Arson at the Ashmolean: A humorous paranormal cozy mystery (Oxford Key Mysteries Book 3) by Lynn Morrison

Author:Lynn Morrison [Morrison, Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Marketing Chair Press
Published: 2020-10-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

For the first time in ages, I’m ready to go somewhere before Edward. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him. He was away all weekend at a work event. On Monday, I spent all day with Mathilde getting a tour of the secret chamber contents and then interviewing people for more insights into Francie and Andrei. Today was Edward’s busy day, with a lecture class to deliver and an afternoon of tutorial sessions.

I’ve been looking forward to this evening, hoping we can use our drive into the Cotswolds to compare notes on what we’ve uncovered so far.

“Knock knock,” I call out as I open his flat door and step inside. “Shall we head out? I’ve got Harry’s car parked outside.”

“Nearly.” Edward’s reply is faint, coming from deeper inside of his flat. I follow the sound of his grumbles to find him holding a tie in each hand, taking turns to trial them in front of the mirror. “I think the red tie goes best, but will it come off as too aggressive when we start to question Mary Chloe?” He swaps them again, huffing in frustration.

Sensing the need for an intervention, I step into the room and take both ties from his hands. “Stop thinking about this as an interview with a suspect and try to approach it as dinner with a friend.” I hold up a more casual polo shirt and wait as he unbuttons his starched white shirt and rehangs it inside the armoire.

“I’m supposed to be a professional, Nat. Why is it so hard for me to decide on a tie?” Edward gives me a hangdog look. “Also, I can’t bring myself to believe Mary Chloe could be the evil mastermind behind all of the thefts and the fire in the archives. She’s a colleague, for goodness sake! I’ve worked with her for years, shared students with her, sat across the table at lunches and dinners.”

I make a quick decision that we can afford to be a few minutes late. There is no way we can leave with Edward so discombobulated. I’ll spend the entire dinner trying to cover up for his awkwardness. “Come, sit down here on the bed for a minute. A couple of good exhales to calm yourself.” I coach Edward through a quick relaxation exercise until he stops twitching.

“Thanks, Nat. I don’t know what got into me. Or rather, I do, but I don’t want to admit it. I’ve been staring at the date in my diary all day, planning out conversation starters and follow-up questions, and hating every minute of it.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” I offer, “I spent a day thinking Harry might have been the one to kill Chef Smythe. I was in complete misery, both at the thought of it and with the pressure of needing to confront her.”

“Harry?” he repeats, his voice full of disbelief. “Harry and Chef Smythe were like oil and water, but murder? It wouldn’t even have crossed my mind.”

“I couldn’t

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.