Murder in the Family: A Hannah Kline Mystery (Hannah Kline Mysteries Book 1) by Paula Bernstein

Author:Paula Bernstein [Bernstein, Paula]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: M&Z Press
Published: 2014-09-11T04:00:00+00:00

“My Man”

Feet on the ground.

Ethical.

Thinks ahead.

Kind, generous.

Thinks of me first. Thinks of us.

Has his professional life together.

Sensual and sexual.

Can negotiate and compromise.

Even tempered, not high strung.

Appreciates my sense of humor.

Is someone whom I can really respect.

It was a great list. At this point in my life I wouldn't mind being introduced to someone who met all those criteria either. What I could never understand was why, with such high standards, Beth had managed to be involved with so many creeps.

I turned the page and found the last journal entry. It was dated two months before her death and was only a short paragraph.

"I've done it! I've committed myself irrevocably and I'm thrilled and terrified at the same time. I decided not to ask the Rabbi. I'm afraid my decision is against Jewish law, and if it is, I don't want to know about it. I'm praying it works."

"What do you make of this?" I asked Andrea. "Do you know what she's talking about.

Andrea read the page and shook her head.

"I have no idea, but she was behaving strangely in the few weeks before she died."

"Strangely, how?"

"She was excited, agitated and she wouldn't tell me why. Just pretended I was imagining it.

"I guess we'll never know what she meant," I said.

I closed the book and put it with her novels. It was a just small mystery, insignificant beside the real question of why the universe had chosen Beth to die before her time.

Having Andrea with me was a huge help. She was truly a packing maven and we finished the study much more quickly than I had imagined we would. There were still a few hours of light left, so we tackled the kitchen, throwing out all the open food, packing up some of Beth’s nicer wedding presents for me to take home, and putting everything else in give-away cartons.

“Don’t throw this out,” Andrea said, handing me a heavy bag full of tarnished flatware. It’s all sterling.”

I noticed the IS markings on the back of one of the spoons. My fingers were black from touching it. I remembered that Beth used to collect sterling odds and ends from antique stores. It had obviously been a while since she’d entertained.

There was one more thing I needed to do before we left the apartment. I had to check on Mittens. We went out on the back porch and knocked on the neighbor’s door. A young skinny guy opened it.

"Hi," I said. "I'm Hannah Kline, Beth's sister-in- law. I'm cleaning out the apartment."

He smiled and held out a hand. "Frank Jeffreys."

"I figured. I haven't had a chance to thank you for what you tried to do for Beth, or for taking care of the cat. I've been meaning to call."

"I only wish I'd had the nerve to go in there before the police arrived."

"So he could have killed both of you? I heard the police were there within minutes and it was still too late."

"How's Mittens doing?" Andrea asked.

"He's still hiding under the house," Frank said.

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