[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
fetched as I originally thought. His eyes widened. Oh. I
see where this is going. A smashed Kewpie doll was found
in the study along with Percy s body. Do you suppose the
doll contained diamonds? The police didn t find anything
missing. Perhaps that was the motive.
That s my best guess, Gretchen said. Only the killer
didn t actually find any diamonds.
What makes you think that? Eric rearranged his chair
and crossed his legs.
Because I think he s in Phoenix, which can only mean
that he s still looking for the treasure. Why else would he
risk exposing himself? If he had the diamonds, he d be
long gone.
Or she, Nina said, drawn into the intrigue in spite of
herself. You can t automatically assume the killer is a
man. I m a woman s libber from way back. She grinned
broadly at Eric. I believe in total equality.
They gazed into each other s eyes for a while, and
Gretchen used the time to check on Nimrod, lying next to
her feet, still curled in the bottom of the purse, sound
asleep.
Finally Gretchen said, He or she arrived just in
Goodbye, Dolly 201
time for Chiggy s auction and the doll show. Don t you
see?
I m afraid I don t. Eric s voice turned icy, and he un-
crossed his legs and leaned toward her. You aren t imply-
ing that one of my club members is responsible for the
demise of that abrasive reporter and the poor auctioneer s
assistant, are you? Our group was established years ago.
Every single member is like family to me.
That s quite a leap in logic, Eric. You re implying that
Brett and Ronny were killed by the same person who mur-
dered Percy O Connor. Interesting. Gretchen firmly met
his eyes and didn t waver. I didn t think of that. You ar-
rived at that conclusion seconds after hearing the facts,
whereas I . . . well . . . it wasn t obvious to me until you
said it now. Gretchen smiled sweetly.
I . . . I . . . Eric blustered, thrown off guard. I merely
stated the obvious.
Still, it s simply speculation, and I m sure the police
will think of every angle. She didn t believe that for a
minute. You re very good at analysis.
I read extensively. Eric s face was unfathomable.
Law enforcement and the criminal mind have always fas-
cinated me. But I don t appreciate your implications. You
may pretend you aren t suggesting a Bostonian mass mur-
derer in our midst all you want, but I know you are. I sug-
gest, Ms. Birch, that you allow the police to handle murder
cases. Stick to doll repair.
Let s go, Nina, Gretchen said, her eyes still locked on
Eric.
Wha . . . Why?
I stopped by to check on Tutu earlier, and she must
have eaten something that disagreed with her. She s lying
on her little bed, moaning horribly, and she can t get up.
Why didn t you say something sooner? Nina almost
tipped over the chair when she rose.
Gretchen hadn t crashed Nina s party just to quiz Eric
202 Deb Baker
on Percy s history, although the information she gleaned
had been worth the trip. The real reason stood in front of
her, impatiently waiting for Gretchen to gather up Nimrod
and race home.
If diamonds were the killer s motive, the stakes were
higher than Gretchen ever imagined.
Until the murderer was exposed, she couldn t leave her
aunt alone with anyone, even her new friend, Eric Hunting-
ton.
The only way to safely and quietly remove her from his
company was by duping Nina into believing that some-
thing was wrong with her beloved dog. Nina would be in-
credibly angry in a few minutes when she found out the
truth.
Most likely Eric had nothing to do with the recent
deaths. There certainly were enough other suspects run-
ning around loose, including her own ex-boyfriend, who
seemed to have more than a few secrets. Perhaps Gretchen
had ruined Nina s first real date in years over unfounded
fears.
But Gretchen would rather have an angry aunt than a
dead one.
From now on, they were sticking close together.
" 30 "
Tuesday morning Gretchen sipped coffee and watched the
sunrise from a window in the doll repair shop. On a regular
day not marred by recent dead and disturbing occurrences,
dawn brought a vibrant energy to the start of her day. This
morning she d risen earlier than usual after a fitful night s
sleep interrupted by murky dreams. Murky because the
dreams hovered on a fragile line close to horrifying black-
ness. They weren t certifiable nightmares, but close enough
to force Gretchen out of bed before daylight rather than
risk having another one if she dozed off again.
Dark and foreboding thoughts continued to run through
her head as she sat at the window.
