Read Online The Ghost and The Haunted Mansion by Alice Kimberly - Free Book Online
Authors: Alice Kimberly
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“Calm down!” I shouted, taking advantage of the momentary surprise. I pushed against them until I held the two at arm’s length. “You have to get a grip, Seymour.” Then I shifted my gaze to Bull McCoy and Chief Ciders. “And you both know Seymour’s innocent. Why don’t you let him go?”
Chief Ciders shook his head. “Pizza sauce or no pizza sauce, he’s still my prime suspect in this murder—”
“Sorry, Chief, but I don’t think so.”
The deep voice that interrupted was new to the gathering. All eyes shifted to the doorway, where Dr. Randall Rubino was now standing.
A divorced Bostonian, Rubino had moved to Newport to start his life over. A few months back, he’d agreed to remain on-call for Ciders whenever the town of Quindicott needed an official medical ruling on a death. Then just a few weeks ago, Rubino decided to make another move—to Quindicott itself. Now he lived on the other end of Larchmont Avenue, where he was preparing to take over the practice of our local GP, who was retiring to the Florida Keys in another month.
Rubino wasn’t anything like the town’s longtime physician, a short, lean, balding sixty-eight-year-old. The young doctor was more like one of those physicians you saw on the daytime soaps—tall, fortyish, with darkly handsome features and a toothpaste-commercial smile. Between his good looks and impressive profession, he’d become a pretty popular guy with some of the locals (most of them female).
Today Dr. Rubino was dressed in wrinkled, salt-stained khakis and scuffed deck shoes. The man had a private boat and a passion for fishing, so I wasn’t surprised when Eddie mentioned picking him up at Mullet Point, which had some of the best ocean fishing in the state. Rubino’s tanned face had just the right amount of weathering, and his wavy brown hair had been raked by the wind.
Whoa , I thought, the man even smells like the sea.
You mean he reeks of fish?
“Easy, Jack. Don’t go getting jealous on me.”
Jack grunted—and got a whole lot colder. With a little shiver, I rubbed my bare arms.
The chief turned to Rubino. “Okay, Doctor, I’m listening. Explain what you mean.”
“I mean Miss Todd wasn’t murdered.”
“Go on,” Ciders said.
“It’s simple,” Rubino said. “Miss Todd died of natural causes, not foul play. In my opinion she suffered a massive and instantly fatal cerebral hemorrhage. I can’t be certain, of course, until I conduct an autopsy, but—”
“What about the blood?” Ciders broke in. “The victim was covered with it. Blood was all over the place.”
“Well, it was a hemorrhage , Chief, and that means there’s bound to be some blood. When the vein in her neck ruptured, Miss Todd started to bleed from her nose and ears. This is not an uncommon occurrence.”
You notice Doc Heartthrob still isn’t saying what caused the old dame to pop a pipe.
“You’re right!” I told Jack—but it was Rubino who answered.
“What’s that, Mrs. McClure? You agree?”
“Uh . . .” I stared at the man. “Did I say that out loud?”
Dr. Rubino frowned. “Say what?”
Now everyone turned to stare at me. “Actually, Doctor, I have a few questions.”
Atta girl, Baby Ruth. Swing away.
“What questions do you have, Mrs. McClure?” The tone was mildly patronizing. I pressed on.
“The expression on Miss Todd’s face,” I said. “She appeared to be positively terrified .”
“You would be, too, if you felt a twinge in your neck and blood began to pour from your nose and mouth. You must understand that Miss Todd suffered a sudden, terrible trauma before she died.”
I thought of that cold spot and the strange noises she’d reported. “But there could have been something else that may have frightened her, right?”
The doctor folded his arms. “The only explanation I can offer for her frightful expression is medical.”
“I have a question,” Ciders said, glancing at me, then back to the doctor. “We’ve
“Calm down!” I shouted, taking advantage of the momentary surprise. I pushed against them until I held the two at arm’s length. “You have to get a grip, Seymour.” Then I shifted my gaze to Bull McCoy and Chief Ciders. “And you both know Seymour’s innocent. Why don’t you let him go?”
Chief Ciders shook his head. “Pizza sauce or no pizza sauce, he’s still my prime suspect in this murder—”
“Sorry, Chief, but I don’t think so.”
The deep voice that interrupted was new to the gathering. All eyes shifted to the doorway, where Dr. Randall Rubino was now standing.
A divorced Bostonian, Rubino had moved to Newport to start his life over. A few months back, he’d agreed to remain on-call for Ciders whenever the town of Quindicott needed an official medical ruling on a death. Then just a few weeks ago, Rubino decided to make another move—to Quindicott itself. Now he lived on the other end of Larchmont Avenue, where he was preparing to take over the practice of our local GP, who was retiring to the Florida Keys in another month.
Rubino wasn’t anything like the town’s longtime physician, a short, lean, balding sixty-eight-year-old. The young doctor was more like one of those physicians you saw on the daytime soaps—tall, fortyish, with darkly handsome features and a toothpaste-commercial smile. Between his good looks and impressive profession, he’d become a pretty popular guy with some of the locals (most of them female).
Today Dr. Rubino was dressed in wrinkled, salt-stained khakis and scuffed deck shoes. The man had a private boat and a passion for fishing, so I wasn’t surprised when Eddie mentioned picking him up at Mullet Point, which had some of the best ocean fishing in the state. Rubino’s tanned face had just the right amount of weathering, and his wavy brown hair had been raked by the wind.
Whoa , I thought, the man even smells like the sea.
You mean he reeks of fish?
“Easy, Jack. Don’t go getting jealous on me.”
Jack grunted—and got a whole lot colder. With a little shiver, I rubbed my bare arms.
The chief turned to Rubino. “Okay, Doctor, I’m listening. Explain what you mean.”
“I mean Miss Todd wasn’t murdered.”
“Go on,” Ciders said.
“It’s simple,” Rubino said. “Miss Todd died of natural causes, not foul play. In my opinion she suffered a massive and instantly fatal cerebral hemorrhage. I can’t be certain, of course, until I conduct an autopsy, but—”
“What about the blood?” Ciders broke in. “The victim was covered with it. Blood was all over the place.”
“Well, it was a hemorrhage , Chief, and that means there’s bound to be some blood. When the vein in her neck ruptured, Miss Todd started to bleed from her nose and ears. This is not an uncommon occurrence.”
You notice Doc Heartthrob still isn’t saying what caused the old dame to pop a pipe.
“You’re right!” I told Jack—but it was Rubino who answered.
“What’s that, Mrs. McClure? You agree?”
“Uh . . .” I stared at the man. “Did I say that out loud?”
Dr. Rubino frowned. “Say what?”
Now everyone turned to stare at me. “Actually, Doctor, I have a few questions.”
Atta girl, Baby Ruth. Swing away.
“What questions do you have, Mrs. McClure?” The tone was mildly patronizing. I pressed on.
“The expression on Miss Todd’s face,” I said. “She appeared to be positively terrified .”
“You would be, too, if you felt a twinge in your neck and blood began to pour from your nose and mouth. You must understand that Miss Todd suffered a sudden, terrible trauma before she died.”
I thought of that cold spot and the strange noises she’d reported. “But there could have been something else that may have frightened her, right?”
The doctor folded his arms. “The only explanation I can offer for her frightful expression is medical.”
“I have a question,” Ciders said, glancing at me, then back to the doctor. “We’ve
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