Murder the Tey Way by Marilyn Levinson

Author:Marilyn Levinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cozy mystery, bookclub murders, women sleuths, whodunnit, allison brooks, ellen byron, josephine tey books
Publisher: Rowan Prose Publishing
Published: 2024-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It was a relief to find myself sitting in a roomful of my colleagues amid humdrum discussions of finance, syllabus changes, and new directives from the administration. The rise and fall of familiar voices lulled me into a state close to oblivion. No smashed windows, threatening repo-type men or murderers on the loose. But a drifting mind pays the consequences. Lorrie Pruitt, my sly department chairman, took advantage of my inattention and I found myself heading a committee for students with special needs. I gulped to attention, nodded my reluctant agreement, and said I’d get moving on it ASAP.

Joy called me the minute I hit the Northern State. “Can you talk?” she asked.

“Uh-huh. What’s up?”

I braced myself for a tirade for having cornered her hubby at the pool, only it never came. Mike must have felt guilty for even considering getting a loan through Len Lyons and didn’t tell Joy I’d checked him out as a suspect.

“What’s up?” she tossed back at me. “I saw the glazier at your house. This is the first free moment I’ve had to call.”

“Oh, that.” I drew in a deep breath. “Someone heaved Mrs. Seidman’s pooch statue through my window in the early hours.”

“Do the police know who did it?”

“I haven’t spoken to them in the past few hours. It could be any number of people—that Pete Rogers, who’s after Gayle, the murderer running loose around town.” Your husband, pissed because I considered him a murder suspect.

“I heard about Tim. Isn’t it awful?”

“Terrible,” I agreed. “Do you think the two murders are connected?”

“Could be. Come over soon and tell me what you were so excited about yesterday.”

I sighed. “Now I wonder if it’s relevant. It’s like the Wild West around here. I can’t believe everything’s related.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Zack’s feeling better,” Joy said. “Of course I kept him home from school.”

“I’m glad he’s okay.”

“How’s Gayle doing?”

“All right, I hope. Brian escorted her to a safe house last night.”

“Where she’ll be safe,” Joy pointed out. “Now we have to work on keeping you safe. Step number one: stop asking questions.”

Joy’s words shot out like a warning. A chill ran down my spine. “Why do you say that?”

“Why do you think, dummy? The note.”

I braked hard at the red light and, despite the belt across my chest, jerked forward in my seat. “Who told you there was a note?” I demanded.

“Who do you think? Your boyfriend. Brian asked Mike and me to keep an eye on you.”

Which he wouldn’t have done if he considered Mike a suspect. But how humiliating—friends being asked to watch out for me like I needed a babysitter! I was caught between being annoyed by Brian’s presumption and happy that he cared.

Happy won out. I felt a huge smile break out on my face.

“I won’t go snooping,” I promised.

“We’ll talk and figure out what we can do,” Joy said. “Tonight, if you’re free.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “Right now, I want to run something by you.”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Our book club’s scheduled to meet to discuss one more Josephine Tey mystery.

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