Plateful of Murder Read Online Free PDF Page A

wrong thing, make bad decisions.”
    Corrigan joined in. “She’s right. Don’t do anything stupid.” With a sideways glance at me, he added, “And you, Ms. DeNardo, let me do my job.”
    I wanted to dig my heel into Corrigan’s foot, but that’d just get me arrested for assault. “Come on, Michael, I’ll take you to the Marriott. You’ll be safe there.” I gave him a look I hoped he’d interpret as, “Just agree, so we can talk alone.”
    He turned toward the hallway. “I’ll go grab a toothbrush.”
    After checking in at the hotel, Michael still looked jittery but telling him to relax would’ve sounded so callous. Instead, I allowed my mouth to operate before my brain knew and broke Gino’s Rule Number Two: “Never drink with a client.”This was different though. No hidden motives. I plastered on a smile as fake as my old neighbor’s pink, plastic flamingos. “Let’s get you a drink.” Without waiting for an answer, I steered him toward the hotel’s lounge.
    The alcohol might have gotten him talking about Constance and that list Corrigan called me on. Of course, he would have needed to drink at least some of it. Instead, he stared down at his finger and ran it around the rim of his glass. On the other hand, I was so dry it felt like a cactus had taken root in my mouth. But it wouldn’t look good for me to down a drink in a single gulp. Besides, I needed all my senses about me. Just one glass of wine on a practically empty stomach, and I’m doing karaoke even without a karaoke machine.
    I pushed my hand against my stomach as it growled. It was now about breakfast time and we hated going hungry. “Sorry you’re going through this, Michael, but there are some questions that need answering.”
    He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. The dark circles around them confirmed he hadn’t slept much. He quickly slipped the glasses back on. “Don’t be sorry. Anything to help.” He took a sip.
    It seemed so cold to forge ahead when he was in so much pain, but what had transpired between Corrigan and him before I arrived was important. I downed a bit of my drink for courage. “What did the police ask you?”
    Michael swallowed hard. “They wanted to know if she had kept any letters from…” He sighed deeply and his shoulders slumped. “Her lovers.”
    “Did she?” If so, the police or the killer surely had them by now.
    “No.” He hesitated. “She didn’t keep any letters . A few days before she was killed, though, she made up a list with a bunch of initials.”
    “That’s what Corrigan was waving around?”
    He sighed. “I was going to show it to you, but then someone broke in.” He spit the last words out. “Luckily I had it with me or whoever did it would’ve gotten the list for sure.”
    “Do you know what the initials stood for?”
    “No, but some had checkmarks after them.” He folded and unfolded his hands. “The letters ‘BE’ were on the first line.”
    I sat up straight. They had to stand for Brody Eagleton. “Do you remember any of the others?”
    He rubbed his face hard. “The second initials were ‘JL,’ but that’s all I remember.” He dropped his hand away. I’ve seen mannequins looking more energized.
    I wanted to throw my arms around him and comfort him. But hugs convey a number of things. They can mean, “It’ll be all right,” or “I understand” or even “You’re not alone.” I’d already broken two of Gino’s rules so settled for a keeping-my-distance pat on his forearm. This relationship had to stay professional all the way to find out the truth about Constance and her death.
    I skipped any sort of segue into the subject. “Michael, it’s pretty clear your sister wasn’t exactly a nun.”
    The vein in his temple kept rhythm to a silent beat, and he frowned. “No, she wasn’t. She was ambitious and did whatever it took to get ahead.”
    “She didn’t just get on the bad side of one disgruntled employee did she? From what I heard she