Framed For Murder (An Anna Nolan Mystery) by Cathy Spencer Read Free Book Online Page B

sat at his feet.
    “I see you’ve made a friend,” I said. He rose and sank his hands into his trouser pockets. “Her name is Wendy,” I said, attempting to be pleasant.
    “Hello Wendy,” he said solemnly before looking back at me.
    “Please, have a seat,” I repeated. He extended a hand toward the couch and waited for me to sit before taking an armchair. He might be stiff, but he had good manners. “I can tell that you’re not from around here,” I said, making nervous conversation. Tremaine spoke with a rather posh British accent.
    “No,” he replied. “Mrs. Nolan, I understand from Constable Walker that it had been a number of years since you last spoke with your ex-husband.”
    “Four. Why was Steve Walker assigned to another investigation?”
    “Constable Walker was re-assigned because your friendship constituted a conflict of interest. Why do you insist that you hadn’t spoken with Mr. Nolan for four years when his cell phone showed that he called you on the night of his murder?”
    “I don’t know why Jack called me that night, but as you must know, I was at a book club meeting when he called. I didn’t speak to Jack, and since he was already dead when I found him, I have no idea what he wanted. If Steve was removed from the case, why wasn’t Eddy Mason from the local station assigned in his place?”
    Tremaine considered me for a moment, and I followed his glance down to my stockinged feet. I felt at a disadvantage beside this elegant man. “Mrs. Nolan,” he said, but I interrupted him before he could continue.
    “Please don’t call me ‘Mrs. Nolan,’ Sergeant. I kept the ‘Nolan’ because I’ve always hated my maiden name, but ‘Mrs. Nolan’ makes it sound as if I’m still married to Jack. Please, just call me ‘Anna.’”
    “What was your maiden name?” he asked.
    “Butcher,” I said, colouring. The name sounded obscene given the circumstances.
    “I see,” he said, unfazed. “Anna, this is a small town. All the officers in the detachment know you. Some of them eat at The Diner with you. Staff Sergeant Mason is concerned about bias, particularly when the victim was an actor working on a high-profile film. There’s been national press coverage of his death. It was prudent to bring in someone from a major criminal unit with no ties to the investigation’s chief suspect. I normally work homicide investigations, so that’s why I was chosen.”
    My mind froze at the words “chief suspect.” I couldn’t believe it. I knew that I was a suspect, but “chief” made it sound so hopeless. I slumped back onto the couch. “I’m the chief suspect?” I squeaked. His gaze was beginning to unnerve me, so I looked away.
    “Anna, are you aware that you are the sole beneficiary of a $300,000 life insurance policy on Jack Nolan’s life?”
    “What?” I said. “Jack had a $300,000 life insurance policy?”
    “That’s right. I’ve discussed your financial situation with your bank manager. I know that $300,000 would pay off your mortgage and the balance on your credit card with money to spare.”
    “It’s not such a big balance,” I said. “Wait a minute – are you allowed to talk to my bank manager?”
    “This is a homicide investigation, Anna.”
    “Please, wait just a minute. Let me think.” Information was coming at me too fast and I was getting confused. “I remember that Jack and I took out life insurance policies when Ben was born so that we could take care of him if anything happened to either one of us. Jack must have kept his up all these years.”
    “Why would he do that, Anna? And why would Mr. Nolan retain you as his beneficiary after your divorce? Why not change it over to your son, for instance?”
    “I don’t know, Sergeant. Maybe he felt he owed me. Jack never did pay me any child support.”
    “Why didn’t you tell Steve Walker about the insurance policy?”
    “Because I forgot about it. Jack took it out a long time ago. How was I to know that he