Mortictian Murders 04: A Permanent Solution by Greta Boris

Author:Greta Boris [Boris, Greta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cryptik Press
Published: 2023-03-16T00:00:00+00:00

23

The Missing Book

It was 3:15 when the last of the mourners disappeared from Greener Pastures. Emma had arranged for a catered lunch in the Community Room after the actual funeral, which was a good thing. Many of the guests needed food to sop up the pre-funeral wine. I saw several nod off during the eulogy.

Chelsea and I stood in the lobby now, watching a blue Audi ramble toward the gate. “Well, that was . . . “ I ran out of words.

“Depressing,” Chelsea finished for me.

I glanced at her in surprise. “It was a funeral.”

She moved away from the door to the drinks table where three lone plastic wine glasses stood. She filled one from what was left in a bottle of Merlot. “Nobody liked her.”

I heaved a sigh. That was true. Even the eulogy delivered by her publisher focused on Lacy’s accomplishments, not Lacy herself. “She didn’t like them either,” I said.

“You could tell?”

“Unfortunately.” I joined Chelsea at the table and drained a red blend into one of the remaining glasses. “I felt animosity toward almost everyone.”

“Almost? Who were you okay with? It could be a clue.”

“I don’t think so.” I sipped the cheap wine and swirled it around in my mouth. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good, either, which was exactly how Lacy felt about the people she didn’t actively dislike. “What did you learn?”

“The most interesting thing was that Lacy had a boyfriend.”

“She did?” I couldn’t imagine Lacy dropping the critical attitude long enough to let romance sneak in.

“They broke up right after The Girl with the Nose Ring got optioned for film.”

“Who was he?” I asked.

“His name is Gustavo. He’s an actor. Lives in Hollywood.”

“Why’d they break up?”

“Nobody really knew. Popular opinion was that she accused him of being a career gigolo. She thought he wanted her to use her influence to connect him to the production company that was making Nose Ring.”

“Was he here today?”

“No. Apparently the break up was pretty bad. He’s been very vocal about his dislike for her.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I found out that Lacy was about to leave her agent and sign with another one. People felt it was very disloyal. Her agent negotiated the movie deal. She made Lacy an industry name, then Lacy was going to dump her.”

“She doesn’t sound like a nice person.”

“She isn’t. Wasn’t. She isn’t a nice spirit, either.”

We sipped our okay wine without talking. A melancholy mood had descended over us. It was more than the mess after a big party, although there was that. Half-empty plates and glasses sat on the tables and chairs in the lobby. Balled-up napkins littered the carpet like hailstones.

The bigger issue, however, was the plethora of possible murderers.

“We have no shortage of suspects,” I said, breaking the silence.

“How do we figure out which angry person killed her?” Chelsea asked.

“I don’t know. I guess we keep digging.”

“Need help cleaning up?” El’s voice startled us both out of our slump. He glanced at Chelsea, recognition dawning. “Hi, Chelsea.”

“Hi El.”

His forehead wrinkled.

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