Read Online Death of the Swami Schwartz (A Kate Kennedy Mystery Book 2) by Noreen Wald - Free Book Online Page A

afraid that anything she said might make it harder for Tiffani.
    Squeezing the girl’s hand, Kate opened her door—no gentlemanly manne rs from the detective today—and, clutching Ballou, stepped out of the car. Carbone took off without a glance in her direction.

      
    Mary Frances huddled in a corner of the lobby, chatting with—or more accurately, at—the recent widower, Joe Sajak, who nodded when necessary. Most Ocean Vista residents considered them to be an item. Kate and Marlene had decided that Joe was only one of several items on Mary Frances’s romance shopping list.
    Circling around the far side of the fountain, she approached Aphrodite’s statute, praying they wouldn’t spot her. As she passed by the cavorting Cupids, thinking she was home free, she heard Mary Frances calling her.
    “Kate, Kate, please come over here.”
    Caught. Damn. And double damn. A few more feet and she’d have made it to the elevator.
    “Okay, Ballou, let’s go over and see Mary Frances.” Kate pushed her damp hair off her face.
    “Mrs. Kennedy, what are you thinking?” The sharp rebuke in Miss Mitford’s voice made Kate shiver. “You know you shouldn’t have that animal in the lobby. And not even on his leash.”
    “In every adversity there’s the seed of an equivalent benefit.” Or some such saying. Charlie Kennedy had always been quoting Napoleon Hill. Now Kate could cite Miss Mitford’s reprimand and escape from Mary Frances.
    She waved at the desk clerk, then looked over at Mary Frances. “Sorry, I’ll catch up with you later.”
    Mary Frances stood and said something to Joe Sajak. Then she started toward Kate. “You’ll want to hear this. Marlene locked herself in Dallas Dalton’s freezer. I’ll ride up in the elevator with you.”
    Kate groaned. Mary Frances had to have heard her, but like a fullback carrying the ball, she charged forward.
    They met as the elevator door opened. In its harsh fluorescent light, Mary Frances stared at Kate. “Good heavens. Where have you been all morning? You look like death warmed over.”

Sixteen

      
    In the shower, with warm water pelting her back and reviving her spirit, and her hair covered in Dove shampoo, Kate reflected on Mary Frances’ report about Marlene and that huge ice box she’d stumbled upon in the middle of Dallas Dalton’s condo’s vast square footage.
    What in the world could the Texas glamour girl be planning on freezing in there?
    Mary Frances, visibly upset, had confessed to Kate that she was worried about how the Ocean Vista board would answer that question, among many others, to their fellow owners, at the next condo meeting.
    As Kate rinsed the shampoo out of her hair, feeling almost like a person again, she wondered if the condo officers, even inadvertently, had allowed Dallas to do something unethical. Or worse, illegal? Some violation of the building code? Could that be why Mary Frances, the board’s vice-president, had been so upset?
    Stepping out of the shower, Kate smiled. For sure, Marlene, in the middle of her hot date-to-die-for, wasn’t worrying about either ethical or legal concerns.
    Kate towel-dried her hair, and put on a white, French terry sweat suit that her daughter-in-law had given her last Christmas. How did everyone seem to know she’d reached the age of elastic waists and loose tops? Though this smartly cut one sported a designer label. She expected no less from Jennifer, an elegant, style-conscious stockbroker. Slipping into sandals—boy could she use a pedicure—Kate considered herself dressed. Maybe this South Florida casual living wasn’t all bad.
    Rescuing the rumpled Life Preserver papers from her pants pocket, she then dumped all of her morning attire into the hamper and made herself a nice cup of tea.
    With Ballou at her side, Kate settled into the beige and white tufted chaise on the balcony, placing the file, the teacup, and a cheese and tomato whole wheat sandwich, liberally spread with both mayo and