Murder in a Scottish Garden by Traci Hall

Author:Traci Hall [Hall, Traci]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2021-02-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

When the alarm went off at seven Saturday morning, Paislee expected to step over her bestie, whom she’d made a bed for out of several thick comforters.

Instead, Lydia and her magic makeup case were gone, with a lipstick message on the vanity mirror. xoxo, Lyd.

Paislee stumbled down the stairs, her hand on the railing, her head pounding but not from overdrinking. Worry had kept her from sleeping sound. Her anger at Shawn had morphed into concern. The man was ill and needed a kidney.

She couldn’t wait to offer a bit of hope to her business family this morning. Not that she had hard facts, but a hint of reprieve was better than none.

Grandpa sat at the table, nursing a mug of tea, but burst out laughing when he saw her. “Braw no more.” He chuckled.

She ducked into the downstairs bathroom and groaned at her image. Her hair was plastered to the side of her cheek and mascara had clumped on her lashes. She quickly rinsed her face before joining her grandpa at the table.

The box of desserts from last night was on the counter, and he’d chosen a caramel square to go with his tea.

“Morning.” She cleared her throat and poured herself a mug. “How were the ice-cream sundaes?”

“Sinful. Perfect fer me sweet tooth.” Grandpa took another bite. “Brody was in bed at eleven thirty, after a wee bit of coercing. I heard ye later.”

“Sorry if we were loud?” She’d had to assist Lydia up the stairs, and her best friend had found Wallace’s pink nose poking through Brody’s cracked-open door hysterical. Once Paislee’d gotten Lydia settled, she’d checked on her son. He’d slept like an angel—possibly conked out from too much sugar.

“I wouldnae suggest a career as a burglar, either of ye.” He slurped from his mug. “Sounds like ye had a grand night oot.”

“We did, thank you. The inside of the estate is lovely, but trapped in time a bit.”

He stretched his ankles, his slipper dangling from the tip of his toes. “Did ye meet Lady Leery?”

“Aye, and had dinner with the family.” Paislee sipped her tea. “With crystal and china for twenty-four. Lydia was in her element.” She shrugged. “I felt like the odd girl out.”

“Ye dressed up just fine.” Grandpa nibbled a corner of caramel. “What did you think of the estate? Was Charles’s murder a topic?”

“Not at first. Everybody acted like nothing had happened. Aila and Shawn do not get along. Grandpa, it was so sad. Shawn drank way too much. I found out why he had that awful spray tan—tae cover his yellow skin.”

“Yellow skin?”

“Seems he needed a kidney transplant, which Aila gave him, but it didn’t take, and now he needs another. That’s why Charles was in town.”

Grandpa removed his glasses and stared at her. “But then he was killed.”

“You got it.”

“Bad luck. Bloke shouldnae be drinking while needing a kidney.”

“That was just one of the many things Shawn and Aila were fighting about.”

“Do they ken who shot Charles?”

“No. Nobody in the manor seems tae mourn him, though.

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