Why had Steve followed her to Arizona in the first
place? It was out of character for him to seek reconcilia-
tion. He had always left that to her. Steve, staunchly cau-
tious and emotionless when dealing with their conflicts,
had paid a heavy price for finally allowing real human
emotions to surface.
But he was too late. Gretchen had seen other relation-
ships crumble because one of the partners refused to ac-
knowledge the other s discontent. It seemed as though
change was usually offered after the door to reconciliation
had already closed. If only Steve had been a little more at-
tentive to her and a little less so to other women, she prob-
ably would have stayed with him forever.
He d reacted too late to save their relationship, way too
late. But Gretchen couldn t bear to see him destroyed. He d
204 Deb Baker
lost his chance for partnership at the law firm in Boston as
well as her. She hoped, for his sake, he d manage to prove
his innocence, keep his freedom, and move on with his life.
Like she was trying to do.
After seven years of couplehood, she was struggling
through a vast and complex desert of singleness, and today,
another perpetually sunny Arizona day, Gretchen felt to-
tally alone in the world. But aloneness, as she was finding
out, wasn t synonymous with loneliness.
In fact, it felt good, sort of renewing.
Gretchen selected a doll from a repair bin. She applied a
line of glue around the edge of a kid leather patch she had
made before the doll show, worked the glue around with
her fingers, and placed the patch over a hole in a French
fashion doll s leather body. She used a doll hook to secure
it against the doll s body.
Nina had been furious when she learned that Tutu was
fine and that Gretchen had used the dog as an excuse to
wrench her away from that intriguing man. Jealous, Nina
had snarled, jealous that I might find a shred of happi-
ness.
Nina, the drama queen, had made it very clear that
Gretchen should stay out of her path until she cooled down.
Whenever that might be.
The phone rang, and her mother s cell number appeared
on the caller ID.
What s new? Caroline asked.
What s new? Why did her mother have to ask that every
time she called? Gretchen wasn t about to spoil her trip,
but her cover-ups were quickly becoming full-blown lies.
New? Not much. I m working on the dolls from the
show.
Is Steve still in Phoenix?
Oh, yes, he is. Unfortunately.
He has a lot of pride. It ll take him some time to come
to grips with your decision.
Goodbye, Dolly 205 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl aikidobyd.xlx.pl
fetched as I originally thought. His eyes widened. Oh. I
see where this is going. A smashed Kewpie doll was found
in the study along with Percy s body. Do you suppose the
doll contained diamonds? The police didn t find anything
missing. Perhaps that was the motive.
That s my best guess, Gretchen said. Only the killer
didn t actually find any diamonds.
What makes you think that? Eric rearranged his chair
and crossed his legs.
Because I think he s in Phoenix, which can only mean
that he s still looking for the treasure. Why else would he
risk exposing himself? If he had the diamonds, he d be
long gone.
Or she, Nina said, drawn into the intrigue in spite of
herself. You can t automatically assume the killer is a
man. I m a woman s libber from way back. She grinned
broadly at Eric. I believe in total equality.
They gazed into each other s eyes for a while, and
Gretchen used the time to check on Nimrod, lying next to
her feet, still curled in the bottom of the purse, sound
asleep.
Finally Gretchen said, He or she arrived just in
Goodbye, Dolly 201
time for Chiggy s auction and the doll show. Don t you
see?
I m afraid I don t. Eric s voice turned icy, and he un-
crossed his legs and leaned toward her. You aren t imply-
ing that one of my club members is responsible for the
demise of that abrasive reporter and the poor auctioneer s
assistant, are you? Our group was established years ago.
Every single member is like family to me.
That s quite a leap in logic, Eric. You re implying that
Brett and Ronny were killed by the same person who mur-
dered Percy O Connor. Interesting. Gretchen firmly met
his eyes and didn t waver. I didn t think of that. You ar-
rived at that conclusion seconds after hearing the facts,
whereas I . . . well . . . it wasn t obvious to me until you
said it now. Gretchen smiled sweetly.
I . . . I . . . Eric blustered, thrown off guard. I merely
stated the obvious.
Still, it s simply speculation, and I m sure the police
will think of every angle. She didn t believe that for a
minute. You re very good at analysis.
I read extensively. Eric s face was unfathomable.
Law enforcement and the criminal mind have always fas-
cinated me. But I don t appreciate your implications. You
may pretend you aren t suggesting a Bostonian mass mur-
derer in our midst all you want, but I know you are. I sug-
gest, Ms. Birch, that you allow the police to handle murder
cases. Stick to doll repair.
