Murder Under the Italian Moon Read Online Free PDF Page A

In her early twenties, she had the same hair and fair complexion as the little boy, David. She tried to smile, but the worry in her hazel eyes shone through.
    "I'm Lella York. I saw David earlier, in the afternoon."
    "Oh, you've met him. Sorry, Audrey Bernard. I live next door. We moved in two weeks ago." She stood in the slice of light coming from my open door. The blue veins under the translucent skin of her slender neck pulsed. Long, straight hair hung around her young face. The dark, loose-fitting clothes she wore looked odd on her tall, thin body. Like borrowed rags or stolen garments. What was I thinking?
    "You're David's sister? You're so adorable, just like him."
    She shrugged then blushed. "I better go find him. He must have sneaked out while I was on the phone. It's getting late. Thank you, Mrs. York."
    "Lella. Call me Lella." I closed the door. I had to go back to my answering machine. By now, my fear had morphed into uneasiness. I wanted to talk to someone, anyone. I wanted to be told everything would be okay. Should I call Kyle? How could I explain my state of mind to my son without upsetting and concerning him?
    I went into the kitchen and dialed Ruby's number. The phone rang over and over. No answer. I didn't want to go upstairs.
    In spite of my good intentions, I dialed Kyle's cell phone. "The mobile customer you have dialed—" I slammed the phone down. Where is everybody? Should I go out and talk to the strange young girl next door? Help her find her little brother, maybe? A glance at my bare feet changed my mind. Out of habit I'd left my shoes upstairs, same place as the answering machine with Ruby's message.
    Lawrence Devin's name popped into my mind . Larry. I couldn't possibly call him this late. He probably wasn't at the office anyway. I started up the stairs.
    Flash sat on the top landing, licking her front paw. Lucky cat. She didn't have a worry in the world. She stretched and followed me down the hall. Feeling like a complete idiot, I checked the guest room and even looked in the closet. Thank God the shutters were closed. I didn't want the neighbors to see what I was doing.
    What was I doing ? Becoming paranoid? I checked the guest bathroom also. The door seemed stuck. I bumped it open with my hip. I went to the corner cabinet to get a new roll of toilet paper to replace the empty one. The cold carpet against my bare soles gave me chills. I stared at the toilet paper. It wasn't the brand I usually bought. I preferred the two-ply kind, well worth the extra pennies. This was single ply.Not a big deal, just strange. Did Kyle buy toilet paper thinking we didn't have any? Did Ruby?
    I bent down to check the carpet; damp. "Flash, did you do this?" On my hands and knees, I reached for her. She bolted back and disappeared. I didn't smell cat urine. What happened here? Too tired to clean floors, I retreated into my bedroom, where another surprise awaited. A soft buzz came from my night table. Correction, from under my night table, where the telephone had landed on top of the answering machine. It was the sound of the machine whirring. All the messages had been erased.
    "Flash? Where are you hiding?" I put the telephone back on the night table. "Well, I guess one of my problems is solved." I couldn't listen to Ruby's message since it was erased. No sense dwelling on it. Who was I kidding? The night chill descended over South Orange County while I sat against the pillow, hypnotized by my own spell.
    A noise came from under my bed. There was Flash, all curled up. "Flash, you big coward." She opened one eye to look at me then closed it again and went back to sleep.
    Great.
    Maybe a sleeping pill would help.
    I undressed, put on my nightgown and my robe and went into the bathroom to remove my makeup.
    On my way to the closet, I picked up the handbag I'd left on the floor. Lawrence Devin's business card fell out.
    The sign I'd been waiting for. I knew it. I didn't care if it was almost midnight. I dialed the number