G'Day to Die by Maddy Hunter Read Free Book Online Page A

might end up with your name on a new species of angiosperm!”
    “Are those the ones with the good or bad motility?” Dick Teig inquired.
    Conrad went on breathlessly. “And your timing couldn’t be better. Dr. Limeburner informed me that in two weeks, the International Society of Botanists meets here, so Melbourne will be crawling with scientists who’ll be able to confirm the discovery. I’ll warn you right now, Marion, you’re going to be famous.”
    “No kiddin’? Are they gonna need my Polaroid so’s they know what they’re lookin’ for?”
    “They should be fine without it. I told Dr. Limeburner they should concentrate on the underbrush along the cliff walk, and to use your pink wildflower as a marker. If the plant is there, they’ll find it. Any botanist worth his salt should be able to recognize this variety of angiosperm.”
    “GIT OUT OF MY FACE, YOU FREAKING DRONGO!”
    Toward the rear of the room Lola Silverthorn propelled her husband backward with a two-handed shove to his chest. He hit the wall with a resounding BOOM!, then spat out a curse as an oversized art print came crashing down on him in a hailstorm of glass, leaving him in a motionless heap.
    Gasps. Cries. Lola nodded with satisfaction and dusted off her hands. “No worries, Hinry. I’ll pay the damages.” Ruffling her shaggy hair, she thrust out one curvaceous hip and eyed the room at large. “So which one of you handsome mates wants to buy me a real drink?”
    Pandemonium erupted. Henry punched a number on his cell. Guy Madelyn corralled Lola and rushed her to a neutral corner. Duncan and Etienne scrambled through the shattered glass to lift the heavy frame off Jake. Several guests attacked the buffet while the waiting line was down. “I’m CPR certified,” yelled Conrad as he raced toward Jake’s inert body.
    Nana hovered close beside me, watching with rapt attention. “You think he’s dead?”
    “Oh, Lord, he can’t be.” Two deaths in one day would be pretty extreme even for one of my tours.
    “That’s a crime.” Helen Teig waved her punch glass toward Jake. “Reframing that print is going to cost someone a bundle.”
    “Shhhhhh!” Bernice hissed. “Listen.” She glided her hand like a conductor’s baton through the air. “‘Que Sera, Sera .’ I haven’t heard this in years. No one sings it like Peggy Lee.”
    “It’s not Peggy Lee,” Margi piped up. “It’s Doris Day.”
    “Is not,” said Bernice.
    “Is so,” said Margi.
    “Are you sure it’s not Gisele MacKenzie?” asked Alice.
    “Show of hands!” Osmond shouted.
    While Osmond tallied the votes, I angled a look at the Polaroid Nana still clutched, my pulse suddenly quickening as I was struck by an improbable thought. Oh, my God. Could that be why Claire had left the visitor center?
    I fired a glance at Conrad; I fired a look back at the photo. Uff da . If my hunch was right, I’d just solved the riddle.
     
    “Sippelspermum australianse,” announced Tilly an hour later. We were in my room on the twenty-first floor, decompressing. “Or would you prefer, Marionspermum australianse?”
    “I’d rather have my name on a candy bar,” Nana said as she unlaced her sneakers. “They done that for Babe Ruth. I want mine with caramel and chocolate but no nuts. Old folks can’t chew nuts real good, especially if they don’t got teeth.” She leaned back in her chair, her feet dangling high above the floor. “Awful shame about the ‘Meet and Greet’ comin’ to such a quick end.”
    I kicked off my shoes and fell back on the bed. “Yeah, policemen and paramedics can have that effect on a friendly gathering.”
    A team of strapping paramedics had carted Jake off to the hospital, while a couple of seriously buff police officers had dealt with Lola. Made me wonder where Melbourne’s emergency services recruiting offices were located. Male strip clubs?
    “It was extremely kind of your two young men to ride along with Jake to the hospital,”