Dear Abby Cozy Mystery Collection 2 by Sonia Parin

Author:Sonia Parin [Parin, Sonia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-28T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Charles joined them for lunch and regaled them with stories about the morning’s rambling.

“I had to get out and clear my head. To think I almost gave up on taking my daily walks. The first time I went rambling around the estate, I ventured into the surrounding forest and heard what sounded like a bear. My survival instincts kicked in and I headed up the hill. I’d only been living in the country for a short while. For two months, I actually believed we had wild bears roaming around the estate. Then Joyce Breeland set me right and told me I’d actually heard a koala bear most likely grumbling because I’d been trespassing on his territory. I’d never have imagined such cuddly creatures could sound so ferocious.”

When Wadsworth finished serving their main course and withdrew, Charles leaned in and whispered, “You’ve made his day. He rather likes the idea of being a suspect.”

“We thought it might cheer him up,” Abby said around a mouthful of quiche.

Charles pushed his chair back and stood up. “Here’s Kelly. I asked my assistant to join us for lunch.” He drew a chair out for her and, once she’d settled down, he sat down again.

Wadsworth appeared and got busy at a side table preparing a plate for her.

While Abby lowered her head and focused on her meal, Faith took a sip of water and asked, “Did you notice anyone gate-crashing the event?”

Kelly shrugged. “There were so many guests…” She slanted her gaze toward Abby.

If she meant to convey a message, Abby missed it completely. She could only assume Kelly knew Abby had not been on the list…

“What about the serving staff?” Faith asked.

“We engaged the services of a reputable catering company and they organized the servers.”

“How long ago did you organize that?”

“I’d have to check my diary.”

“Didn’t Joshua say Marigold hadn’t ingested the poison?” Charles asked.

“True.” Faith tapped her chin. “I’m thinking the perpetrator might have wanted to be close to the murder scene and watch his plan unfold. It might have been easier to gain employment as a waiter than to actually gate-crash the event.” Leaning forward, Faith tried again. “Did you recognize anyone at the party who should not have been there?”

“I’ll go through the list again,” Kelly offered.

Once again, her eyes met Abby’s.

“When Marigold arrived, everyone’s attention turned to her,” Faith said. “I saw you fleeting around. Did you hear anything that might have sounded odd?”

When Kelly shook her head, Faith added, “Perhaps I’ll go through the guest list myself.”

Enough with the guest list, Abby thought…

Faith shifted in her chair. “How long have you been working for Charles?”

Kelly gave a nervous laugh. “Am I under suspicion?”

“No, Abby and I like to give everyone the shakedown.”

“That’s something to look forward to,” Charles said, his tone jovial.

Faith turned to Charles and grinned. “Perhaps we should start with you. Where were you when Marigold arrived?”

Charles sat back and looked up at the ceiling. “Let me think.”

“No, don’t think,” Faith warned. “Just tell us the first thing that comes to mind.

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.