Killer on the Court by Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran

Author:Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran [Fletcher, Jessica & Moran, Terrie Farley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2022-05-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Donna put her hand over the phone’s mouthpiece and said, “It’s ringing. Now I’m nervous.”

“Act natural and do it the way we practiced. You’ll be fine,” I whispered in case the line engaged.

We were sitting in the kitchen and I could see that Donna was edgy. I, on the other hand, was excited to see if my strategy would bring any new information to light.

Donna wiggled her fingers at me, which I took as a signal the conversation was about to begin.

“Anthony? Hi, it’s Donna Fletcher.”

Anthony Barlowe must have given her a lengthy greeting, because Donna began tapping her fingers on the kitchen table and rolling her eyes at me.

At long last he stopped talking and she was able to respond, “Yes, yes, I know. That’s why I am calling. It was extremely thoughtful of you to escort Aunt Jessica to Fraunces Tavern. You know, she lives in a small town in Maine, and well, New York City can be overwhelming for out-of-towners. I do worry when she goes off by herself.”

I raised my eyes to heaven. “Aunt Jessica who can’t take care of herself” was definitely not part of the script I’d provided. Still, I had to admit Donna sounded casual, just two old colleagues having a chat.

While laughing at something Anthony said, Donna signaled me with a thumb raised high in the air.

“Yes,” she said into the phone. “It was tragic. Everyone here is . . . traumatized. Totally devastated is probably the description I am looking for. When I see how submerged in distress the entire family is, well, I don’t know how the business will survive.”

Anthony spent what seemed to my writer’s mind like several paragraphs reassuring her. Finally Donna smiled at me and switched topics.

“Anthony, you are such a comfort. Can I bother you with one more thing? A man named Lawrence Torsney suddenly appeared immediately after Jason died, and he has been sort of stalking anyone associated with Courtland Finance. He’s asking an awful lot of questions about the company. He told me he is a client, but I’ve never heard of him. Wheelchair? Good heavens, no.”

Donna picked up the pen and began scribbling on the pad sitting at her elbow. “About forty, tall, blond, stocky build. No, no, he’s White. Really? Thank you. I will look him up in the computer base. Of course I will warn the others.” Donna shook her head at me as she said that last part.

After some rather lengthy good-byes, Donna pressed the off button and then glimpsed at her phone to make sure it disconnected.

“Aunt Jess, we did it,” Donna crowed.

“No, my dear. You did it. I must say your performance was superb.” I wanted to quiz Donna while her conversation was fresh in her mind. “Now tell me what we learned.”

“Lawrence Torsney has been a client of Courtland Finance forever. He was originally brought into the firm decades ago by Everett Courtland when he was still actively growing the business. When Mr. Torsney became interested in foreign investments, Everett appointed Anthony to work as his adviser.

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