Read Online The Book Club Murders by Leslie Nagel - Free Book Online

riot act, hands fisted on her hips, her own eyes alight with indignation. Her curly dark head barely came up to the middle of his chest. He looked terrified.
    “Please don’t tell Mr. Bright! I hardly smoke at all, I swear!”
    “Friend of yours?” Charley smiled pleasantly at the boy.
    “Mikey is a student in John’s martial arts class,” Frankie explained. John Bright was one-quarter Vietnamese and, despite his successful law career, still taught a weekly class in the art of
Vo Binh Dinh
at the Oakwood Community Center. “I didn’t realize you worked here,
or
that you were polluting the temple.”
    “Give the kid a break.” Charley smiled again. “What do you do, Mikey? Are you a cook?”
    “Dishwasher,” he corrected, shooting her a grateful smile. “And some prep when they need extra help. Prep cook up and quit last night. I guess being questioned by the cops scared him off.” He lowered his voice, glancing around. “I think he’s an illegal, but you didn’t hear it from me.”
    “The cops?” Charley’s mystery radar went on full alert, her earlier misgivings forgotten. “Did they question you, too?”
    “Sure did. They showed all of us a picture of that lady who got murdered.” Mikey jerked his chin in the direction of the easement. “I saw you come out of there. Ladies, that trail’s bad news. Kids are always sneaking in there to party, break shit, looking for a place to fuck—oh, um, sorry.” He blushed deeply.
    “And smoke a little pot? That’s something you know about, isn’t it?” His mouth dropped open, and Charley pressed on. “I know the difference between tobacco and a joint, pal. Getting high in broad daylight? Not smart.”
    “Unbelievable.” Frankie glared.
    “Did you see Serena Tuesday night?” Charley pursued. “The lady who was killed?”
    Mikey glanced toward the back entrance as if gauging his chances of escape. “How would I? I never go out into the dining room.”
    “But you come out here, right? To get high? You could have seen her out here when she parked her car, or when she walked over to the trail.”
    “I don’t think so,” he said sullenly. “I don’t even know what she drives.”
    “Bright red Mazda Miata,” Frankie supplied. “It was parked right here. If you came out here to
smoke—
and please do not insult me by denying it—you had to have seen her car.”
    “Well, sure, I saw the Miata. Very sweet.”
    Charley and Frankie exchanged excited glances. “Did you see the driver? Serena Wyndham?”
    “Nope. She was blond, right? In the picture those detectives were waving around, she had blond hair. The lady I saw was a brunette.”
    There was a beat of stunned silence. “
What
lady?”
    He shrugged. “Some lady was sitting in the Miata, messing with the glove box. That’s why I noticed her. The light was on.”
    Charley gaped at him. “What time was this? Did you see her face? Are you sure she had dark hair? What was she doing?”
    “Whoa.” Mikey held up his hands. “One question at a time. I didn’t see her face. She was leaning down, looking in the glove box. It’s dark back here, so with that light on, yeah, definitely a brunette. She had a kind of straight thing going, you know? Straight bangs, straight dark haircut, like, straight across.” He drew a finger across his shoulder to indicate length.
    “What time did you see her?” Charley asked again. Her pulse was racing.
    “Maybe…nine? Nine-thirty?” Mikey considered. “Yeah, about then. It was after the dinner rush. I always grab a smoke before—uh, um.” He shot a guilty look at Frankie, who shook her head.
    “Did you tell any of this to the police?”
    “Nah. I didn’t know that was her car until you told me.” He looked worried. “Am I in trouble? For, like, withholding evidence?”
    “Did you do it deliberately?” Charley’s cellphone rang. “I’m sure they’ll—” She checked the display. “Crap. It’s Deirdre.” There was only one reason her