Read Online Murder a la Christie (The Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mysteries 1) by Marilyn Levinson - Free Book Online

showed Sylvia had been poisoned.”
    Detective Donovan gave me a half smile. “You suspected this from the get go. Which is why you paid a visit to the Old Cadfield precinct the morning after she died.”
    I nodded.
    “Right now we’re gathering information about the night your friend was poisoned. Unfortunately, a week’s gone by since the crime occurred and that’s lousy for the case every which way.”
    He hunched forward, his eyes glittering with intensity. “Now I need to know everything you remember about last Wednesday evening. And I mean everything, no matter how small, how insignificant you think the incident may be.”
    “We had our first meeting of the mystery book club Wednesday night. It was my friend Rosie Gordon’s idea. She’d gathered a group of interested friends and neighbors and asked me to lead the group, since I teach English lit at Mondale University.”
    “You have your doctorate?”
    I nodded, wondering what the hell that had to do with anything.
    “Admirable. I always wanted to get a degree in literature. Besides Mrs. Gordon and her family, had you ever met any of the others who were at the house when Mrs. Morris died?”
    “I knew them all." I cleared my throat. “Rosie invited everyone in the book club to a barbecue earlier that evening. Everyone came.”
    “When did you arrive?”
    “Close to four o’clock.”
    Donovan sipped his water. “Who was there?”
    “Rosie and Hal Gordon, their youngest daughter, Ginger. Hal had taken the day off. He barbecued spare ribs and hamburgers, while Rosie made side dishes and salads." I gave a little laugh. “But that’s not what you need to hear.”
    He pursed his lips. “That’s exactly what I want you to tell me. Was anyone besides the family at the house when you arrived?”
    “Todd Taylor, who lives down the block from the Gordons. When I arrived, he and Ginger were on the terrace drinking mojitos. They were celebrating their upcoming graduations—Todd’s from law school, Ginger’s from Mondale.”
    “That’s nice,” Donovan commented. “Did Todd stay for the meeting?”
    “Yes. Ginger asked if he could, since he’s an Agatha Christie fan.”
    “Was anyone else at the Gordons’ home when you arrived?”
    I’d almost forgotten. “Paulette Hartman was sunning herself by the pool. Paulette’s Rosie’s cousin—first cousin once removed. She and her husband, Lowell, recently bought a home in Old Cadfield.”
    “What’s Mrs. Hartman’s relationship with Mrs. Morris?”
    I shrugged. “I suppose they knew each other, since Paulette grew up in Old Cadfield.”
    Detective Donovan raised his eyebrows. “Care to elaborate?”
    I felt the queasiness of a squealer. “All I mean is, aside from their both knowing Rosie and living in the same neighborhood, they’ve nothing in common. Sylvia was in her early sixties—a bright, cultured woman who’d been writing non-fiction books these past fifteen years. While Paulette...” I paused to choose my words carefully so I wouldn’t sound critical.
    “Yes?”
    “Paulette’s in her early thirties. She’s a sweet girl, really, though I don’t think her thoughts run much beyond her husband, their new home, and starting a family.”
    “When the others arrived, what did you all talk about?”
    “Nothing special. The upcoming meeting. Old Cadfield gossip.”
    “Did anyone quarrel with Mrs. Morris that evening?"
    I told him about Sylvia and Gerda’s argument. I finished by saying, “They were good friends. I find it impossible to believe Gerda would hurt Sylvia.”
    I wanted to kick myself! Why was I defending Gerda? A few days ago I was ready to escort her to the police station.
    Donovan burst out laughing. “Dr. Driscoll, you’d make one hell of a detective— excusing every suspect, one by one, on a purely emotional basis.”
    “It’s just that I’ve known most of these people for years through Rosie and Hal. I can’t believe any one of them would set out to poison poor