Poisoned Pairings by Diehl Lesley

Author:Diehl, Lesley [Diehl, Lesley]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Mainly Murder Press
Published: 2012-04-01T04:30:00+00:00

~

By Friday, I had arranged for a lawyer to represent me. On a lark I called the dean’s office and asked if the college would like to share legal representation. I was surprised the dean took my call, but when he heard what I had in mind, he began sputtering half sentences over the phone.

“Okay, okay. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask.” I couldn’t catch a break with this guy.

“The college would prefer not to be considered in the same category of responsibility for Bruce’s death as you, Ms. Knightsbridge.”

“Well, that may be, but Bruce’s parents feel differently.”

Then he let the legal cat out of the bag.

“You and Professor Risley were equally derelict in your duty to the students and to poor Bruce.”

Aha! Now I saw the strategy of the college. The responsibility would be shunted off to their professor, whom they already had removed as head of the culinary program. In turn, I was certain his lawyer would shift the blame to me.

After I got off the phone, I rechecked the papers. Wrongful death in the amount of five million dollars. My entire operation wasn’t worth that much. The amount sought in such civil matters was rarely what was awarded, but the system might claim my brewery as compensation. Would I have to sell it to get the money to pay them? The chances this case would work out in their favor were minimal, but high enough to make my nights sleepless for the near future.

I couldn’t dwell on this now. I had a meeting for dinner with Marshall, a business get-together I chose not to tell Jake about. Tony would see us at the restaurant, but I knew, if I talked with him, he’d keep my confidence.

Marshall was on time, perhaps even early. I couldn’t tell because I was late. Trying to decide what to wear had become a dilemma for me. Jeans to look casual, or a skirt to look more professional and businesslike? Absolutely not a dress. That smacked of date, and this was no date. I chose my best pair of jeans and paired them with a grey silk blouse and tossed a cardigan sweater in a darker grey over the blouse. Too grim, I wondered, as I considered my image in the mirror? I lightened the ensemble up with a pair of my mother’s drop onyx earrings. Too flirty? Oh, the hell with it. I slammed out the door and jumped in my truck.

I decided to park in back of Tony’s. Jake was on duty tonight, and I didn’t want him to cruise by and see my vehicle out front. That would provoke questions. Even though I had the privileged position of being unofficially his deputy on this case, that didn’t mean he trusted me. Jake had never trusted me, and he had a right to have his doubts. Looking back on our relationship, I realized I’d withheld important information from him that might have made his job easier.

Tony greeted me and showed me to Marshall’s table, the one in the back, the corner table with only one candle.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.