Murder Follows Money Read Online Free PDF

said. “Yes, everything’s fine.”
    Still he lingered, and I remembered that tipping was expected. Judi Kershay had given me petty cash for things like tips and bribes, which she explained were sometimes necessary. I pulled a bill off the wad she’d given me and passed it along to the bellhop. It disappeared into his palm.
    “Oh, and by the way,” I said, and he stood at attention. “We are desperately in need of really fast room service.”
    “The menu,” he began, pointing toward the kitchen.
    “No, not real food. I mean, not cooked food.” The opulence was starting to get to me. “We need two gallons of whole milk, two pounds of butter, and a couple dozen eggs. Ms. Couch wishes to prepare crepe batter for a demonstration this evening.”
    “Of course,” he said, nodding. “You want that as soon as possible?”
    “Right.” This time, I wasn’t so slow peeling bills off the wad. He accepted them graciously, tipped his little organ-grinder’s-monkey cap to me, and vanished.
    I took the tray of messages in my free hand and, so burdened, followed Naomi. The carved doors led into a short hallway with two rooms opening off it. On the left was an opulent but empty bedroom, with luggage stacked near the bed. The door of the room on the right was shut. I took a deep breath and knocked briefly before going in.
    Hannah lay on the huge, silk-covered bed, a black velvet eyeshade over her eyes. Naomi had evidently gotten over her mad. She bustled around, taking clothes from the suitcase and hanging them in the closet while she talked. ". . . don’t know how that’s going to work out.” Her nasal whine would get on my nerves if she were my business partner. “And of course the schedule is all screwed up—” She broke off to glare at me. “You certainly took your time.”
    “Your messages arrived.” I set down the train case and held out the tray full of white envelopes.
    Hannah took off the eyeshade. She sat up, banking the pillows, and patted the bed beside her. “Here.”
    “You can read them while you’re resting.” There was something anticipatory in Naomi s voice.
    “How the hell can I rest when you’re yammering at me?” Hannah looked at the tray of messages fixedly for a moment, then at Naomi.
    “Liza, Hannah needs a mineral water. Would you bring one?”
    “It’s Liz, actually.” I knew the deliberate mispronouncing of my name was a way to keep me in line. I’ve always had trouble with lines. “Do you want lemon or anything?”
    “You go with her, Naomi. Show her how to do it.” Hannah’s voice was commanding.
    “But—” Naomi was still looking at the tray of letters.
    “I am thirsty.”
    “Very well.” Naomi flounced out of the room and I followed her, turning to close the door. Hannah was sorting through the envelopes; as I pulled the door to, she reached slowly to pick one out of the mass.
    Following Naomi through the drawing room and into the kitchen, I wondered about the note Hannah had picked up. She hadn’t opened it, but her expression as she regarded it was one of dread.
     

Chapter 4
     
    In the kitchen, Kim turned from the last of the big crates and smiled at us. “Almost unpacked.”
    “Great.” Naomi hardly looked at her. “Where’s the Pellegrino?”
    Kim took a big green bottle out of one of the cabinets.
    “Hannah likes her water like this.” Naomi filled a tall glass with ice. “Always a tall glass, never a short one. Always one slice of lime.”
    She gestured to Kim, who plucked a lime from a basket of citrus fruit on the counter and sliced it quickly.
    “Squeeze the lime into the water,” Naomi said in a lecturing voice, “then drop it in and stir.” She suited action to word. “Got it?”
    “I think I can do that.” From the corner of my eye I caught Kim’s grin, quickly suppressed.
    “Fine. I’ll take this to Hannah. Liza—”
    “I’ll give Kim a hand here and get the room set up for the interview.” I felt lucky to have remembered this