Death on a Silver Platter Read Online Free PDF

well as you do, but I’ve been known to grill a great steak and baked potato combo.”
    “Really. Is that a dinner invitation? I should warn you: I never turn down a home-cooked meal.”
    Sophie was hemorrhaging internally. Couldn’t he see that Elaine’s teeth were really fangs, that her blond hair had dark roots! Did he want to be number four in Elaine Veelund’s marital march toward an even dozen?
    Before they could swap phone numbers, Elaine’s cell phone rang.
    “Sorry, but I have to take this.”
    “Call me at the restaurant,” said Nathan, handing her his card. “We’ll firm up a date and time. It’s great to see you again.” As an afterthought, he said, “Nice meeting you, Tom. I hope you stop by again.”
    Elaine grinned like a predatory wolf as he walked off. Glancing at the caller ID on her cell phone, she pressed a button and said, “This better be good. I’m having dinner with a friend.” She listened. “What? When?” Her expression turned serious. “Then break the goddamned door down!” She pulled off an earring and switched the phone to her other ear. “This isn’t what I’m paying you for, Mick.” Listening another moment, she said, “Okay. Tell her I’ll be home as fast as I can make it. If anything happens to her, I hold you personally responsible. You got that?” As she clicked the phone off, her lips pressed together tightly.
    “Is everything all right?” asked Sophie.
    “It’s my daughter. She’s . . . not feeling well. Long story. Look, Soph, I have to go. I’m sorry to cut our dinner short, but this is, well, sort of an emergency.”
    “Is your daughter okay?”
    Rising from the table, Elaine said, “She’s fine. It’s just . . . she’s going through a bad time. Like I said, long story.” She returned the cell phone to her purse. “This was fun. Really. Let’s not wait so long to do it again.”
    “Actually,” said Sophie, rising and placing her napkin on the table next to her empty plate, “I’ll probably call you tomorrow. My parents are out of the country right now, but they phoned this afternoon. Dad asked me to talk to you about log homes. He wants me to get all the specs, the different choices, an idea of price.”
    “He wants to build one?”
    “That’s the idea.”
    “Where?”
    “Up on Pokegama Lake.”
    “I’d love to work with your family,” said Elaine, hooking her purse over her shoulder. “I promise, I’ll make it happen. We’ll talk more tomorrow, okay, but right now I’ve got to run. Wish me luck.” She squeezed Sophie’s arm, then hurried out of the dining room.
    Elaine was a mother with a problem daughter. If ever a child had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth it was Tracy Veelund-Willard. She was the child of Elaine’s second marriage, spoiled by both her father and her mother. Every toy she’d ever wanted was hers just for the asking. As she grew, the toys just got bigger.
    Elaine often referred to Tracy as having “moods.” She was a high-strung and emotional little girl who had grown into a sullen and strangely passive young woman. Elaine adored her daughter, although they always seemed to be at war over something, often concerning Tracy’s appearance.
    With straight brown hair, heavy, dark eyebrows, a large nose, and a rail-thin body, Tracy hadn’t been terribly attractive in high school. Then again, with the right clothes and makeup, she could have been a model. She had one of those looks that could have gone either way. Much to her mother’s dismay, Tracy had little interest in maximizing her strengths. She refused to wear makeup and hated dresses. Appearance had always been very important to Elaine, especially in the business world, but Tracy just blew off all of her mother’s makeover suggestions.
    When Tracy started college, she gained quite a bit of weight. Every time Sophie saw her, she was on a new diet. She looked uncomfortable in her new, heavier body, as if something had happened to her that she