Murder Is Binding Read Online Free PDF

needs me.”
    Tricia rocketed from her chair, belatedly wondering if her clothes had already imparted their smoky scent to the upholstery. “I’m fine, Angie. You don’t have to hang around on my account.”
    â€œNonsense. What’s family for?”
    So far emotional support hadn’t been a Miles family trait.
    â€œMa’am,” said a solemn voice from the doorway. A fire-fighter, his scarlet helmet emblazoned with the word CHIEF stenciled in gold and white, motioned to the sheriff. “All the smoke detectors in the Cookery were disabled. Whoever did this didn’t want the crime discovered too quickly. However, it appears there was no accelerant used.”
    Did that mean whoever murdered Doris hadn’t planned the killing? Yet they’d been clearheaded enough to try to cover their tracks—however inefficiently.
    â€œLet’s keep this discussion private,” Sheriff Adams said, and she and the fire chief moved to stand out of earshot on the sidewalk.
    Angelica rested a warm hand on Tricia’s shoulder. “Trish, dear, you must come and stay with me at the inn. I won’t sleep a wink tonight knowing you’re here all alone in such a dangerous place. You could’ve died if that fire hadn’t been discovered.”
    â€œIf you hadn’t discovered it. Besides, I wouldn’t have died. My smoke alarms work—and I have an excellent sprinkler system.”
    â€œYou discovered the fire?” Bob asked, zeroing in on Angelica.
    She waved a hand in dismissal. “It was nothing, really. I only wish we could’ve saved that poor woman.”
    â€œIt wasn’t nothing ,” Bob said. “The whole block could’ve gone up, and then the village would’ve—” He let the sentence fade, his face blanching. No doubt he was already thinking about the upcoming zoning board meeting, and how he could force through new rules for fire safety. The costs would no doubt be passed on to the lease owners. Tricia knew that, like Doris, several other bookstore owners were already living on the precarious edge of profitability with the possibility of folding. And trust Bob Kelly to care more for the buildings than the potential loss of a human life.
    Bob’s gimmicky idea of basing the village’s economy on used bookstores luring in tourists had been inspired by the town of Hay-on-Wye. That little Welsh town had been in the same financial boat as Stoneham: picturesque but fallen on hard times. The original leases had been written in favor of the booksellers, but as Doris had found out, success came with a price. The signs were already evident that Doris’s business was on the slide. Fewer food-prep demonstrations and the fact her best-selling product was at the low end of the profit spectrum.
    That will not happen to me , Tricia thought. For years she’d daydreamed about every aspect of her store, from the stock to the décor. She’d written and rewritten her business plan, had goals for expanding the business and a timetable to do it. Her divorce a year earlier had presented her with the money and all the time in the world to pursue her lifelong dream of entrepreneurship. After five months in business, Tricia was exactly where she expected to be: paying her rent, her employee, covering her overhead, and making a modest profit. Only time would tell if word of Doris’s murder would have an impact on the whole village’s revenue stream. The thought depressed her.
    As though anticipating her owner’s solemn thoughts, Miss Marple appeared at Tricia’s side. She gave a muffled “yow,” and dropped her favorite, rather ratty-looking catnip sock at Tricia’s feet.
    â€œOh, thank you, Miss Marple,” she said, patting the cat’s furry gray head. “You are a very thoughtful kitty.” Miss Marple purred loudly.
    â€œDarling Trish. You must come back with me to the inn. I’m sure they