A Merry Little Death: A Short Christmas Novel: A 1930s Murder Mystery (Poison Ink Mysteries Book 7) by Beth Byers

Author:Beth Byers [Byers, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2019-12-01T05:00:00+00:00

Georgette glanced at Robert and then said, in exhaustion, “I think we should invite the doctor to Christmas Eve supper and the evening thereafter. Then we can go home.” She sighed.

“I could take you home first,” Robert said, but Georgette shook her head.

“I’ll relax better if I know everyone is home.”

Lucy took Janey’s hand and held her little sister close to her. “There has to be some way for us to help Mrs. Mangan and her children.”

Georgette’s heart ached as she answered. “She doesn’t have any skills. I remember what that felt like. It’s helpless.”

“We could invest in her, couldn’t we?” Robert asked suddenly. “We can’t just support her forever, but we could…I don’t know…buy her dairy cows or hens or both? Give her some way to take care of her family.”

Lucy was already shaking her head. “They’re not the accepting of charity type of people.”

“What if we didn’t ask them to accept it?” Georgette asked. “What if we invested like Robert said, and then we ask her to pay us back by doing the same for another widow. Or another old maid. Another woman who needs to be able to support herself. Someone like I used to be. I was thinking of getting hens if Charles or someone didn’t buy my book.”

Georgette let her head fall back against the seat.

Robert asked, “Do you think it’ll work?”

“I think we should try,” Lucy said.

“Who better than us?” Georgette asked. “Our family of orphans.”

Robert parked near the doctor’s office and climbed out of the auto. He handed out Georgette and then Lucy. Janey popped out on her own, already bouncy again with the idea that they could somehow help the Mangan family.

Georgette followed Lucy to the door and gave Janey money for sweets before letting her run to the market rather than follow them in.

“Mrs. Aaron,” Dr. West said, “Are you feeling all right? Hullo, Lucy. Happy Christmas, Robert.”

“Happy Christmas,” Robert said, his gaze narrowed on Dr. West. “How nice to see you.”

Georgette bit down on her bottom lip as she looked among the three and then she said, “Dr. West, we’ve come to invite you to our Christmas Eve supper.”

His eyes widened. “Oh, I’d like that. Thank you.”

Georgette smiled and shook his hand, and then she asked, “Have you been able to determine what killed Mr. Mangan?”

Dr. West glanced between them, blushing brilliantly, and Georgette guessed that he knew he shouldn’t tell them. She and Robert eyed each other and then waited for the doctor, who stammered an excuse.

“It looks like arsenic,” Georgette tried. “Didn’t you think so, Robert?”

Dr. West shrugged noncommittally.

“Oh, leave him be,” Lucy said. “We’re here to make sure you have a place for Christmas,” she told the doctor. She shot the other two quelling looks. “You’ll get what you want to know from Joseph anyway.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Dr. West frowned. “Please don’t ruin my career here.”

“Oh no,” Georgette said, shaking her head. “No. We don’t want to do any such thing.”

“I think it might have been digitalis,” he said with a sigh, relenting.

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