Cindy Davis Lethal Dose of Love (v5.0) (epu

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.“It was that young Brice girl, Zoe.”“Isn’t that the family who lived in my house?” Payton asked.“I thought Harry Brice only had one son.”“No, there was a daughter too.She left town just after the trial.She’s never been back, that I know of.The judge practically laughed the case out of court.She was a bit of a…”“Tramp,” finished Amanda.“Where did she go? I mean, she couldn’t have been more than fifteen.”“Sixteen, I think,” Helen said.“She went to live with relatives in Oregon.The family had been about to send her away anyhow.She’d been in a lot of trouble.”“So Sean didn’t really rape her?”“No.At least nobody thought so at the time.” Helen shifted in her chair and sighed.“I’m sure my escapade in the supermarket will make the front page of this week’s Gazette.” Some of Helen’s color had returned and she was seeing a little humor in the situation.“I can see the headlines now,” Felicia said.“Helen Mortenson’s first pitch of the season is a strike.”“What was she angry about?” Payton asked.“That’s the thing.I have no idea.”They finally got down to the lesson, but the air was heavy.It wasn’t fifteen minutes before Payton wondered how Mamie could possibly be such a bad teacher.She was impatient almost to the point of being rude.At one point Helen looked at both she and Felicia and raised her eyebrows.Mamie seemed nervous, glancing often at the clock.Several times Payton almost asked what was wrong.But Mamie was a naturally anxious person; this could be perfectly normal behavior.Payton’s mind wandered as she worked on her painting of an herb garden.What had upset Sylvie to the point of making a scene? Could it have something to do with Sean’s death?An hour later, Felicia and Amanda left carrying the new portfolios Mamie had provided.Payton snapped the art case shut and picked it up by the two narrow handles.“Is everything all right between you and Claire? You seem a bit out of sorts.”“No.Yes.Oh, I don’t know.Claire’s been…strange since Sean’s death.So serious.And so—I don’t know—weird.Did you know she’s been out jogging?”“What’s strange about that?”“She always said it was a waste of time and wrecked your joints.I don’t know what’s wrong with her.And I don’t know what to do.”Helen patted Mamie’s shoulder.“This whole thing’s hit her hard.I’ll go see her on my way home.I’ll tell her about my run-in with Sylvie.That should get her laughing again.”“I’m glad to see you’re over it,” Payton said.Helen shrugged.“Eventually I’ll find out what ticked her off.Till then, I’m not going to worry about it.There’re enough immediate things to keep my mind occupied.”Mamie locked the door.Payton refused rides home and walked, downtown instead of home.Dusk had descended.A pale gray-yellow light outlined the opposite shore of the lake, near Long Point.Payton crossed the street and let herself into her shop.An uncomfortable feeling lurked at the back of her mind.As she sat behind the counter, the feeling took shape in the form of a headache, carving a relentless path through her brain.She dug through her purse for a bottle of pain pills.As the ache marched from the nape of her neck up between her ears, her thoughts grew jumbled.There was something she should be remembering.Almost in a trance, she locked the door, leaving the ficus plants on the sidewalk.She gave them “you’d better be there in the morning” glances and started up Main Street.Statistics said that traditionally women used poison as a murder weapon, but could she picture any of her friends actually doing so? There was obviously some animosity between Felicia and Sean.Was it enough to compel her to murder?And Helen.She admitted being one of Sean’s advocates, chalking his exploits up to youthful exuberance.Was his last deed with the empty store enough to finally make her realize what a low-down snake he was? What about Helen’s husband, Carter? On the surface, he seemed easygoing and agreeable.He’d stayed out of Sean and Helen’s business dealings, but could he be sick of Helen sticking up for Sean all the time?Using the empty shop as a motive, wasn’t it possible Mamie killed him? She wanted the contract with Miles Arenheim more than anything in the world.Even though Payton offered her home, had Mamie been unable to let go of the emotion?Amanda said if Edward found out what she’d paid for Commodore, he’d kill her.Would he be more likely to take his anger out on Sean? If Claire had a motive it totally escaped Payton [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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