Read Online This Old Murder by Valerie Wolzien - Free Book Online

to find the most upset. “They did ask some awfully personal questions,” she commented.
    “At least the producer interviewed you. We got stuck with that kid intern. He asked me where I grew up, when I decided to be a carpenter, how I learned my trade, what led me to Island Contracting. I wanted to tell that young punk that he could just mind his own business!” Jill said angrily.
    “I think he’s cute.” Annette spoke up. “We ran into each other last night at that pizza place on the boardwalk and had dinner together.”
    “That kid wearing the Cornell T-shirt? Are you nuts? He’s the product of some prep school in a wealthy suburb. His parents have so much money, he doesn’t even have to get one of those easy summer jobs that most kids have. He’s an intern. An intern!” Dottie made the term sound like something awful. “And just in case you’re getting any ideas, I can tell you that he’s not going to be interested in a carpenter. Those Ivy League types are only slumming when they’re being nice to the likes of us.”
    Annette put down the plumb line she was using and looked straight at Dottie. “What about Josie and Sam? He’s a lawyer and she’s just a carpenter. . . .” She glanced over at Josie.
    “I don’t think of myself as ‘just a carpenter.’ And Sam doesn’t either,” Josie said. “And if you like this guy, go for it.”
    Annette’s face broke into a large smile. “He asked me to go out with him tonight. I said I didn’t know what time we’d be finished work—”
    “We’ll be done in time for you to see him. Why don’t you go tell him it’s a date? And if you need an excuse to be out front, get the thermos of coffee and the bakery box from the front seat of my truck. We may as well take a coffee break now.”
    Annette bounced off happily.
    “You and Sam are an exception,” Dottie stated flatly. “And you probably know it. How many college-educated men have you dated since you entered the trades?”
    “Not many—not that I’ve dated all that much. But Annette is young and it’s nice to be young and think all things are possible.”
    “You’re right,” Jill agreed, nodding. “Let Annette keep that feeling for as long as she can— Why are you back so soon?” she asked as Annette reappeared. “And where’s the food Josie told you to bring?”
    “I ran into Chad—that’s his name, Chad Henshaw—and he told me there’s food set up on a table in the driveway.”
    “Yeah, I saw the truck delivering it,” Dottie said. “They hauled out all sorts of goodies. But it’s for the TV people, not for the likes of us.”
    “No! That’s not true. Chad was on his way here to tell us that Bobby Valentine invited everyone to eat there, for breaks as well as for lunch. The food is provided by merchants on the island for a credit—I think he called it a credit—at the end of the show. I saw it—it’s a feast!”
    They didn’t have to be invited twice.
    Josie’s first thought, upon spying the lavish spread laid out on two large tables and shaded by multicolored beach umbrellas, was to wonder why anyone would ever eat a rice cake when such delicious bounty was available. She was piling sugary Bismarcks on a large paper plate when she noticed Courtney walking by, a can of Diet Coke in one hand and a sheaf of papers in the other.
    “I see you still have that sweet tooth,” Courtney said, speeding up so that Josie didn’t have time to respond.
    Josie opened her mouth and then, realizing what she was looking at, closed it again. Son of a gun, she thought. “I see you’re still a sourpuss” was what she called out, picking up a doughnut and taking a large bite. Too large, it turned out. A chunk of sugary coating stuck in her throat and she began to choke. Embarrassingly enough, everyone came to her aid. By the time her back had been slapped and offers to try out newly acquired Heimlich skills refused, Courtney was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, smiling at the