A Candidate For Murder (Old Maids of Mercer Island Mysteries Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

a few minutes late. She’s having a new sofa delivered this morning.”
    “Speaking of sofas,” I said. “I have new neighbors.” I pointed across the hallway and through the living room window to Ellen’s old house. “I saw the movers carrying in a sofa a little while ago.”
    Doe got up and both women craned their necks to look.
    “I passed the moving truck on the way in,” Rudy said. “Any idea who they are?”
    “No,” I replied, shaking my head. “I’ll probably walk over there this weekend though and introduce myself.”
    “Well, let’s hope they’re as nice as Ellen was,” Doe said wistfully. “God, I still miss her.”
    “Martha, too,” I said.
    The mention of our two friends who had died within months of each other brought the conversation to a halt, and we all stood in silence for a moment.
    “Okay, let’s get this meeting going,” Doe erupted. “We have a campaign to plan!”
    “Wait,” I said, stopping them. “I have something to tell you first.”
    Before I could say another word, the sound of tires on gravel interrupted me. We turned and glanced out the front window again. A black SUV parked by the front door, provoking a collective intake of breath from each one of us.
    “Uh–oh,” Doe murmured.
    The car doors opened. David and Detective Abrams emerged, and I felt a slight flutter in my chest. Why hadn’t David just called? This looked like an official visit.
    The three of us returned to the entryway. The bell above the door jingled again as they walked in. David came in first, his badge hanging on a lanyard underneath his coat. Detective Abrams stepped in behind him, filling the doorway with his action-figure height and broad shoulders. As an ex-Army Ranger, he carried an air of unyielding confidence that most people found intimidating. They both nodded to me with grim expressions, as Detective Abrams closed the door.
    These two men had been regular fixtures at the Inn after Martha died. The thought of having them both standing in my entryway could only mean one thing – something was wrong.
    “Good morning, Julia,” David said quickly. “Sorry to bother you so early.”
    His greeting lacked all the warmth of our date just twelve hours before.
    “Go ahead, make my day!” a voice called out from the breakfast room.
    Everyone turned to where Captain Ahab, our African gray parrot, was dancing around in his cage. I had purchased Ahab from an estate sale on a whim, not knowing that he came with an extensive vocabulary and a propensity to quote lines from old movies. The detectives ignored his remark.
    “Julia, something’s come up,” David said, glancing at the front desk. Crystal, my manager, was working there. He glanced over at Mr. Mulford, who was bent over his work in the breakfast room. “Perhaps we could speak with you alone.”
    “By alone, you mean with Doe and Rudy?” I said, gesturing to my friends.
    David glanced at the two women and turned to Detective Abrams, who nodded.
    “Let’s go into the dining room,” I said, pointing down the hallway.
    Mr. Mulford glanced up as we passed by, but went right back to work.
    Fortunately, most of our guests were out for the day. Only a young couple was in residence, and they were camped out in the library looking through some of my old books. I slid the door closed and the five of us huddled up next to the dining room table.
    “You guys are making me nervous,” I said. “Whose body did you find at the library last night?”
    “Body?” Doe exclaimed, her dark eyes flaring.
    Detective Abrams’ hooded blue eyes shifted quickly in David’s direction. I wondered if David had told him about our date the night before.
    “Do you know Trudy Bascom?” Detective Abrams asked me.
    “Not really. I know who she is. She’s Dana Finkle’s campaign assistant. Why?”
    “She was found dead last night outside the library,” he said.
    “Oh, my God,” I said with a gasp. “How awful. What happened?”
    “She was struck in