Read Online Murder in the Air by Ellen Hart - Free Book Online Page A

mind, pal.”
    “Since
you're
involved, I had to ask.”
    Bram couldn't imagine how it could escalate into something quite so morbid. “I have every confidence that Heda Bloom knows what she's doing. In a way, it's her son's last hurrah, posthumously speaking. And I, for one, am curious how it's going to play out.”
    “Curious,
huh?”
    “Aren't you the least bit interested in what really happened to Kay Collins?”
    “I know what happened to her. It's right there in that police report.” He nodded to the manila envelope.
    Bram sighed. “You have no drama in your soul, Al. No drama at all.”

8
    “More coffee?” asked the waiter, the pot poised next to Sophie's cup.
    She glanced up at him with a weary smile. “Sure.” This was round number three.
    “We could switch to decaf.”
    “No, we couldn't.”
    “Would you like to order now?”
    She could feel her stomach growl. “I better wait until my husband gets here.”
    For the past half hour Sophie had been sitting at a table in Manderbach's ninth-floor restaurant, studying some menu notes she'd made earlier in the week for a party she was throwing for her son.
    Rudy and his companion, John Jacoby, had planned a commitment ceremony the week before Christmas. Sophie had suggested that once the service was over at the church, everyone come back to the Maxfield for a champagne buffet. Rudy and John had been so touched by her enthusiasm that they'd accepted immediately.
    Sophie was truly happy for the two of them, and she eagerly looked forward to the event. And yet, with everything already on her plate, the added responsibility of organizing a large party had turned out to be far more stressful than she'd imagined. At this time of year the Maxfield's banquet facilities were booked solid. The kitchen was always in a state of frenzied chaos and staff hours were pushed to the maximum. But Sophie knew what an important step it was for Rudy and John, and to show her love and support, everything had to be perfect. Disappointing her son was out of the question.
    Rudy would finish his degree in theatre arts at the University of Minnesota next winter. John was an artist whose drawings had appeared in several local galleries. To support himself, he worked a day job at a brewery in St. Paul. They'd met shortly after Rudy had come to Minnesota. As Sophie recalled it now, it had been a hard time for everyone.
    Sophie's ex-husband, Norman Greenway, had raised Rudy since he was a boy. Much to her great pain and regret, Sophie hadn't been allowed to see him much while he was growing up. For the past twenty-four years Norm had been a minister in a cultlike fundamentalist Christian church in Montana. He'd sued for custody as part of the divorce proceedings. With the unlimited funds of the church behind him, the ensuing custody battle had been
a. fait accompli
from the outset.
    Sophie had left the church as a result of a conflict over the doctrine of healing. As a young child, Rudy had becomeill—so ill, in fact, that Sophie had feared for his life. Defying her husband's wishes and the church's moral teachings, she'd taken him to a doctor. She'd never had any doubt about her actions. She knew Rudy wouldn't be alive today if he hadn't received medical treatment. Yet she also knew that as soon as she set foot inside the hospital door, her marriage was over. Even if Norm had been willing to take her back, she was finished—with him
and
the church.
    After the divorce, Norm, in his infinite wisdom, had cut Rudy off from his mother's influence. And yet once Rudy was old enough, he'd left Montana. Sophie wished she could say he'd turned up on her doorstep because he missed his mother and wanted to mend an important relationship in his life, but the truth was, he was running—from his father and the church.
    Rudy was gay. He knew that as long as he stayed with the Church of the Firstborn, he would have to hide that part of himself. In the end, it was too much. Sophie was glad that he'd