Leslie Caine by Domestic Bliss 04 - Killed by Clutter

Author:Domestic Bliss 04 - Killed by Clutter [Clutter, Killed by]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths
ISBN: 9780440336617
Google: BU2urGwG-gcC
Amazon: B00JKUXTF4
Publisher: NYLA
Published: 2007-02-27T06:00:00+00:00

An hour and a half after Sullivan and I parted company, I was hard at work in my office, trying to get my ideas on paper for my proposed new storage space at Helen's house. The door opened and an elderly male voice called, "You up there, Erin?"

Was that Teddy? "Yes, I'm here. Just up the stairs."

"Good! No sense in climbing a flight of stairs for nothing. It's Teddy Frederickson. And Helen, too. We'll be right there."

I shut the drawer that contained copies of the articles on the trial and checked hastily to make sure that there were no other embarrassing items in plain view. I'd left the second copy with the dispatcher to give to Linda whenever she returned to the station house.

The lank Teddy being much taller than Helen, he came into view first. When he beamed at me and said, "Hi, ho, Erin!" I returned the smile, but felt a pang of guilt. Despite my assurances to Audrey earlier at the funeral, I now truly was forming a list of suspects. Teddy Frederickson's name had moved into the very top spot.

A step behind him, Helen's cheeks were flushed, and she was grabbing the rail with both hands. Teddy reached back to help her, but she swatted his hand away.

"I need your help, Erin," Helen said.

"Of course. Anything. What can I do?"

She slipped into the stuffed chair in front of my desk, then Teddy took the seat beside her. She straightened the hem of her black funeral dress, before answering. "Teddy and I are setting a trap for Rachel."

"Oh, no," I moaned.

Teddy wagged a bony index finger at me. "We know Rachel's the person who has been breaking into Helen's house," he explained. "We think she's behind everything. All that nonsense about seeing a prowler. Give me a break! She set up her own husband to be fried!"

I winced. "Why would she do that?"

He spread his arms dramatically. "To off her husband, of course! It's the only explanation. Jack was no fool. He wouldn't have stepped into water in a basement like that; he'd have known he might get fried. So here's what I'm sure happened. She follows him across the street, see, and gives him a little push. Zappo!" He smacked his palms on my desktop. "No more pesky spouse!"

"The marriage had been in trouble for at least ten years," Helen added in a much less lurid tone. "They weren't getting along... they were fighting like cats and dogs."

"But they could have simply gotten a divorce. That's what most incompatible couples do."

"Rachel Schwartz is obviously more money-driven than most people," Teddy insisted. "Why divorce your spouse and split the assets when you can off him and keep it all?"

Helen frowned but added, "We do already know that she's stolen valuables from my home."

"Yet you weren't willing to tell the police that," I reminded her sharply.

"She told me, though," Teddy interjected. "Let's not forget that I'm a retired policeman."

"More or less," Helen muttered.

"The point is," Teddy said, leaning

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