A Killer Closet by Paula Paul Read Free Book Online

an unfamiliar voice said. “And no more questions.”
    “Who is this?” Irene asked while her heart hammered.
    “Just do as I say.”
    “Who is this?” she demanded again.
    This time the only answer was a dial tone.

Chapter 5
    Irene was sitting in the kitchen the next morning and had just poured herself a cup of coffee when she picked up the paper and saw the headline about the theft of several pieces of valuable art from a gallery on Canyon Road. Loraine Sellers’s death had been demoted to a story below the fold with no new details.
    She scanned the paper quickly as she finished her coffee. She wasn’t certain what she was looking for. Maybe something that would provide an answer to why anyone would warn her to stay away from Susana? She had decided last night that the call was nothing more than a prank. Now she wasn’t sure. Should she call the police and tell them about the call? She switched on the small-screen television that hung suspended from a wall in the kitchen. A voice blared at her in full volume, telling her that she had only a few minutes left to purchase at a bargain price the glittering diamond ring displayed on the slender, perfectly manicured hand. Irene fumbled to turn down the volume and to switch to the station that carried a morning newscast, hoping to learn more about Susana’s death. A sexy brunette lounging on a bed was extolling the advantages of Viagra.
    Irene turned down the volume and poured herself another cup of coffee while an announcer told her she could lease a new Lexus for as little as four hundred dollars a month. Before that commercial ended and another began, Adelle stumbled into the kitchen with a bad case of bed hair and wearing an elegant satin robe.
    “Adelle! What are you doing up so early?”
    “You shouldn’t have to ask,” Adelle snapped. “I was awakened by the most horrific sound of someone shouting from the television. My God,” she added, her voice hoarse from sleep. “Look at the clock. It’s only eight o’clock! Why must you wake me up so early?”
    “I didn’t wake you on purpose,” Irene said. “I just switched on the TV and—”
    “A cup of coffee, please,” Adelle said. “And why is the TV so loud?”
    Irene reached into the cupboard for another cup. “You’re the one who turns the shopping channel up to full volume every day.”
    “I need to be able to hear it anywhere in the house,” Adelle said. She accepted the coffee Irene had just poured and added a splash of cream.
    “Of course you do.”
    “No need to sound patronizing,” Adelle said, staring at the coffee cup as if she was still too sleepy to know what to do next. “You never turn the TV on in the morning, and I don’t understand why you…What? What did that newsperson just say? Something about Susana?”
    Irene turned to the TV, giving it her full attention.
    “The dead body of prominent socialite Susana Delgado was discovered less than an hour ago. The body was on the floor of a store on the Plaza that just recently opened. The store, known as Irene’s Closet, is the same location where the body of another socialite, Loraine Sellers, was recently found. It is not known if the two deaths are connected, and few details are available. Police Chief Andrew Iglesias said more details will be forthcoming as the investigation continues.”
    Adelle gasped “Dead? Susana? I should have known.”
    Irene was almost too stunned to speak. All she could think of was getting to her store.
    Adelle took a sip of her coffee. “God, that’s awful! You know I don’t like it so strong.”
    “Make yourself another pot.”
    “Make it myself?” Adelle stood and walked to the sink to pour the coffee down the drain. “You know I never—”
    “I have to go, Adelle.” Irene hurried to the door leading from the kitchen, but turned around again to face Adelle. “What do you mean, you should have known?”
    “Susana knew it was going to happen. That’s what she was trying to tell us