Read Online Murder Is Secondary by Diane Weiner - Free Book Online Page A

running to her, but she figured she’d give it a try. She went into the kitchen and poured some dry food into the food bowl. Then she remembered how Julie said there was a can of cat food in the fridge which Susan was supposed to put on top of the dry as an appetizer. She stopped at the fridge door to admire the magnetic photo collection. All of them were of Joey––Joey getting the science award, Joey running, Joey blowing out candles on a birthday cake… wait, she thought. This is interesting––a picture of Joey and a handful of other teenagers in front of a half-built house. They were wearing t-shirts that read ‘Habitat for Humanity.’ In the background was an array of construction equipment, including a bulldozer. Now that’s very interesting , thought Susan. Who would have known that Joey may have had the opportunity to operate a bulldozer after all? It was a stretch, but it was possible. She took out the cat food and again, to no avail, called for Misty. She didn’t feel right leaving the apartment without being sure the cat was okay.
    Susan went searching for Misty. She went down the hall and found Joey’s bedroom. She knew that Johann and Ludwig liked hiding under the bed when strangers came over so she figured maybe this cat felt the same way. As she cooed to the cat, she got down on the floor. Boy , she thought, I’d better get in some yoga classes before I start crawling around with my grandbaby. Getting down on the floor wasn’t as easy as it used to be. She lifted up the dust ruffle and peered under the bed. The cat wasn’t there, but she did find something notable––something unexpected––something that might just be a motive for murder.
    Her knee creaked as she held onto the bed and stood up holding this new piece of evidence. It was a thick, stapled science report. She recognized the topic–– Utilizing a Saliva-Based Screening Test to Determine the Likelihood of Developing Type 1 Diabetes. That was the project Joey had won the science fair with. It would make sense that he’d have a copy stashed under his bed, except there was something wrong with this picture. The name on the front cover was Amber Bernstein. Was it possible that Joey had actually stolen Amber’s report and claimed it as his own? He’d never do that––or would he? Amber had insisted repeatedly that Joey had stolen her work. Maybe he had killed her to keep her quiet. After all, Susan didn’t know much about Joey. And the picture on the fridge––Joey had been building houses with Habitat for Humanity. He could have learned how to drive a bulldozer while volunteering.
    She’d have to bring this to Lynette’s attention. But how was she going to explain being under Joey’s bed? She really hadn’t set out to snoop. She’d been looking for Julie’s cat when she happened to find Amber’s report. Lynette wasn’t going to believe her, no siree. Lynette would accuse her of snooping again. Maybe she’d have to look into this on her own. She remembered that she still hadn’t found the cat.
    Next, she checked Julie’s bedroom. The cat wasn’t on the bed. The bathroom door was open so she peeked in there. She didn’t find the cat, but couldn’t resist opening the medicine cabinet. Hmmm , she thought. Now I know everyone looks in medicine cabinets when given the opportunity. She found a bottle of Advil, floss, and a box of brown hair color. She wondered why Julie would be coloring her hair. And why would she choose this color? Susan had always thought Julie’s skin was awfully fair in contrast to her dark locks. Maybe she was starting to turn gray. God knows , thought Susan, those grays can be pretty stubborn to cover. This had been a very interesting day.
    Suddenly the cat came running into the bedroom, using the bed as a trampoline en route to the top of the dresser. Susan nearly jumped out of her skin. “There you are Misty. There’s fresh food and water inside. Glad to see you are just fine.” Susan gave