Old Bones and New Ghosts (The Marti Mickkleson Mysteries Book 2) by Kay Charles

Author:Kay Charles [Charles, Kay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: One Ghost Another Ghost
Published: 2024-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

Big began with all the reasons he should arrest them. All the reasons making her and RachelAnne the infamous “persons of interest.” Marti tried not to interrupt.

“Motive galore. He was cheating on RachelAnne. He tried to assault her.”

“How do you know about that?” So much for not interrupting. His buddy Dmitri might have told him about Peter’s visit to Bickle House, but as far as she knew, only she and RachelAnne knew about Peter’s attempted assault on her sister. Grandma and Peter knew, but they weren’t talking. Not to Big.

“I didn’t know about it.” Mom no longer sounded like Grandma Bertie. Full-strength Margaret Mickkleson was back. Her tone said she’d have hired a hitman herself if she’d known.

“Probably the only reason Big’s not arresting her,” Grandma said.

“I’ll get to that,” Big said. “Then there’s the ever-popular divorce and money motive. If Peter died while they were married, RachelAnne would get everything rather than half.”

“Half?” Mom said. “She’d have had everything by the time I was through with him.”

Marti didn’t need to interrupt. She’d sit back and let Mom do it for her.

“He wouldn’t have had a pot to piss in.” Now Grandma sounded like Edwards. Marti thought longingly of the liquor cabinet.

“I have no doubt,” Big said. “However, when Peter was drinking in the Starlite Lounge last night, he was bragging about his connections and a lawyer from the city. He said if RachelAnne insisted on divorce, by the time he was finished, RachelAnne would have nothing, not even the kids, and he might end up with Bickle House. Philippa Berryman was a lightweight, and he was calling in a heavyweight champ.”

“How would we know about that?” Big freely sharing so much information was unnerving, but Marti was game. “And how did he know about Philippa?”

“No idea, other than this is Bicklesburg,” Big said.

“Let’s forget about motive,” Marti said. “I admit, everybody but the kids had motives. Is there any real evidence my sister and I are Bicklesburg’s answers to the Menendez brothers?”

“The probable murder weapon was found in RachelAnne’s vehicle⁠—”

“Do you seriously think my daughters are that stupid?”

“Mrs. Mickkleson. If you keep interrupting, we’ll never get to why I’m not arresting them. Yet.”

The corner of Big’s mouth twitched. He was enjoying the opportunity to tell Margaret Mickkleson to shut up, even if he didn’t use those exact words. Marti empathized.

“Why don’t we just skip the reasons for hanging us and get to the reasons for not hanging us? Yet.” There couldn’t be much more than ample motive and one little ball-peen hammer against them.

Big calmly laid out the case against arresting them, which was better than listening to him list the reasons he should arrest them.

“First.” Big held up one finger. “The lab reports aren’t all back yet, but the hammer shows…signs…of being used on Peter. However, it had been wiped clean of fingerprints. And no, Mrs. Mickkleson. I may think a lot of things about your daughters, but stupid isn’t one of them.”

Mom replied with an elegant “humph.” She was the only person Marti knew who could manage that combination.

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