Read Online Veiled Threats by DEBORAH DONNELLY - Free Book Online Page A

She was divorced, with two rambunctious little boys who called me Aunt Car.
    Lily always recommended my services to her friends and coworkers at the library, including Diane's mother, and Diane had recommended me to Nickie. So at this point I owed Lily my financial salvation, as well as a dinner I'd forgotten to cook.
    “No offense, Carnegie, but it does not smell like roast chicken in here.”
    “Oh, shit, Lily. I never even took it out of the fridge. I found this card case after Diane's wedding—”
    “Sorry about the accident,” she said softly.
    “Yeah. Me, too. If I'd just gone after her … Well, anyway, I found this, and before that I saw this guy …” Once again I explained about the man in the rain, but Lily was no Lieutenant Borden. She was fascinated.
    “So you think this Guthridge guy sent someone to kill Nickie. And you think the killer dropped his card case after he'd been fooling with her car—so now we just have to find out who owns the card case!”
    Her enthusiasm was a bit disconcerting. “Well, maybe. That still wouldn't prove that the owner of the case was fooling with the Mustang. For that we have to find Mary.”
    “Mary who?”
    “Crazy Mary, you know, the bag lady?”
    “Sure. She's in the library a lot, checking the local papers and planning her bus routes. She's kind of sweet.”
    “Yeah, she is. Well, that night, at the reception, she said something about people breaking things and stealing things, and she kept saying ‘I saw him.’ I thought she meant she saw someone spill some champagne, but the person who spilledthe champagne was a woman. What if she meant the man in the raincoat? Maybe she saw him fooling with Nickie's car, and she thought he was trying to steal it? What do you think?”
    “I think I'm starving. Where shall we go?”
    We went to a noisy little Thai place in Fremont, not far from Joe's office, and pored over the cards between the phad thai and the coconut ice cream. As usual, Lily ate with a kind of wicked gusto, prompting other diners to crane around and see what she was having. Lily's like that.
    “Well,” she said finally. “You can't tell much from three cards, except the guy works out, plays pool, and likes Flair Plus, whatever that is. Why not give the whole thing to the police, or to Douglas Parry?”
    “The police already think I'm a flake. And I did warn the family.” I didn't mention Douglas's heart trouble. “Besides, the case might belong to one of the wedding guests who just hasn't missed it yet. Or to one of the poison pen writers that Nickie's worried about, and that could be anybody on earth. I should probably just wait a while.”
    “True. You know you're wearing your dinner again?”
    She was right. I'd spattered noodle sauce on my blouse. “Damn! How do I do this? I'm not a clumsy person, am I?”
    Lily grinned. “Your best friend wouldn't tell that, would she? So what else is up, besides the mystery man?”
    I told her about the bounced check, and how I'd unintentionally embarrassed Grace with her banker and perhaps with her husband. “Grace could do me a lot of good in her social circles. Or a lot of damage.”
    “Isn't Parry the one who's been in the papers? Maybe it wasn't just a shopping spree that emptied that account. Maybe they're in a financial bind because of his shady deals.”
    “Oh, jeez, I hadn't thought of that. I'd better talk it over with Eddie. Maybe we could bill them in advance for some of the bigger expenses coming up, like the liquor and the rest of the yacht club's fees for the reception.” I thought for a moment. “No, Eddie's so prejudiced against Douglas already, I'd better wait until I know more.”
    “Sounds like the story of your life right now. Wait till you know more.”
    “But I hate to wait!”
    “Clumsy
and
impatient … Listen, Carnegie, if you decide to follow up on this whole thing, you call me, OK?”
    I smiled. “You want to play detective, too, don't you?”
    “Well, life's been kinda