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"
    " I suppose. "
    " One last point to ease your mind, " Karl said. " Say it was murder or euthanasia or whatever. Why would your godmom ' s killer leave the weapon there on her head? "
    " You think it just landed there? "
    " Maybe her body jerked involuntarily. Tipped a pillow from the head of the bed. "
    They discussed possibilities unt il Becki said, " Thanks for all your input, hon. I appreciate it. I guess we can talk about it more when I get home. "
     
    A half-hour later, Becki peered out the window as the rain continued to smear itself across the window pane. Water gushed along the gutters of the street below. Trees on the boulevard flailed in the wind.
    Someone rapped on her door.
    Opening it, she was surprised to find Gina and Tony in the hall.
    " Can we talk to you, Aunt Becki? " Tony asked.
    " Course. Come in. "
    " You ' re leaving? " Gina asked, referring to the suitcase on the bed.
    " Well, I came for Godmom ' s birthday, ended up staying for her funeral and the reading of the will, and Karl is waiting for me at home. "
    " What about what we talked about earlier? " Tony asked. " In the garden? "
    " I ran into Carla even before I talked to Karl. Did you know your grandma was sick? "
    " No. "
    Becki shared Carla ' s information and described her telephone conversation. Outside, the rain continued to pound, and though it was afternoon, it felt like early evening.
    Tony reached for Gina ' s hand then and suddenly changed his mind. " Just ha d this bad feeling in my gut. "
    " You ' re not going in this weather, Becki, " Gina cut in.
    Becki shrugged. " Won ' t last for ever. "
    " Maybe we should all stay one more night, " Tony suggested.
     

 
     
    Chapter 7
     
    " Have you seen my Blackberry? " Jerry charged into the guestroom in a fury.
    " You left it in the car, " Linda said, turning from the closet. " Just what are you so het up about all of a sudden? "
    " That money, " he grumbled. " How can I be her executor and not even know about it? Nearly e ight million dollars! I swear it wasn ' t there when Dad died. So where did it come from? "
    Linda shrugged. " Maybe she got left it by another relative. Maybe she had an affair with a wealthy lover. "
    Jerry looked wild.
    " No, that ' s not very likely, " Linda conceded. " I know. Maybe she won a lottery. "
    He gave her a black look. " I ' ll tell you, someone had to know. And I ' ll bet that someone killed her. "
    " Oh, Jerry, don ' t be foolish. " She lifted an empty hanger. " What does it matter? The old bitch is dead, thank the Lord. Don ' t go thrashing around stirring things up now. "
    " I ' ll thrash around as much as I want, " he muttered. " She was my mother, dammit. I ' m going to make some calls outside in the car…get on the track of her broker. He should know something and I ' ll make him tell me. I am the executor, after all. "
    " You do that, " she said quietly. She waited a full two minutes after he left before starting down the stairs.
     
    Cancer. Just the thought of it made Gina shiver. Had they been wrong, then? Was Grandma ' s death natural, or — Gina had to face the thought—did Grandma plan her own ending? Somehow, Gina couldn ' t imagine the grand old lady submitting to the indignity of illness and its treatment. Perhaps, after all, her death had been a good thing. In any case, she could talk with the others about it later at dinner.
    Gina headed slowly down the stairs in search of late afternoon coffee. No hope of a Starbucks within fifty miles, so it had to be the kitchen.
    " What do you mean you don ' t do house calls up here? " Linda ' s strident phone voice carried along the corridor. " I know there ' s a storm, but how am I supposed to know the difference between sterling and plate? This stuff looks eighteenth century, so that would make it sterling, right? Check for the mark on the bottom…what mark ? I haven ' t my glasses he re, for crissake. Hold on a sec. "
    Linda spotted Gina, covered the mouthpiece, and said, " What are you