Death on Puzzle Place (Secret Sleuth, Book 8) by Patricia McLinn

Author:Patricia McLinn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery
ISBN: 9781954478855
Publisher: Craig Place Books
Published: 2023-12-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The Laum family house was the same vintage as mine, though situated on the opposite end of the post-World War II building boom crescent that arched around the northern perimeter of the original town. Like mine, it was red brick and two stories.

But rather than entering from a door centered in the colonial façade, their front door was to the side of the driveway that led to a single car garage. That allowed room for a large picture window across the front.

A pang of envy for the light that would let in — when the window wasn’t covered by mostly closed drapes as it was now, leaving only a lighted Christmas tree visible at the center — renewed my determination to replace my solid wood front door with one that had windows at the top.

My door, my decision, right?

Except Teague and I also were negotiating what work he did or didn’t do around the house since we’d started dating. He didn’t want to take money for his work. I wanted to pay him for his labor. Since his carpentry and other work for me predated the dating, it was an interesting negotiation.

Those considerations might have made me half a beat slow when a woman opened the door to us.

Clara stepped into the breach.

“Hi, Erica Laum, right? I’m Clara Woodrow. This is my friend Sheila Mackey.” I raised a weak hand. “And her great-aunt, Kit. I think you knew my late mother-in-law Irissa Woodrow. You worked together at the polls for years, right?”

Clara didn’t wait for the woman to confirm or deny, but rattled on with connections and remembrances that somehow made exactly why we’d showed up at her front door immaterial.

Thank heavens.

Because I was trying to get my bearings.

Not because of my thoughts about my front door and Teague.

But because Erica Laum and the man I could see in an easy chair in the living room — a sight allowed by the angle from the open front door, across the entryway, through a cased opening — were the couple I’d seen arguing on the town square Monday while giving Kit her first view of Haines Tavern.

Arguing or something else. Certainly something with strong emotions.

The woman crying, the man gripping so hard I’d considered driving to that side of the square to tell him to knock it off. Until I saw the bailiff.

I’d thought then they’d come from the courthouse. But had they? Or could they have come from the direction of Amber House? Happening to stop at that spot in front of the courthouse steps.

But … Wait, that was hours after Delilah Felton was found dead.

Even more hours after the cookies we hypothesized were poisoned and left for Delilah did their worst.

So what did seeing them on the square mean … if anything?

Clara had to come up for air and Erica Laum spoke for the first time.

“Fern said you might come by.” Tension pulled Erica Laum’s words out of what I’d guessed was meant to be a pleasant shape.

That was weird, since Fern hadn’t told us their names, much less where they lived.

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