Played to Death Read Online Free PDF Page A

$200,000 worth of strawberries to be wasted. The people at our table still seemed unaware that they were part of a crime scene, but I saw small groups of others nearby whispering amongst themselves and staring toward the musicians’ seats. People who’d been questioned and allowed to leave must be texting their friends who remained.
    I had a pleasant champagne buzz; Pete had abstained after one glass. Eventually the caterers were allowed to pack up, the DJ turned off the music, the last of the guests drifted into the house, and the crime scene techs descended like locusts on the quartet’s area. Pete and I stayed outside. It was a beautiful summer evening, and we had no place else to be.
    Finally, well after nine, the musicians were allowed to leave. Scott and the two kids packed up their instruments and left, Scott not looking our way. The crime scene techs took the dead girl’s violin and music. Kevin and Jon spotted us and came to our table. They both looked tired.
    Pete said, “Did you find anything?”
    Kevin said, “Not a clue. The girl was manually strangled, there are grip marks on her neck, so maybe the coroner can do something with those. The only other thing of note is that her bag seems to be missing.”
    “Bag. Like a purse?”
    “Yeah. The first violinist remembered that the vic came in with a big shoulder bag. No sign of it now.” He yawned. “Did you know this Wiley guy that Scott was subbing for?”
    I said, “No. I met him once after a concert, but only said hello. That was it.”
    Pete told Kevin, “You’re going to have to work tomorrow.”
    Kevin had bought a new condo and closed on it yesterday. After his breakup with Abby, he’d been staying with Ali and Mel until he was able to buy a place of his own. We were supposed to help him move into it tomorrow. I said, “We can move everything for you.”
    Kevin smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He reached into his pocket and produced a key card and a regular door key. “Here’s the card for the elevator and the key for the door. These are spares, so you can keep them.” He picked up my pen and the wedding program and wrote a string of numbers. “Here’s my code for the garage and my parking space numbers. You can drive in there and unload. Liz said she’d help.”
    “Did you get in there to clean this morning?”
    “Yeah, Mel, Sunny and I scrubbed the place down, and the bed was delivered.” Sunny was the legal secretary at Mel and Neil’s law firm, where Kevin worked on the side as a paralegal. “So all you have to do is move the boxes in. Stack ‘em all in the living room. I’ll unpack when I get around to it.”
    “I can set up the kitchen for you.” Kevin and I roomed together for six years until I moved in with Pete. I knew how he’d arrange things.
    He gave me a grateful look. “That’d be awesome. If you can hang up my good clothes, too, and put the safe in the bedroom closet. I’ll take care of the rest of it.”
    I punched him lightly in the shoulder. “Leave it to us.”
    He smiled, tiredly. “Thanks, short stuff.”
    Jon said, “We’d better go. We have to deliver some bad news.”
    Pete said, “Where do the girl’s parents live?”
    “Glendora.”
    I said, “We’ll walk out with you.”
    Kevin and Jon stopped to have one last word with Kent and Graham. Pete and I were approached by a uniformed officer I recognized - Jill Branigan. She looked tired too. “I need you two to take a look at the photo of the victim.”
    We looked. She wasn’t familiar at all. Branigan asked, “You were sitting on the same side as the quartet. Did you notice anything unusual?”
    I said, “Other than a wrist corsage on a dog? No.”
    Branigan’s partner snorted a laugh; Branigan just smiled. “If you remember anything, you know who to call.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    Pete retrieved his car keys from the few remaining that the valets had left with Kent and we headed home, pulling out of the driveway behind the