Murder on the Bride's Side Read Online Free PDF

backslapping friend to all—annoying but not threatening. However, somewhere between his fifth and sixth scotch, he turned nasty. Rather than a slap on the back you were more likely to get a punch in the face. Not an enjoyable prospect from a man who was six three and weighed somewhere north of two hundred pounds.
    Luckily, David was still shy of his fifth drink. He threw back his shoulders and laughed. It was a sound not unlike a donkey’s bray. “Of course I do, Elsie,” he said. “It’s from that movie with . . . um, Gregory Peck.”
    Elsie brandished her cane at him, causing David to take an involuntary step back.
“Ha!”
she cried triumphantly. “No! It’s from
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
with Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple.”
    “Yes, I know, Elsie,” David said. “I was only teasing you.” Turning to Peter, he continued smoothly. “So you must be Peter. I’m David Cook. We’ve heard a lot about you. Elizabeth said you were out of town on business. What is it that you do?”
    “My family runs a hotel chain,” responded Peter.
    “Hotels? You don’t mean McGowan and Company?”
    “That’s me,” replied Peter.
    David pulled his drink away from his mouth long enough to let a low whistle escape from his thick lips. “Jesus,” he said. “You must be loaded, huh?”
    “Uh . . . not really,” Peter said. “It’s my parents’ company.” He shot me a quizzical look and I shrugged in response. Among David’s many odious traits was an obsession with money, mainly other people’s money, as he never seemed to have any of his own.
    “Say, Pete,” David continued, “why don’t we talk later about you guys using us for your landscaping needs? Given Elizabeth is practically family, I’ll give you a good deal. But then, maybe I’d better talk to Elizabeth first,” he said with a broad wink, “and find out how serious you two are before I start handing out discounts.”
    My cheeks flushed. “I would never dream of asking for special favors for anyone, David,” I said as diplomatically as I could.
    David threw back his head again and made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a snort. “Oh! Watch out, Pete! Did you hear that?” he jeered. “You don’t even rate the discount yet!”
    Beside him, Claire saw my flush and quickly interjected, “David’s only kidding.”
    David’s eyes briefly glanced in Claire’s direction, as if surprised to find her next to him. “Huh?” he asked.
    Claire did not answer. Instead, Elsie spoke. “As grandmother of the bride, I insist that there be no business talk tonight. Let’s just enjoy the festivities.”
    David took a large gulp from his glass and shrugged his large shoulders. “Whatever you say,
boss
.”
    Elsie’s eyes narrowed and her nose pinched as if suddenly assaulted by a foul odor. David missed the look, but Claire did not. Two red spots flamed brightly on her pallid cheeks. Glancing uneasily at Elsie, she gently tugged on David’s sleeve and pulled him away under the pretext of making an introduction. Elsie’s eyes followed Claire as she dragged her husband across the room.
    Seeing her glower, Harry leaned over and said, “Let it go, Elsie. She’s a grown woman. She can make her own choices.”
    “The man’s a jackass,” Elsie muttered.
    “True, but as someone once said, ‘There is probably nothing like living together for blinding people to each other.’ ”
    Elsie turned to him with a reluctant grunt of amusement. “Since when did you get to be so smart?”
    “I’ve been taking a correspondence course,” he said, extending his arm. “Now, why don’t you buy me a drink?”
    As we watched them go, Bridget turned to Peter. “Nicely done, by the way. Not many people know that movie.”
    Peter laughed. “I don’t think anyone could hang out with you two and
not
know that movie.”
    Bridget nodded. “Elizabeth has Jane Austen; I have Cary Grant.”
    “Not tonight, you don’t,” said Colin