’t until I looked inside the two bedrooms that I realized that deep down, he was a slob. Clothes were thrown everywhere; newspapers were bound with twine and stacked in the corners of the rooms, while boxes full of who-knew-what littered the rest of the floor space.
“How did he live like this?” I asked, forgetting for a second that we were there by his sister’s goodwill. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”
“You haven’t been thinking anything I didn’t say to him a thousand times while he was alive,” Sheila said. “He’s been like this since he was a boy.” She turned to Maddy and added, “Why do you think I was so eager to let you help me?”
“I’m beginning to understand,” my sister said.
They both sounded so defeated, I knew I had to brighten things up a little. “Come on, ladies, we can do this. Sheila, you start carrying bundles of newspapers outside so we can recycle them. Maddy, find some empty boxes and start gathering up clothes. Are you going to keep them, Sheila, or are they being donated?”
“I have no use for them,” Sheila said.
“Good, I know the Salvation Army will be able to use them.”
“If we’re
“That’s before I spoke with her,” Sheila replied. “I’ve come to believe that you’re focusing on the wrong suspect.”
Kevin looked ready to explode, but he buried his temper as quickly as it had fought its way to the surface. “You’re mistaken,” he finally said.
“That’s your opinion, not mine,” Sheila snapped. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we’ve got work to do.”
“What work is that?” the chief asked.
“These ladies have kindly offered to help me go through the house. There’s a great deal of work to be done, and I can’t do it all by myself.”
“This is still a crime scene,” Kevin snapped.
“But you released it to me this morning, remember? Unless you’re afraid there was something you missed the first time you went through it.”
He had the choice of admitting that he’d been sloppy, or giving us what we wanted. I was certain neither option was all that attractive to him.
“Fine, we’ll play it that way for now,” he said, then left.
I turned back to Sheila once I was certain he was gone and said, “I don’t know whether to hug you or scream. Why did you disappear like that?”
“I didn’t disappear. I simply changed my mind about dessert.”
I wasn’t buying that, but there was really no way I could call her a liar, not after she’d stepped in and saved us.
“That’s good, because it’s all gone,” Maddy said. “Now, where should we get started?”
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Sheila said. “The police chief seemed pretty upset with you being here.”
“You don’t want to find out who really killed your brother? Is that what you’re saying?”
My sister had that edge in her voice that I’d heard a million times before. She was going to bully Sheila into helping us, and I wasn’t going to stand for that. “Madeline, back off. She’s already helped us by keeping us out of jail.”
“Whose side are you on?” my sister asked me.
“Sometimes I wonder myself.” I turned to Sheila and said, “If you want us to leave, we’ll go. Just say the word.”
Sheila seemed to think about it, then said, “No, I meant what I told the chief. I do need help here, if you don’t mind.”
“On the condition that we’re allowed to search for clues while we work,” Maddy said.
Maddy glared at me, daring me to overrule her, but I wasn’t about to. I wanted to dig for information myself.
“I suppose that would be all right,” Sheila said.
“Good, then that’s settled. Let’s get to work,” I said before she could change her mind.
I looked around the house and realized that Richard Olsen had two sides to him. The living room was neat, clean, and well organized. It wasn’t until I looked inside the two bedrooms that I realized that deep down, he was a slob. Clothes were thrown everywhere; newspapers were bound with twine and stacked in the corners of the rooms, while boxes full of who-knew-what littered the rest of the floor space.
“How did he live like this?” I asked, forgetting for a second that we were there by his sister’s goodwill. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”
“You haven’t been thinking anything I didn’t say to him a thousand times while he was alive,” Sheila said. “He’s been like this since he was a boy.” She turned to Maddy and added, “Why do you think I was so eager to let you help me?”
“I’m beginning to understand,” my sister said.
They both sounded so defeated, I knew I had to brighten things up a little. “Come on, ladies, we can do this. Sheila, you start carrying bundles of newspapers outside so we can recycle them. Maddy, find some empty boxes and start gathering up clothes. Are you going to keep them, Sheila, or are they being donated?”
“I have no use for them,” Sheila said.
“Good, I know the Salvation Army will be able to use them.”
“If we’re
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