1 A Motive for Murder Read Online Free PDF Page A

water on the stove, and added two heaped dessertspoons of coffee. The smell of boiling coffee was heavenly, but looked like a torrid lava pool. I found two strainers, and picked the one with larger holes. After about three strainings, the liquid looked more or less acceptable. It tasted okay, although quite gritty and a bit weak.
    While drinking it, I conducted a thorough yet fruitless search for garlic to go with my morning eggs. I figured that Aunt Beth must have consumed garlic by the bucket load judging by the overpowering smell when I'd found her, but not a clove of garlic was to be found.
    I'd only just given up looking and was getting to the end of my second coffee when the doorbell rang. It was so loud and startling that I jerked forward and nearly spilled the remains of my coffee, coffee grits and all.
    England was looking up! I opened the door to the most handsome man I had ever seen. He looked like Jimmy Thomas, the model on the cover of over fifteen hundred romance novels, except with short hair. He was tall, with broad shoulders, dark eyes which were almost black, and he looked like he had spent most of his life in the gym.
    I became that conscious I was staring, and realized to my embarrassment that he had noticed it too.
    He extended his large hand and grasped mine, and covered my hand with his other. "I am so sorry to hear about Beth. She was a dear friend of mine. You must be Misty; she was excited about your visit."
    I nodded. I was puzzled by his accent. It seemed a mixture of Oxbridge English and Australian, with other notes I could not guess. He also looked familiar but I surely would have remembered anyone who looked like him.
    "My name is Douglas," he continued. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
    I just stood there looking at him and finally said, "Thanks."
    He looked at me expectantly, still holding my hand. Was I supposed to invite him in? I supposed so. "Would you like to come in?" I felt quite foolish.
    He dropped my hand, walked past me then turned left into the living room. Clearly he knew his way around Aunt Beth's house. No sooner had he sat down than Diva appeared from nowhere. She ran at Douglas, swiped at the bottom of his jeans, hissed loudly, and then turned around and ran off.
    "Im so, so sorry," I gushed. "She's my aunt's cat."
    Douglas simply said, "That's okay."
    "Would you like coffee? Tea?"
    "Yes, black tea, no sugar, please."
    I was relieved that he didn't want coffee; my saucepan brew would only be appreciated by the worst of caffeine addicts.
    When I returned with the tea and cookies, Douglas was looking quite at home, sitting back in a huge comfy chair albeit one covered in a beige floral pattern. It clashed hideously with the faded Axminster floral blue carpet.
    I opened the heavy drapes and the whole room was suddenly flooded with sunlight. I was absently thinking that the room probably hadn't seen much sunlight over the years, when a thought occurred to me. "How well did you say you knew my aunt? The funeral is tomorrow."
    Douglas fidgeted in his seat. "Oh, so sorry. I have a prior engagement that I won't be able to miss. I did know your aunt well. I'm an antique book collector, and your aunt had a wonderful collection of rare books."
    I noted he said "collector" not "dealer" and wondered what he did for a living, but figured he may be a Lord or an Earl or something else expensive and privileged, judging by his designer clothes. I tried to collect my thoughts, which the coffee was starting to clear despite the jet lag. "Did my aunt have a heart condition?"
    My handsome guest nodded solemnly. "Yes, quite a serious one. Didn't you know?"
    I shook my head and asked another question. "Did my aunt have many rare books?"
    Douglas rubbed his chin, and looked around the room before answering. "Yes, indeed. With her failing health and age, she recently decided to donate several rare books to museums."
    I nodded. "I saw the newspaper clipping about the rare book she donated to some library in