Law and Disorder 6 by Mary Jane Maffini

Author:Mary Jane Maffini
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Cozy, Mystery & Detective, Humorous, Fiction, Women Sleuths, General
ISBN: 9781894917988
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2009-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Mombourquette said nothing as he drove over the Portage Bridge to the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. I love crossing the river and don’t do it nearly enough, so I gazed at the scenery while Mombourquette glowered at the wheel and exceeded the speed limit. We headed out through Hull and up toward Gatineau Park. Fifteen minutes later, we were gliding along a wonderful wide parkway fringed by deciduous trees and thick evergreens. Cars were few and far between, although Lycra-clad cyclists laboured up the rolling foothills.

“It’s around here somewhere. Goddam trees all look alike,” Mombourquette muttered as he peered out the side window. “Give me the city any time.”

“Watch the road,” I said.

“Feel like a hike?” he said, pulling over, getting out of the car and stretching.

“Sure.”

Gussie felt like a hike too. As we set off along the roadside, a few cyclists passed us, some older people off for a gentle spin, others in colourful gear playing out their Tour de France fantasies.

Mombourquette could have done with a bit more quality time in the gym, if his laboured breathing was anything to go by. I didn’t think he was a smoker, but he sure wasn’t a mover either. We hadn’t gone far when he stopped at the side of the road. He pointed out a small makeshift memorial marker, the kind you see at the site of road accidents. A wooden cross was stuck in the ground, some fresh flowers suspended from it.

A stuffed teddy bear leaned against the white cross.

I scratched my head. “She died here?”

He turned and glowered at me. I swear he showed his pointy little teeth. Whatever had happened with Roxanne Terrio, it had gotten under his skin for sure. Despite that, I knew he hadn’t constructed that small memorial. Whatever you can say about Mombourquette, and don’t get me started, he is a fine and elegant gardener. He would have done a better job than this.

I said, “What’s wrong now?”

“What’s the matter with you, MacPhee? Is everything some kind of weird riddle to you?”

I thought about that. Was everything some kind of weird riddle to me? I took my time formulating a response. Whatever I answered, Mombourquette would just take it the wrong way.

“It’s a beautiful place,” I said. “What a shame.”

“Yeah. Anything else?”

I glanced at him. What did he want from me? No point in asking. He gets like this sometimes. And it’s not like we’re the best of friends. “To me, seems like a funny place for an accident.”

“Why is that?”

I swivelled around, taking in the lush growth, the wide road, the shallow ditch.

“The parkway is straight here. There is no curve, so no other unexpected cyclist or pedestrian would be appearing as you round a corner. The speed limit is forty kilometres an hour.”

He agreed.

“Flat grassy shoulder, nice and wide.”

“Yup.”

“So if you had to get off the road in a hurry, you’d either keep going until you could stop or you’d land on the grass. A lot softer than the

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.