Kay Hooper - O4 by Through the Looking Glass

Author:Through the Looking Glass [Glass, Through the Looking]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-12-24T00:43:08.279000+00:00

He drew a deep breath. "But she decided he'd been murdered. She was with the carnival?"

"No, she was in Oregon." The expression on her face and in her voice was still serious, in comparison to which the words were lunatic. Gideon sent a glance down at his empty glass, wishing again that he'd ordered a double. He took a moment to try to find a logical thread. He failed. "Why did she decide he'd been murdered? I mean, what led her to believe that his death wasn't accidental?"

A faint glint of sympathy shone in Maggie's eyes. "It sounds absurd, I know. All I can tell you is that my aunt Julia's pronouncements are rarely—and I do mean rarely—wrong. If my aunt Julia told me the sun rose in the west, I'd believe her until I found evidence to the contrary."

"All right, 111 accept that since I don't seem to have a choice. She decided he'd been murdered. And then?"

"She called me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the logical member of the family," Maggie said.

He stared at her.

"Well, I am. And I'm very good at solving puzzles and problems. I've become sort of a troubleshooter for the family over the past few years. So, naturally, she called me."

Deciding to ignore her claims of logic for the moment, Gideon said carefully, "Do you mean your aunt sent you to look for a killer?"

Maggie nodded gravely. "Well, Cousin Merlin's spirit could never be at peace until his murder was solved. Aunt Julia didn't want him chained to that awful well for eternity. Think how bored he'd be."

"Maggie, you don't really believe that stuff?" His question was cautious.

"It doesn't matter what I believe. Cousin Merlin believed it. And Aunt Julia says it's always safer to hedge your bets, so she's willing to accept the possibility. So, on the possibility that he was right, we owe it to Cousin Merlin to resolve his death and set him free."

It was said with such reasonable understanding that Gideon was more or less forced to accept it.

"All right," he said slowly. "For whatever reason, your aunt sent you to the carnival to find a murderer."

"Yes."

"And have you?"

"Not exactly. But I'm working on it."

"How are you working on it?"

"There wasn't much I could do at first except watch and listen. Merlin was well liked and didn't have a temper to speak of, so I doubt he made somebody mad enough to kill him. He was an old man. A very kind and honest man. So why would anybody want to murder him? I couldn't think what the motive might be until something you said today rang a bell."

"What did I say?"

"You called the carnival a sanctuary. I started to think about it, and I realized that it would be a good place for somebody to hide if they'd committed a crime."

"What kind of crime?"

"My bet is a profitable one, with the spoils valuable enough to make murder worthwhile. Otherwise, why bother? I think Merlin found out something and threatened the killer with exposure. He would have done that; he was always honest.

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