Read Online Shamrock Shenanigans (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 19) by Kathi Daley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kathi Daley
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excellent with the livestock and he seems to be a hard worker. He was born and raised right here in Ireland. I really don’t see what motive he would have had to kill a visitor from the United States.”
“I don’t know either, but at this point he seems the most likely suspect. There are, however, others to consider. How well exactly did you know Brent?”
“I just met him the night of the dinner.”
I frowned. “So how did he come to be here?”
“His agent, a nice chap named Dugan Westerly, called to ask if one of his clients could come to the castle to do research for an upcoming role. I thought it would be good publicity, so I arranged for him to be here the same weekend as Ms. Belmont’s guests.”
“Ms. Belmont’s guests?” I knew Zak and I had been invited by Piper, and Millie had as well, but I’d just assumed the others had been invited by Lord Dunphy himself.
“Yes, the murder mystery weekend was her idea.”
I returned to my stool and sat back down. “Okay, let’s back up a bit. You said the weekend was Piper’s idea. How did the whole thing come about?”
Lord Dunphy got up and went over to the refrigerator. He took out a covered dish and offered me a slice of pie, which I accepted. I hadn’t eaten much dinner and I was starving.
“Ms. Belmont and her husband have visited Dunphy Castle on several occasions. In fact, I believe it is the only place they stay when they are in the area. During their last visit I mentioned to them that I wasn’t certain if I would be able to hang on to the castle because, thanks to mismanagement on my father’s part, my financial situation had become quite desperate. Ms. Belmont suggested the idea of offering murder mystery weekends to high-end clients. I was a bit skeptical at first, but Ms. Belmont insisted it was a brilliant idea. She told me that she would make all the arrangements for a trial run, which was scheduled for this weekend.”
“So she was responsible for inviting everyone who’s here this weekend?”
“Yes, except for Mr. Silverwood, of course, and Miss Baltimore. I called in a favor from an old friend and arranged to have the event covered by the press. At the time I thought it would be a good way to launch the weekends, should this one work out.”
I felt like the fact that Piper was responsible for inviting all the guests somehow changed everything. I just wasn’t certain how.
“Do you know why she chose each particular guest?” I asked as I took a bite of the pie, which was quite delicious.
“I know what she told me. She thought the weekend would be a lot more fun if all the contestants had a background in solving mysteries. She told me, for example, that you were an amateur sleuth who she’d met while vacationing this past summer. She said you actually had solved a murder while on your honeymoon.”
“Yes, that much is true.”
“Apparently Professor Waller works with Mr. Belmont in some capacity. She explained that Mr. Waller finds and retrieves lost artifacts, so I assume he must have Charles fence them.”
“ Fence them?”
“Yes, I believe Mr. Belmont deals in the acquisition and sale of valuable objects.”
I knew Charles and Piper traveled extensively; I guess I must never have gotten around to asking what they actually did for a living.
“And Jessica?”
“Ms. Belmont informed me that she is a huge fan of her books. She told me that she has read them all multiple times and had always wanted to meet the woman who managed to weave such complex tales time after time. I suppose she found this weekend to be the opportunity she’d been looking for.”
I knew Millie was Piper’s psychic, which just left Sam. Dunphy admitted he wasn’t certain how Sam and Piper were acquainted, but he was on her original list so he went with it.
I had a lot of new information; now I just needed to process it. I still felt like Liam was the best candidate for the killer, but I’ve found in my past experiences that the
“I don’t know either, but at this point he seems the most likely suspect. There are, however, others to consider. How well exactly did you know Brent?”
“I just met him the night of the dinner.”
I frowned. “So how did he come to be here?”
“His agent, a nice chap named Dugan Westerly, called to ask if one of his clients could come to the castle to do research for an upcoming role. I thought it would be good publicity, so I arranged for him to be here the same weekend as Ms. Belmont’s guests.”
“Ms. Belmont’s guests?” I knew Zak and I had been invited by Piper, and Millie had as well, but I’d just assumed the others had been invited by Lord Dunphy himself.
“Yes, the murder mystery weekend was her idea.”
I returned to my stool and sat back down. “Okay, let’s back up a bit. You said the weekend was Piper’s idea. How did the whole thing come about?”
Lord Dunphy got up and went over to the refrigerator. He took out a covered dish and offered me a slice of pie, which I accepted. I hadn’t eaten much dinner and I was starving.
“Ms. Belmont and her husband have visited Dunphy Castle on several occasions. In fact, I believe it is the only place they stay when they are in the area. During their last visit I mentioned to them that I wasn’t certain if I would be able to hang on to the castle because, thanks to mismanagement on my father’s part, my financial situation had become quite desperate. Ms. Belmont suggested the idea of offering murder mystery weekends to high-end clients. I was a bit skeptical at first, but Ms. Belmont insisted it was a brilliant idea. She told me that she would make all the arrangements for a trial run, which was scheduled for this weekend.”
“So she was responsible for inviting everyone who’s here this weekend?”
“Yes, except for Mr. Silverwood, of course, and Miss Baltimore. I called in a favor from an old friend and arranged to have the event covered by the press. At the time I thought it would be a good way to launch the weekends, should this one work out.”
I felt like the fact that Piper was responsible for inviting all the guests somehow changed everything. I just wasn’t certain how.
“Do you know why she chose each particular guest?” I asked as I took a bite of the pie, which was quite delicious.
“I know what she told me. She thought the weekend would be a lot more fun if all the contestants had a background in solving mysteries. She told me, for example, that you were an amateur sleuth who she’d met while vacationing this past summer. She said you actually had solved a murder while on your honeymoon.”
“Yes, that much is true.”
“Apparently Professor Waller works with Mr. Belmont in some capacity. She explained that Mr. Waller finds and retrieves lost artifacts, so I assume he must have Charles fence them.”
“ Fence them?”
“Yes, I believe Mr. Belmont deals in the acquisition and sale of valuable objects.”
I knew Charles and Piper traveled extensively; I guess I must never have gotten around to asking what they actually did for a living.
“And Jessica?”
“Ms. Belmont informed me that she is a huge fan of her books. She told me that she has read them all multiple times and had always wanted to meet the woman who managed to weave such complex tales time after time. I suppose she found this weekend to be the opportunity she’d been looking for.”
I knew Millie was Piper’s psychic, which just left Sam. Dunphy admitted he wasn’t certain how Sam and Piper were acquainted, but he was on her original list so he went with it.
I had a lot of new information; now I just needed to process it. I still felt like Liam was the best candidate for the killer, but I’ve found in my past experiences that the
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