Give Murder A Hand: Lizzie. Book 2 (The Westport Mysteries) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Grandma, as a small
crowd gathered to see what was going on. “My granddaughter is hard working and
pays for things and you shouldn’t go around stealing it. Anyway, I know your
mother—God rest her soul— and she’d be disgusted to know this is what you’re up
to.” Grandma crossed her arms over her chest in a ‘don’t mess with me’ stance
as Barry Crosby walked past.
    “Everything all right, Mabel?” he asked, stopping to help. I
quickly moved towards them.
    “I’m so sorry,” I said to the accused woman. As I looked into her
red face I realized it was Sharon Williams, a girl I had gone to school with.
    “Lizzie, you really need to keep your grandmother under control,”
she huffed, her embarrassment now turning to anger she directed at me.
    “Oh, as if I have any chance of doing that,” I replied on a sigh.
    “No, everything is not alright, Barry,” said Grandma, turning her
watery eyes to Barry. “I’ve had a very traumatic few minutes.” Her hand shook
as she put it to her heart. “But I did manage to stop a thief. I just don’t
know what the world is coming to these days when an old, frail woman has to
become a crime fighter.”
    “Now, now Mabel. You’re not old. And frail is not a word I would
use to describe you. I would say you are fearless.” He smiled, his false teeth
shining brightly. He obviously used his Polident regularly.
    “Oh Barry,” giggled Grandma, all signs of her ordeal now gone.
    “Umm, sorry to interrupt, Grandma, but you need to get out of the
car,” I said, stopping this interaction before I had any chance of over hearing
something I could never un-hear.
    “I’m alright now, love,” she said. “Maybe we could go home though
so that I can rest a bit.”
    “Yeah sure, Grandma, but we need to go in Molly’s car.”
    “This is Molly’s car,” she stated.
    “No. It’s not. Molly’s is over there,” I said pointing to the black
SUV parked right next door.
    Grandma looked through the windows to the car parked next to the
one she was presently sitting in.
    “Well, I’ll be buggered,” she said. “Fancy that.”

 
    * * *

 
    Grandma had moved in with Mum a few years ago
after a she has set the oven on fire. True, only her pension money got burnt as
apparently the oven was the safest place to hide money, but Mum felt after that
she couldn’t be trusted to live alone.
    Molly sighed all the way back to Mum’s. By the
time we got there, I thought she might be slightly light-headed from all the
oxygen she forced out between her gritted teeth.
    “What’s wrong with you?” I asked quietly. Grandma’s gentle snores
drifted my way, alerting me to the fact that she had nodded off and I didn’t
want to wake her.
    “Nothing,” she snapped. Clearly it was something. I looked at her,
my eyebrows raised. She sighed again. “It’s just that whenever I meet a really
nice guy, this family has to come along and spoil it.”
    Now I should be offended as I was a part of this family, but I got
her point.
    “The right man won’t be bothered by your family,” I said philosophically.
“Look at Riley. He has stuck with me looking my absolute worst, he’s the main
witness to me embarrassing myself 101 ways, he’s been railroaded by Mum whenever
Auntie M’s around, and he’s still here,” I explained.
    “Yeah. I’m still wondering if that man is actually human,” mused
Molly, indicating and turning the car into Mum’s street. Grandma’s internal GPS
stirred her awake.
    “Who is he anyway?” she asked.
    “Riley. We’re talking about Riley,” answered Molly, pulling the car
into Mum’s driveway and parking behind her silver Mazda.
    “No you weren’t. I may be old but I’m not stupid.” I too was
curious to know the answer to Grandma’s question.
    “It’s nobody.”
    “I bet it was that guy you were talking to at the doctor’s. The one
with the nice head of hair.”
    I looked at Molly and noticed her ears had gone a light shade of
pink. Grandma