SWITCH BACK by Kendel Lynn

Author:Kendel Lynn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: humorous mystery;amateur sleuth;women sleuth;female detective;Southern fiction
Publisher: Henery Press
Published: 2018-04-13T16:23:22+00:00

I used the same side entrance as the maid and entered a long mudroom with built-in cabinets running the length of each wall. It was brightly lit and several servers passed by carrying coffee carafes and the final trays of cake. I followed the sound of clinking glass through an enormous commercial kitchen where a mostly college-aged staff diligently washed and packed stacks of china. No one questioned me as I entered the main house. I don’t think anyone even noticed.

Kathy Lee, or Jolene, I couldn’t remember, mentioned Austin’s study was at the back of the house, along with the maid’s quarters, so I stuck to the rear rooms. Beautiful dark wood floors gleamed in the lamplight while plush decorative rugs muffled my clomping footsteps. I found it hard to walk stealthily with my throbbing feet jammed into plastic pumps.

I passed two powder rooms (taking a quick detour to make use of one of the lovely facilities), a sitting room, and an enormous hall decorated with a pair of ranch scene oil paintings, each as large as a freeway billboard. Two mahogany and glass doors flanked a room at the opposite end. Even without the gaudy crime scene tape, I knew it was the study. A piece of heavy carpet had been cut from the rest in the middle of the room.

Hand-carved bookshelves covered the walls. Silk-shaded wall sconces bathed the room in a soft light. An imposing desk sat off to one side. Typical executive accessories graced the top: an antique lamp, a fancy pen and pencil set in personalized holder, and a matching brass letter opener and scissor set.

I was about to check out the credenza when I realized what I’d seen. I reached out and picked them up. Brass scissors. Not unusual, since most executives probably have a similar set somewhere in their office. But considering Austin was killed with a pair of scissors, and his were sitting pretty on his desk, then it followed the killer brought their own pair.

“Strange isn’t it?” a small voice said from behind me.

I jumped back and accidentally whipped the sharp scissors into the visitor’s chair. They stood perfectly straight, tips firmly planted in a needlepoint pillow. I quickly picked it up and apologized to the elderly woman in the doorway.

She smiled, but didn’t move. She kept her feet firmly on the wood outside the study, her toes an inch from the carpet.

“No worries, now,” she said softly. “Miss Bea has dozens of those old pillahs. Been stitching ’em since she was a kitten.”

“You must be Mrs. Alden,” I said gently.

Her maid’s uniform hung loose on her tiny frame. But it was starched stiff and would pass any military inspection.

“Indeed. Been with the family my whole life. Now you come on out of there. Nothing good in that room.” She turned and very slowly walked into the large hall.

I realized I was still holding the stabbed pillow, the scissors jutting from the center. A grim reenactment of the recent events. I

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.