Major Vices Read Online Free PDF Page B

presuming he met with foul play. That’s why I got assigned, to cover the homicide angle. Ordinarily, we don’t consider anybody officially missing until they’ve been gone forty-eight hours. But this is different—the Mayor and his family are frantic.”
    Joe had managed to tap Judith’s deep well of compassion. “No wonder. That’s terrible. Gosh, Joe—it sounds as if the Mayor has a lot of faith in you if you’ve been assigned to the case. Isn’t it a feather in your cap?”
    Joe’s attempts at modesty rarely succeeded. “Oh, maybe. It was either me or Buck Doerflinger, and I’ll be damned if I let that self-serving S.O.B. get ahead of me. He’s a showboater, but since life is unfair, the next promotion will probably go to him instead of me. When it comes to complicated investigations, he’s a washout. I call him Mr. Obvious.”
    Among other things, thought Judith, well aware of her husband’s contempt for his archrival in the Homicide Division. “You’ll do your usual bang-up job,” she assured Joe. “And I’ll cope without you. Maybe Corinne Dooley can come over and help. With all those kids of hers, she’s used to feeding mobs. I’ll give her a buzz.”
    Joe allowed that Mrs. Dooley was a possibility. His voice grew deeper, softer. “I’ll be home around eleven. Will you be waiting for me?”
    Judith wished Toadie would leave the den. “Of course,” she replied.
    â€œIn bed?” Joe asked.
    â€œRight, sure, you know it.”
    â€œI’ll try not to be too tired,” he said, and this time his chuckle was more hearty.
    â€œOh, good, that’d be wonderful.” Judith felt her cheeks flush.
    â€œWhat will you be wearing?” Joe inquired, despite the eruption of voices in the background.
    â€œUh—something. Yes, something long.”
    â€œThe hot-pink number?” Joe suggested as the voices grew louder. “Or the black lace?”
    â€œOne of the above,” Judith responded weakly.
    Joe finally caught on, or else his fellow detectives were nagging at him to get going. “Good, great. Got to run. Hey, be careful coming off The Bluff. It’s supposed to rain, and if it’s cold enough, it could turn to snow or ice up.”
    Judith promised to exercise due care. She hung up, then informed Toadie she had to make a phone call. She half-expected her aunt to tell her to leave a quarter on the desk.
    Corinne Dooley was in the middle of making dinner for her brood. But nine children had given her flexibility in more ways than one. She cheerfully agreed to greet the B&B guests and provide them with sherry and the hors d’oeuvres Judith had already prepared. Relieved, Judith returned to the kitchen.
    Renie had already brought in the wine and cider. “It’s starting to rain,” she announced, running a hand through her damp chestnut curls. “When do we heat the Brie and the shrimp balls?”
    Judith suggested they wait until shortly before the guests’ arrival. Relating Joe’s tale of woe to Renie, she also recounted the interview with Aunt Toadie. Renie shook her head.
    â€œYou know how cheap she is,” Renie pointed out, slicing Havarti cheese with Judith’s sharp knife. “Remember the year she gave me Trixie’s outgrown playclothes for my doll? On my tenth birthday, I got an eraser.”
    Judith nodded. “Same here. But what gets me is that she isn’t paying for this party. Uncle Boo is—or so I was led to believe. I mean, it’s a legitimate business expense, right? Not to mention that he’s loaded. But Toadie acts as if it’s her money, too. What’s going on?”
    Renie leaned against the wooden counter. “I don’t know. My mother talks to Aunt Toadie now and then. Mom and Uncle Corky have always been pretty close. I gathered that Toadie was keeping an eye on Uncle Boo because