Murder Can Rain on Your Shower Read Online Free PDF

conversation progressed, Mike’s tone
    had more or less returned to its normal level. At this point, however, he lowered his voice again. ‘‘Do you suspect that . . . and I hate to even think this might be the case . . . but do you suspect she may have been
    poisoned? Ellen says you told her it was most likely a heart attack, but I figured that might have been just
    to reassure her.’’
    ‘‘You figured right. Which doesn’t mean that I’m
    right. We may learn that Bobbie Jean died of a heart attack after all.’’
    ‘‘Maybe. Uh, listen, Dez, my aunt had her share of
    faults, probably more than her share. She did some
    MURDER CAN RAIN ON YOUR SHOWER
    27
    things to people that were . . . that I consider . . . that I imagine most people would consider just about unforgivable. But while I didn’t always approve of her
    actions, I was fond of her. Even if I hadn’t been, though, I wouldn’t want anyone to get away with mur
    dering her—if that’s what happened. So—and please
    don’t take this wrong—what I’m trying to say is, I’d like to hire you.’’
    ‘‘To hire me? You want to pay me to check into your aunt’s death?’’
    ‘‘Yes, I want to pay you. That’s how you earn your living, isn’t it?’’
    ‘‘Not by taking money from my family, I don’t.’’
    (And not these past few weeks, either, for that matter—
    when I’d handled a grand total of one lousy insurance investigation.)
    ‘‘You’re jumping the gun a little, Dez,’’ I was re
    minded. ‘‘I’m not family yet.’’
    ‘‘And you’re splitting hairs, Mike Lynton. Look, I have every intention of learning what happened to
    Bobbie Jean. The only thing is, if you insist on bugging
    me about taking money, I won’t keep you posted on
    my progress.’’
    ‘‘Okay, okay, you win,’’ Mike conceded with an ane
    mic little chuckle.
    I grinned at the receiver. ‘‘Of course I do. But you said that your aunt had done some terrible things to people. What people? And what things?’’
    ‘‘I’m not sure exactly what transpired with every
    one. My mother could undoubtedly fill you in on the
    details. But there was something with Carla Fremont.
    And I seem to remember that prior to this, Bobbie
    Jean had some sort of altercation with Robin, Carla’s mother. There was also some nasty business with Lor
    raine Corwin. And a Grace somebody-or-other. And
    I don’t know who else.’’
    ‘‘Those women you mentioned—are you aware that
    they were all at the shower?’’
    ‘‘Yes,’’ Mike said gravely. ‘‘That’s what’s so
    troubling.’’
    28
    Selma Eichler
    At this precise moment I realized that the surprising
    thing wasn’t that Mike’s aunt had died today.
    It was that Bobbie Jean Morton, formerly Connell
    fomerly Polansky formerly Lynton, had lived as long
    as she did.
    Chapter 5
    When I walked through the office door on Monday
    morning, I was all but accosted by Jackie, my one-third secretary. (I share her services with the two principals of—are you ready?—Gilbert and Sullivan, the law firm
    that rents me my space here.) ‘‘Well? How did every
    thing go yesterday?’’ she demanded. Unfortunately—or
    fortunately for Jackie, as it turned out—a cousin’s
    wedding had prevented her from attending Ellen’s
    shower.
    ‘‘It wound up being a real surprise.’’
    ‘‘I don’t like the way you said that. What hap
    pened?’’
    ‘‘Mike’s aunt—the one who arranged for the affair
    to be held at her country club? She became ill—
    deathly ill—while eating her salad. The paramedics were called, and they rushed her to the hospital. But she was gone by the time they got her there.’’
    ‘‘Oh, no, how terrible! Heart?’’
    ‘‘My guess would be poison. Although right now
    that’s all it is: a guess.’’
    ‘‘But you believe that somebody slipped something into her salad.’’ (Jackie is nothing if not persistent.) I hunched my shoulders. ‘‘Or possibly her