A Killer Closet by Paula Paul Read Free Book Online Page A

when she mentioned that house in the mountains.”
    “What are you talking about? What house in the mountains?”
    “It’s somewhere in the Pecos Wilderness.” Adelle looked down at her coffee cup with a forlorn look. “One of those luxury places with all the amenities, swimming pool, spa, tennis courts, the works. Or so I’ve heard. She never invited me up so I could see it for myself. I don’t understand why she didn’t invite me. I thought we were friends. After all, I even agreed to take a class with her at the community college just because she didn’t want to go by herself.” Adelle looked up at Irene. There were tears in her eyes. “She wanted to learn to read ancient Hebrew. Why, I can’t imagine, but it was the most boring thing I’ve ever done. Gibberish. I couldn’t figure out what it meant in English, much less—”
    “Adelle, please! Get to the point. What does her mountain home have to do with her death?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Irene felt a headache coming on and covered her eyes with her hand. Talking to Adelle had always been a challenge for her.
    “The thing is, she mentioned to Harriet and me not long ago that if anything ever happened to her we should search her mountain lodge.”
    Irene moved her hand from her eyes and stared at Adelle. “Go on.”
    “Well, of course, I thought she was being melodramatic to imply that something could happen to her. Something bad, I mean.”
    “What else did she say?”
    “Nothing. We just ignored her, both of us, because, as I said, I thought she was just seeking attention, and I wasn’t going to fall for it. Are there any tea bags in the cupboard? I can’t drink this coffee.”
    Irene took a box of tea bags from the cupboard and set it on the table with considerable force. “Where in the Pecos Wilderness is the lodge?”
    “How should I know? I told you I’ve never been.”
    “Does Harriet know?”
    Adelle answered with a huff, then added, “I should think not. If
I
have never been invited, you can be certain Harriet hasn’t. I need hot water for my tea, dear.”
    “The kettle is on the stove, Adelle.” Irene spoke over her shoulder on her way out of the kitchen. “Surely you can boil water.” She took the time to glance at the TV again, but the announcer had gone on to a story about the art theft.
    Irene ran up the stairs, hurrying to shower and get dressed, wondering how the police got into her closed store to find the body. It had been found only recently, too late in the morning to make it in the paper and just in time for the TV morning news. She grabbed her mobile phone from the dresser as she hurried out and clicked it on to search for Harriet’s number, hoping she would be more help than Adelle had been. The phone didn’t respond. She’d forgotten to charge it. That might explain why she hadn’t heard from the police. Her mobile number was the only number she’d given them when she was taken to the station, since her landline had not yet been installed.
    The yellow crime tape was up again when she arrived. She recognized Andy Iglesias, standing in front of the store with a mobile phone to his ear. He clicked it off and stuck it in his pocket as soon as he saw her.
    “I’ve been trying to call you,” he said.
    “Sorry. My phone’s dead. I’m surprised you haven’t already come to pick me up. Apparently, the body was found long enough ago for the media to get a story. Why wasn’t I notified?”
    “I just told you, I’ve been trying to reach you, and I didn’t send an officer to your house right away because we’re shorthanded because of that theft at the art gallery.”
    “Weren’t you afraid I’d leave town?”
    “If you were going to leave town, you would have already left before we found the body,” the chief said.
    “How did you get in the store? And what made you want to look there?”
    “We got in the store because your door was unlocked.” Andy scowled at her and ushered her toward the store. “You