Fillet of Murder by Linda Reilly Read Free Book Online Page A

quite finished her monologue.
    â€œWell, at least Whitnee’s going to school,” Connie burbled on. “If she can keep comin’ up with the tuition, that is. ’Course I heard some bosses repay their employees for the money they spend on college.” Her small brown eyes homed in on Bea, who’d stood speechless during the entire Connie invasion. “I don’t suppose you have any sort of deal like that?” she said sourly.
    Bea shook herself out of her stunned silence. “I’m afraid not, Mrs. Parker. We’re just a small—”
    â€œHey, never mind that Mrs. Parker stuff. It’s Connie, okay? Anyhoo, I gotta go. Time to go clean the zoo. Night shift is a bee-yotch, if you catch my drift. No rest for the weary, huh? You just make sure my girl gets to her car like you promised.”
    Talia saw Bea let out a quiet breath of relief after Connie left. Whitnee looked as if she wanted the floor to swallow her in one giant gulp. Talia felt for the girl.
    â€œI’m really sorry,” Whitnee said in a tiny voice. “She’s, like, a major worrywart, but she means well.”
    â€œAw, that’s okay, luvvy,” Bea said. Fatigue had etched dark lines around her eyes. “She’s a mum. She has a right to worry. Look, we’re going to close up shop now. It’s been a terrible day, a simply horrid one. I think we’re all entitled to an early night.”
    â€œCan’t argue with that,” Talia said. After closing, she planned to head straight next door to Sage & Seaweed—the specialty bath and body shop adjacent to Lambert’s. The owner, Suzy Sato, imported most of her products fromEngland, and the selection of scented bath salts was mind-blowing. The prices made Talia a little light-headed, too, but she reminded herself that every woman deserved a bit of luxury on occasion. A long soak in a scented tub later would go a long way toward soothing her frazzled nerves. The day she’d had would surely warm the chambers of the devil’s heart.
    They all pitched in to finish putting away the perishables. After Talia wiped down all the surfaces with lime-scented cleaner, Bea locked the door and they left. In keeping with her promise to Connie, Talia walked both Bea and Whitnee to their cars, which were parked in the town lot adjacent to Peggy’s Bakery. The cold breeze of late afternoon had turned into a biting wind, but the sky was clear and scattered with stars.
    â€œYou watch who’s around you,” Bea admonished, sliding into her mud-brown vintage Datsun. “Until the coppers catch the killer, we could all be in danger. Where’s your car?”
    â€œI parked behind the lighting shop this morning, remember?”
    â€œDear God, luvvy, you’re not walking back there alone. Hop in.”
    Knowing it would be futile to protest, Talia accepted the ride. She hadn’t told Bea she planned to visit the bath and body shop—it would only worry her needlessly to think Talia was tromping around the arcade alone.
    It was freezing inside the Datsun. Talia rubbed the arms of her jacket. The clunker didn’t heat up very quickly, but Bea loved the old car. She’d bought it when she first immigrated to Massachusetts from the UK, and she refused to give it up.
    Bea drove around the block and stopped behind the Fiat,the headlights of the Datsun illuminating the quiet, darkened street. “Flash your lights when you get in your car,” she told Talia. “And please be careful, luv, okay? There’s a killer out there.”
    Talia leaned over and gave her friend a quick hug. She started the Fiat and flashed her headlamps, and Bea tooted and pulled away. Warm air blew out of the vents almost instantly. She rubbed her hands together to squeeze some warmth into them. All at once, she realized that Turnbull’s Caddy was still parked beside her. Had the police realized it belonged to him? How long would