File M for Murder Read Online Free PDF Page B

He picked up his bottle of beer as we thanked him.
    “I hope you like children,” he told Laura. “I think we should have three.” He sipped at his beer, his eyes twinkling.
    Laura’s laugh rang out. I was taken aback, but my daughter seemed unfazed by such a direct come-on.
    “Oh, no, I want at least seven,” Laura said, her expression demure.
    “Works for me.” Frank laughed. “How about I take youaround and introduce you to some of the department members? But just remember, I saw you first.”
    Laura glanced at me, and I nodded. “Lay on, Macduff.” Quoting Shakespeare didn’t seem out of place in this gathering. Plus it was an old game with Laura and me. She had fallen in love with Shakespeare in the ninth grade, when her class read
Romeo and Juliet
.
    She took Frank’s proffered arm and threw me a smile as she and her new beau left the kitchen.
    Frank seemed like a nice enough young man, certainly more appealing than Connor Lawton. I hoped Laura meant what she said when she claimed she and the playwright were now friends and nothing more.
    I had little inclination to return to the party in the living room. There was a table with four chairs near the back door, and I ambled over and took a seat in the corner. I loosened my tie and had another sip of wine. It was a nice vintage, much better than I expected. At most faculty get-togethers, the wine was generally on the cheap side, but this was good stuff.
    My solitude lasted only six or seven minutes. I heard a loud obscenity and looked up to see Connor Lawton, dressed in his usual sleeveless shirt and worn jeans, enter the kitchen. I watched as he, obviously unaware of my presence, rooted in the cooler and pulled out a beer. He popped the top and took a long swig. He set the bottle on the counter and pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his jeans pocket. He tapped out a cigarette and lit it, expelling smoke into the air with a grunt.
    He still hadn’t noticed me, and I decided to see how long it took him to realize he wasn’t alone. He picked up his bottle again and leaned against the counter, smoking and drinking, turned slightly away from me. He quickly finished his drink, deposited the empty bottle on the counter, and pulled another drink from the cooler.
    I could see him glancing idly around the room where he stood, and his body stiffened all of a sudden. He stared at something across the room. I followed his gaze but couldn’t tell for sure what had caught his attention. The wall held a few photographs, but most of the space was taken up by cabinets. As I watched, Connor set his bottle down and stepped forward a few paces to kneel before one cabinet. He ran his hands over the surface of the door, then grabbed the handle and opened it.
    He rocked back on his heels. “I’ll be damned,” he said in a low voice. Then he started nodding. “Not so nuts after all.”
    He closed the door and stood. He went back to the counter, had a last drag of his cigarette, dropped his butt in the sink, and grabbed his beer. He strode out of the kitchen, never noting my presence as far as I could tell.
    I drained the last of my wine and went to the counter to refill my glass. I glanced over at the cabinet Connor Lawton had opened, and curiosity got the better of me. I had to see what was in it. What fascinated him about this particular cabinet?
    I knelt in front of it. The door was about three feet high and nearly as wide. I tugged it open. The interior was maybe two feet deep and slightly wider and taller than the door dimensions. I examined the contents. Nothing but cleaning supplies. The mingled smells of pine cleaner and furniture polish wafted out to me.
    There was nothing remarkable about the cabinet that I could see. Most kitchens had one like it. I shut the door and stood, wondering what this cabinet meant to Connor Lawton.
    Then I shook my head. Who knew what might set off a writer’s imagination?
    I retrieved my wineglass and decided to join the