Never Trifle with Murder (Fresh-Baked Mystery Book 15) by Livia J. Washburn

Author:Livia J. Washburn [Washburn, Livia J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: James Reasoner
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Ronnie stayed awake long enough to eat a couple of the scones, but then she did as she said she was going to and went to bed. It was a quiet Saturday morning around the house, and Phyllis didn’t wake the girl for lunch. She figured Ronnie needed the sleep more.

She and Carolyn had just finished cleaning up after the meal when the doorbell rang. Phyllis hurried from the kitchen up the hall, but Sam got to the door first and opened it. A stocky, dark-haired man in a suit stood there.

“Hello, Jimmy,” Sam greeted him. “What brings you here?”

“The same thing that usually does,” Jimmy D’Angelo replied. “Murder.”

Phyllis came up beside Sam and said, “Come in, Jimmy. Can I get you some coffee or tea? And we have cookies.”

D’Angelo shook his head and looked regretful. “I better not, no matter how tempting it is. The ol’ blood pressure hasn’t been as good as it could be lately.”

Phyllis led them into the living room. Carolyn came up the hall from the kitchen and joined them. Eve was upstairs. As they all sat down, Phyllis asked, “Does this have something to do with Alfred Dorrington?”

“I’m not surprised you’d guess that,” D’Angelo replied.

“I gave your name to his wife. And since you’re here, I’m assuming that Mr. Dorrington decided he needed different representation, rather than his business attorney.” Phyllis paused. “Has he been charged with murder?”

D’Angelo nodded. “Yeah, early this morning. He insists he’s innocent.” The lawyer shrugged. “Of course, most of my clients say the same thing. Sometimes they’re telling the truth, and sometimes they’re not.”

Sam said, “What do you think about Dorrington?”

D’Angelo appeared to consider the question for a moment, then said, “I believe him. He seems pretty shook up to me. Not scared, really. He comes across as a cool customer. But I think he’s genuinely upset about the girl’s death and wants to know who poisoned her.”

“There’s no doubt she was poisoned?” Phyllis asked.

“No doubt. The autopsy confirmed it was a quick-acting toxin that paralyzes the nerves and shuts down the respiratory system. She couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t die of suffocation because it stopped her heart, too.” D’Angelo shook his head. “Nasty stuff.” He drew in a deep breath. “And the cops found a little vial of it in that tote bag Dorrington uses to haul around the stuff for his cooking classes.”

“Wait a minute,” Phyllis said sharply. “That’s the evidence they used as a basis for arresting him and charging him with murder?”

“As far as I know, that’s all they’ve got. Detective Largo isn’t always as forthcoming as she might be.”

“But Cliff Reynolds carried that tote bag in and out of the senior center,” Phyllis said. “He could have planted the vial of poison in it. For that matter, all three of them had access to it.”

Carolyn said, “That poor girl didn’t kill herself. I didn’t know her well enough to say whether or not she’d do such a thing, but I did see her face when that…that horrible poison took hold.

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