Let s go, Nina, Gretchen said, her eyes still locked on
Eric.
Wha . . . Why?
I stopped by to check on Tutu earlier, and she must
have eaten something that disagreed with her. She s lying
on her little bed, moaning horribly, and she can t get up.
Why didn t you say something sooner? Nina almost
tipped over the chair when she rose.
Gretchen hadn t crashed Nina s party just to quiz Eric
202 Deb Baker
on Percy s history, although the information she gleaned
had been worth the trip. The real reason stood in front of
her, impatiently waiting for Gretchen to gather up Nimrod
and race home.
If diamonds were the killer s motive, the stakes were
higher than Gretchen ever imagined.
Until the murderer was exposed, she couldn t leave her
aunt alone with anyone, even her new friend, Eric Hunting-
ton.
The only way to safely and quietly remove her from his
company was by duping Nina into believing that some-
thing was wrong with her beloved dog. Nina would be in-
credibly angry in a few minutes when she found out the
truth.
Most likely Eric had nothing to do with the recent
deaths. There certainly were enough other suspects run-
ning around loose, including her own ex-boyfriend, who
seemed to have more than a few secrets. Perhaps Gretchen
had ruined Nina s first real date in years over unfounded
fears.
But Gretchen would rather have an angry aunt than a
dead one.
From now on, they were sticking close together.
" 30 "
Tuesday morning Gretchen sipped coffee and watched the
sunrise from a window in the doll repair shop. On a regular
day not marred by recent dead and disturbing occurrences,
dawn brought a vibrant energy to the start of her day. This
morning she d risen earlier than usual after a fitful night s
sleep interrupted by murky dreams. Murky because the
dreams hovered on a fragile line close to horrifying black-
ness. They weren t certifiable nightmares, but close enough
to force Gretchen out of bed before daylight rather than
risk having another one if she dozed off again.
Dark and foreboding thoughts continued to run through
her head as she sat at the window.
Why had Steve followed her to Arizona in the first
place? It was out of character for him to seek reconcilia-
tion. He had always left that to her. Steve, staunchly cau-
tious and emotionless when dealing with their conflicts,
had paid a heavy price for finally allowing real human
emotions to surface.
But he was too late. Gretchen had seen other relation-
ships crumble because one of the partners refused to ac-
knowledge the other s discontent. It seemed as though
change was usually offered after the door to reconciliation
had already closed. If only Steve had been a little more at-
tentive to her and a little less so to other women, she prob-
ably would have stayed with him forever.
He d reacted too late to save their relationship, way too
late. But Gretchen couldn t bear to see him destroyed. He d
204 Deb Baker
lost his chance for partnership at the law firm in Boston as
well as her. She hoped, for his sake, he d manage to prove
his innocence, keep his freedom, and move on with his life.
Like she was trying to do.
After seven years of couplehood, she was struggling
through a vast and complex desert of singleness, and today,
another perpetually sunny Arizona day, Gretchen felt to-
tally alone in the world. But aloneness, as she was finding
out, wasn t synonymous with loneliness.
In fact, it felt good, sort of renewing.
Gretchen selected a doll from a repair bin. She applied a
line of glue around the edge of a kid leather patch she had
made before the doll show, worked the glue around with
her fingers, and placed the patch over a hole in a French
fashion doll s leather body. She used a doll hook to secure
it against the doll s body.
Nina had been furious when she learned that Tutu was
fine and that Gretchen had used the dog as an excuse to
wrench her away from that intriguing man. Jealous, Nina
had snarled, jealous that I might find a shred of happi-
ness.
Nina, the drama queen, had made it very clear that
Gretchen should stay out of her path until she cooled down.
Whenever that might be.
The phone rang, and her mother s cell number appeared
on the caller ID.
What s new? Caroline asked.
What s new? Why did her mother have to ask that every
time she called? Gretchen wasn t about to spoil her trip,
but her cover-ups were quickly becoming full-blown lies.
New? Not much. I m working on the dolls from the
show.
Is Steve still in Phoenix?
Oh, yes, he is. Unfortunately.
He has a lot of pride. It ll take him some time to come
to grips with your decision.
Goodbye, Dolly 205 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]