Never Thwart a Thespian: Volume 8 (Leigh Koslow Mystery Series) by Edie Claire

Author:Edie Claire [Claire, Edie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: thespian, family secrets, family, show, funny mystery, women sleuths, plays, amateur sleuth, acting, cozy mystery, cats, pets, dogs, daughters, series mystery, theater, mystery series, stage, animals, mothers, drama, humor, veterinarian, corgi, female sleuth
Publisher: Edie Claire
Published: 2014-05-14T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

When Leigh arrived in Avalon the next morning to visit Maura, she found her friend sitting up in bed surrounded by an even wider array of paperwork than before, plus a laptop and a printer.

“This doesn’t look so relaxing,” Leigh commented, entering the room with Allison behind her.

“It’s just right,” Maura replied, closing the file she’d been studying. “Technically I’m on modified duty, not disability, much to Gerry’s annoyance. Hey, Allie.”

“Hey, Aunt Mo,” Allison said quietly, slipping into a chair.

“Where’s the Chewmeister today?” Maura asked.

“He had a prior social obligation,” Leigh replied. “Cara took the rest of the Pack to North Park this morning for a charity-sponsored dog walkathon.”

Maura’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. She turned to Allison. “You’re not missing that just to come over here and babysit me, I hope?”

Allison smiled shyly and gave a shrug.

Leigh’s teeth gritted. She had good reason to fear Allison’s motives in asking to come, and the internal debate she’d waged over whether to ship the girl off to the park with the others had been fierce. She had relented in the end only because she knew that Allison’s curiosity, once sparked, was impossible to quench, and that any attempt to thwart it only made the child more determined. And potentially, more devious.

It was Maura’s fault the child was so fascinated by crime anyway, Leigh thought ruefully. Why not let the detective deal with it?

Maura studied mother and daughter a moment, then moved the files on her lap aside and picked up her notebook and pencil. “So,” she said cheerfully. “Somebody catch me up. What’s been going on at the theater lately?”

Some time passed before Maura received the complete rundown, perhaps because whatever details Leigh left out in the interest of sparing Allison, the girl herself made a point of supplying. The detective listened carefully, making occasional notes.

“So, I guess Sonia’s out as my prime suspect for Marconi’s murder,” Leigh admitted. “Did you ever find a connection between the two of them?”

Maura shook her head. “She wasn’t named as his attorney on any of the public records, anyway.”

“Are you in charge of the case now, Aunt Mo?” Allison asked.

Maura grinned. “Well now, that’s a more complicated question than you might think. Officially, no, Detective Stroth is heading up the investigation. Unofficially, well… assume what you will.”

Allison grinned back. “Could I ask you a question? If you’re not allowed to answer it, that’s okay.”

“Agreed,” Maura replied. “Shoot.”

“Do the police know yet exactly how Andrew Marconi was killed?”

Leigh got a familiar sick feeling in her stomach. Why would Allison need to know something like that?

“Yes,” Maura answered. “The autopsy results just came in. What will become public knowledge soon, if it hasn’t already, is that Marconi was most likely killed by a blow to the back of the head.”

Allison’s eyes widened. But she made no response.

Leigh hastened to change the topic. “What do you think about Bess’s one hire pretending he can’t speak English?”

Maura shrugged. “Could mean a lot of things. You have any reason

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