Murdered, My Sweet by Joan Lowery Nixon

Author:Joan Lowery Nixon [Nixon, Joan Lowery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-53869-7
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2011-10-31T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

I slammed into Carlos and fell against Mom. She went flying, and I landed on my side, Carlos’s elbow in my ribs. I heard a loud thud on the ground next to my head, and dirt flew into my face.

I twisted to see what had happened and came face-to-face with a yellow dwarf hibiscus in what had once been a heavy pottery bowl.

“Jenny! Oh, Jenny, are you hurt?” Mom cried.

Mabel and Elsie rushed up. “That plant just missed her!” Mabel yelled.

“It fell from one of the balconies,” Elsie said.

I sat up and looked at Carlos. We were practically nose to nose. His was bleeding.

“You saved my life,” he said.

I would have hugged him, but hands were already pulling us to our feet. Elsie had a large, wet cloth napkin and began working on Carlos.

“You’re pinching my nose,” Carlos complained.

“Be quiet. I have to pinch. That’s the only way to stop the bleeding. Now keep your head back,” Elsie ordered.

Mom wrapped her arms tightly around me, nearly smothering me and cutting off my view, but I heard everything Elsie was saying. “Madeline, Mabel and I saw the whole thing. If you hadn’t turned away just as the pot fell, it would have hit you.”

“And Carlos,” I mumbled against Mom’s silk blouse, but no one paid attention.

“Janie saved both of you,” Elsie said.

“Jenny,” I said.

There was a lot more hugging and kissing and Mom’s grateful “thank you’s,” with Elsie, Mabel, Carlos, Mom, and me all squished together. Finally, we broke apart.

“How did the potted plant fall?” Mom asked.

“It just fell,” Elsie said. “Down. How else would it fall?”

“I mean, you said you saw everything. So did you see someone accidentally nudge the pot off the balcony? Or push it? Or even throw it?”

“No. We weren’t looking up,” Mabel said. “We were looking at you.”

“Mom!” I shoved back, so I could look into her eyes. “Do you think someone deliberately aimed that heavy pot at you?”

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Better find out,” Mabel said. “You’re dragging your feet, Madeline. That mystery-writer sleuth who used to be on television could figure out who committed the crime in less than an hour … even including commercials.”

I shaded my eyes and looked up at the rows and rows of balconies. “I don’t see a single potted plant,” I said. “That means it came from inside one of the rooms. Mom, I think we need to visit the hotel’s florist and see who might have ordered a potted hibiscus.”

“Isn’t that just like a teenager,” Elsie said. “She has a mother who’s an expert at solving crimes, and she tries to tell her what to do.”

“Interrogating the hotel florist was going to be my next step,” Mom told me.

“I guess I’m beginning to know how you think,” I said. “Like I know you’re also going to find out who sent those fruit and cheese trays.”

“Sweetie, you’re as clever as Audrey. That’s exactly what she would do,” Mom said. “Let’s go.” She raised her chin and headed for the hotel.

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