Murder by Arrangement (Edna Davies mysteries Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

daughter has been sweet and cheerful since
the day she was born.” Pausing for a moment, Rosie studied Edna’s face first
and then Irene’s. Taking another deep breath, she gave a curt nod as if making
up her mind to something.
    “Look. I realize
you know who I am, and I’m pretty sure you read at the time, or at least heard
rumors that I was a suspect when my husband died. Two years ago, I moved to
East Providence to get away from the distrust and suspicion on everyone’s face.
I figured a new community would mean a clean start, but the neighbors soon
found out who I was and it started again. People either glaring or turning away
so they didn’t have to look at me.” Her voice grew stronger as her anger
quickened. “I thought I could take it. I thought everyone was being cruel only
to me, but Lettie began to notice. She’s so young and innocent. She doesn’t
understand.” Rosie’s voice faltered when she added more quietly, “Then I
learned she was being taunted and bullied by the kids in school, and my heart
broke.” Rosie bent her head again, but not before Edna saw the wetness in her
eyes.
    She thought
Rosie could use a moment to recover and might also like to know that she wasn’t
alone in that sort of treatment. “May I tell you about my move to South County?
It was probably around the time you left the area.”
    Rosie dabbed at
her eyes with a crumpled napkin before looking up. Her brow wrinkled as if she
were wondering what Edna’s move had to do with her difficulties, but she merely
nodded.
    Edna glanced
quickly toward her daughter-in-law. She’d never spoken of her misadventure to
anyone in the family except Starling who had played a part in the drama. She
wondered what Irene would make of the story. Giving a mental shrug, she decided
she’d deal with the family fallout later. At the moment, she thought only of
bringing some comfort to Rosie Beck. “Two months after Albert and I moved into
the retirement home of our dreams, I was suspected of poisoning our handyman.”
    If her words
were meant to shock, they succeeded. Not only did Rosie’s eyes grow wide, but
Edna heard a sharp intake of breath from Irene’s direction.
    “Oh, my
goodness,” Irene said, raising both hands to her cheeks in surprise. “I never
heard about this. Does Matt know?”
    Edna shook her
head. “I didn’t want the rest of the family to worry. It’s in the past. Will
you keep this our secret?”
    Irene reached
over and gently squeezed Edna’s wrist. “Of course. I’m so sorry I didn’t know
at the time. If nothing else, I would have offered you my shoulder to lean on.”
In her usual fashion, Irene attempted a light mood.
    Appreciating her
daughter-in-law’s support, Edna smiled and patted her hand. “I’ve always been
able to count on you, dear. If events had gotten more serious, I would
certainly have called you.”
    Irene settled
back, but kept a cautious eye on Edna’s face, as if uncertain what to expect
after this initial jolt.
    Edna took a deep
breath as she tried to decide where to begin. She realized at once how
difficult it was going to be to relive the experience, not only for what she’d
gone through, but also because she’d lost a good friend. For several seconds
she thought of Tom Greene and felt again the stress of those seemingly endless
days during which she’d been certain she’d be charged with murder and thrown in
jail.
    “What happened?”
Rosie’s question, with curiosity, anxiety and impatience all rolled into those
two words, made Edna realize that she’d drifted back in time while the other
two women were waiting intently for her to explain.
    She gave them an
edited version of how her handyman had been rushed to the hospital in a coma
from which he never emerged. The taxine in his system came from the yew bush,
two of which Edna had been pruning the day her handyman died. He’d last been
known to visit Edna where he’d had tea and cookies, both containing ingredients
out of