Juniper Grove Cozy Mystery Box Set 2 by Karin Kaufman

Author:Karin Kaufman [Kaufman, Karin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-02-28T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

“Holly, stand by the door,” I said. “You’re the killer.”

Holly about-faced, stepped over one of the radio crew’s cables, and pressed her back to the room’s door.

“I’m Herbert Purdy,” I went on. “I’m a businessman who just drove from Sterling to the Grandview, on my way to Craig to meet my family.”

“It’s about a three-hour drive from Sterling,” Holly said. “Maybe a little more. I’ll bet he put in a full day at work first, and that’s why he stopped here instead of going straight through.”

“It wasn’t a work day,” Julia said from her corner chair. “It was a Sunday.”

“How do you know?” Holly said.

“While you were down in the basement chasing noises, Arthur told me. He said there weren’t many guests that night because it was a Sunday and Sunday was checkout day. Otherwise the hotel would have been fully booked.”

“I didn’t think you’d talked about it,” I said.

“We didn’t, really. Thirty seconds while he poured me coffee. For some strange reason, he thought I was interested. I suppose because everyone else is. When he said he had to leave, I said I didn’t want to hear any more about the murder. Seeing as I was about to be sitting all by myself in the murder room.”

I grinned. “Thank you, Julia. So why did Purdy stop at the Grandview? Connie said he ate dinner at the hotel, so he got here early enough for that.”

“It’s a convenient cutoff point, isn’t it?” Holly said. “From here west, it’s all mountain driving. Higher and higher.”

“And he wouldn’t want to take the mountain roads and passes at night,” I said. “Not in January. But he could have driven straight through if he’d left Sterling at, say, seven o’clock in the morning. Wasn’t he eager to start his vacation?”

“Why start your vacation on Sunday?” Holly said.

“Connie’s the expert,” Julia said. “You need to ask her.”

I reached for my phone and started flipping through the Purdy crime-scene photos. “All the furniture is in the same place as it was back then,” I said. “Different furniture, but the same spots. There’s not much choice where to put a bed and dresser in a room this size.” I dropped the phone on the bed. “So I arrive at the hotel, eat dinner, talk awhile with the other guests, and go to bed about ten o’clock.”

“Sit on the edge of the bed,” Holly instructed. “It’s ten and you’re in your pajamas.”

“Right.” I sat.

“Are you waiting for someone to visit your room?” Julia asked.

I shook my head. “In my pajamas? Without even a robe? No, I’m not expecting anyone. It’s a total surprise when someone comes to the door.”

“Then why answer it?” Holly said. “Was there a peephole back then?”

“Good question,” I said, going through the crime photos until I came to one of the door. “Yes. Looks like the same peephole, too.”

Holly took a quick peek behind her. “And it works. What now?”

“Why do I let you in?” I said. I walked to Holly and pretended to open the door and let her in.

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