A Murderous Tangle by Sally Goldenbaum

Author:Sally Goldenbaum
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2019-10-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“The investigation isn’t going as fast as Jerry hoped.” Ben stood in front of the mirror in their bedroom, wiggling the knot on his tie. “And people in this town are letting him know it.”

Nell sat on the edge of the bed, watching him get ready for a board meeting in Boston, her thoughts on THE HARBOR CLUB HOMICIDE, as one of today’s headlines stated. “I’m sure they are all working nonstop.” But even her tone spoke to how she really felt. Jerry had assured people that there wasn’t a mass murderer loose in their town. But there was a murderer, just the same. Someone they might even know.

“A few days can be a long time in an investigation,” Ben said. He frowned into the mirror, tugging on the two flaps of the tie.

“And probably about as long as people are willing to live with uncertainty. Frightening uncertainty, anyway. Especially parents.” She got up and walked over to the mirror, looking at Ben’s collar, then his tie. How can this man, who is so wise and smart and clever, fail so miserably at tying his own tie? She quickly took over, undoing Ben’s attempts and maneuvering the silky material into a perfect knot. She stood back, admiring her handiwork, then moved beside him and looked into the mirror. Her face was next to Ben’s, their smiles meeting.

Ben cocked his head and touched his tie, then stepped away from the mirror and lifted his suit coat from the back of a chair. “I saw Jerry briefly today and he showed me a copy of Mary Pisano’s ‘About Town’ column. She subtly brought the police to task. Gently, of course.”

“I haven’t seen it, but I’m guessing Mary launched into a reminder that it’s the holiday season. The season of children. Santa coming to the wharf on his lobster boat, Christmas tree lightings and carolers, holiday performances, and the bright beautiful faces of children all over town.”

Ben chuckled. “Exactly. But the thing is, we both know that Mary is usually echoing what she hears. Parents worry. There’s a cloud. And it’ll get worse. Jerry knows this, too. Small towns bear a heavy burden to take care of their own.” He slipped into his suit jacket and rotated his shoulders until it felt comfortable. “How do I look? Suitable for the semiannual Endicott Family board meeting?”

Nell smiled. Nothing could totally prepare Ben for the semiannual board meeting in Boston, the only vestige of his former life he couldn’t shake loose of when he retired. And it was one of the few times he had to put on a suit. When they’d packed up their Beacon Hill townhome to retire in Sea Harbor several years earlier, Nell allowed Ben to take two good suits. “Sea Harbor was a two-suit town,” she had said.

But she was wrong. Ben could easily have gotten by with one.

She straightened the lapels on his suit and smiled into his warm brown eyes. And she told him exactly how he looked in a suit.

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