a mistake abandoning the plan Grace and I had come up with, but it was too late now. Or was it? Maybe I could modify it to make it work.
As I slid the money for the cutter to her across the counter, I said, “I also write freelance articles for a few magazines. As a matter of fact, I’ve been approached to write something on Lester.” It was time to dive in and worry about the consequences later. “You two were married, weren’t you?”
Her pen stuttered across the receipt, and I knew I’d gotten her attention, at least for a moment. “Not were. Are.”
She was using her words as though they cost her money, at least with me.
I was about to say something when Grace said just behind me, “Oh, no. I can’t believe nobody told you. I’m so sorry, but he’s dead.”
The woman looked at Grace as though she’d just slapped her. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.”
“I’m afraid she’s not,” I said. “The police found him this morning.”
Nancy Patton started to take a step forward, and then suddenly thought better of it. “I’m not feeling well,” she said just before she collapsed into my arms.
CHAPTER 5
“Great job. You killed her,” I told Grace as I tried to keep Nancy, and me, from falling to the floor. She hadn’t looked all that heavy before, but as dead weight, she felt like a sack of rocks in my arms.
“She’s not dead,” Grace said. “She couldn’t be. The woman just fainted, Suzanne. There’s no reason to overreact.”
“Do you mind giving me a hand before we both topple over?” I asked.
Grace offered a quick hand, and we moved Nancy to a nearby sofa. The FOR SALE sign got a little crumpled as we put her down, but that was the least of my worries. Could she have a bad heart? If she did, the shock Grace had just given her might have been enough to push her over the edge. I couldn’t wait any longer for her to come to on her own. I started to dial 911 when Grace saw what I was doing. “Hang on a second. Let me try something else first.”
There was a glass of water on the desk, and she got it and flicked a good amount of it into Nancy’s face. It took a second, but her eyelids finally began to flutter, and she woke up.
“What happened?” she asked as she looked at us both. Her gaze turned suspicious as she asked, “Did you two drug me?”
“You fainted,” I said, surprised to hear what her first notion was about us. There wasn’t a whole lot of trust there.
Grace leaned in and added, “I’m so sorry that we were the ones who told you.”
Nancy’s face reddened. “I had to hear it eventually. It was such a shock hearing it blurted out like that.”
“I’m sure it was,” Grace said.
“Who would want to see him dead, Nancy?” I asked.
She shook her head as though to clear the cobwebs, then took a few moments to compose herself. “Lester always had a way of bringing out the worst in people, you know? It could be anybody he’s offended. The police should look into his editorials and question those people he exposed most recently.”
I wasn’t about to volunteer the information that I’d been the last one in his sights. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
She dabbed at a tear as she said, “I just can’t believe he’s really gone. What happened to him?”
“He was choked,” I said, having no desire to divulge that one of my pastries had been jammed into his mouth. It hadn’t killed him, even the police knew that, though I had to wonder if most folks in April Springs would believe that it wasn’t my éclair that had done him in, no matter what the official cause of death was.
“That sounds dreadful.” Her face went even paler at the news, and I was beginning to worry that she might be on her way to passing out again.
It was essential to ask questions while she was still conscious. “Your arrangements were unusual, wouldn’t you say?”
She frowned at me as she answered. “I don’t see how. There are many married couples who choose to live
As I slid the money for the cutter to her across the counter, I said, “I also write freelance articles for a few magazines. As a matter of fact, I’ve been approached to write something on Lester.” It was time to dive in and worry about the consequences later. “You two were married, weren’t you?”
Her pen stuttered across the receipt, and I knew I’d gotten her attention, at least for a moment. “Not were. Are.”
She was using her words as though they cost her money, at least with me.
I was about to say something when Grace said just behind me, “Oh, no. I can’t believe nobody told you. I’m so sorry, but he’s dead.”
The woman looked at Grace as though she’d just slapped her. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.”
“I’m afraid she’s not,” I said. “The police found him this morning.”
Nancy Patton started to take a step forward, and then suddenly thought better of it. “I’m not feeling well,” she said just before she collapsed into my arms.
CHAPTER 5
“Great job. You killed her,” I told Grace as I tried to keep Nancy, and me, from falling to the floor. She hadn’t looked all that heavy before, but as dead weight, she felt like a sack of rocks in my arms.
“She’s not dead,” Grace said. “She couldn’t be. The woman just fainted, Suzanne. There’s no reason to overreact.”
“Do you mind giving me a hand before we both topple over?” I asked.
Grace offered a quick hand, and we moved Nancy to a nearby sofa. The FOR SALE sign got a little crumpled as we put her down, but that was the least of my worries. Could she have a bad heart? If she did, the shock Grace had just given her might have been enough to push her over the edge. I couldn’t wait any longer for her to come to on her own. I started to dial 911 when Grace saw what I was doing. “Hang on a second. Let me try something else first.”
There was a glass of water on the desk, and she got it and flicked a good amount of it into Nancy’s face. It took a second, but her eyelids finally began to flutter, and she woke up.
“What happened?” she asked as she looked at us both. Her gaze turned suspicious as she asked, “Did you two drug me?”
“You fainted,” I said, surprised to hear what her first notion was about us. There wasn’t a whole lot of trust there.
Grace leaned in and added, “I’m so sorry that we were the ones who told you.”
Nancy’s face reddened. “I had to hear it eventually. It was such a shock hearing it blurted out like that.”
“I’m sure it was,” Grace said.
“Who would want to see him dead, Nancy?” I asked.
She shook her head as though to clear the cobwebs, then took a few moments to compose herself. “Lester always had a way of bringing out the worst in people, you know? It could be anybody he’s offended. The police should look into his editorials and question those people he exposed most recently.”
I wasn’t about to volunteer the information that I’d been the last one in his sights. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
She dabbed at a tear as she said, “I just can’t believe he’s really gone. What happened to him?”
“He was choked,” I said, having no desire to divulge that one of my pastries had been jammed into his mouth. It hadn’t killed him, even the police knew that, though I had to wonder if most folks in April Springs would believe that it wasn’t my éclair that had done him in, no matter what the official cause of death was.
“That sounds dreadful.” Her face went even paler at the news, and I was beginning to worry that she might be on her way to passing out again.
It was essential to ask questions while she was still conscious. “Your arrangements were unusual, wouldn’t you say?”
She frowned at me as she answered. “I don’t see how. There are many married couples who choose to live
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