Gone But Knot Forgotten by Mary Marks Read Free Book Online

right. Someone rummaged through her place. Did the police search the premises and disturb things?”
    â€œNo. The coroner couldn’t tell for sure because of the state of her remains, but he said Harriet probably dropped dead of a heart attack. So the police found no reason to search.”
    If the police didn’t disturb the house, who did? “Didn’t Harriet have domestic help?”
    Abernathy cleared his throat. “Yes, a woman who came in five days a week.”
    â€œYet she didn’t discover Harriet’s body?”
    â€œApparently Harriet let her go around the time of her death. Our accountant received instructions to cut her a final paycheck, which she sent to her via FedEx.”
    I began to get irritated. Nobody bothered to check on Harriet after that? Especially those who were responsible for her day-to-day maintenance and financial well-being? “Nobody became concerned when Harriet didn’t hire another cleaner? A woman in her position would have needed help with such a large house.”
    Abernathy yawned. “Look. I would’ve been worried if I’d known. But our accounting department took care of the day-to-day matters of paying Harriet’s bills.”
    I ran my fingers through my hair in exasperation. “Did the housekeeper have a key?”
    â€œIf she did, I assume she returned it when Harriet let her go.”
    Did the housekeeper come back with a key to loot Harriet’s house?
    I struggled to hide the irritation in my voice. “For heaven’s sake. Has anyone spoken to the woman?”
    â€œI gave the police her contact information.”
    I didn’t like the casual way everyone wrote off Harriet’s death. A very wealthy woman died from unknown causes and nobody seemed suspicious? Now some of her things seemed to be missing. My anger grew with my unease. What if something bad happened to my friend?
    I understood from experience the people who knew the most were often those who worked behind the scenes. “Can you e-mail me the contact info for the housekeeper and the gardener?”
    Deke sounded weary. “Sure, if it’ll make you feel better.”
    Obviously nobody else really cared about Harriet, or the fact her house may have been looted. I cared. I’d find out the circumstances surrounding my old friend’s death.
    â€œI spoke with only two people in Harriet’s address book. Are there others who should be informed about the funeral on Monday?”
    Abernathy yawned again. “I’ll ask my assistant, Nina, to contact everyone connected to Harriet’s finances and her philanthropy. Will that help?”
    â€œYes. Thanks for calling me back.”
    I crawled into bed pissed, worried, and exhausted. I closed my eyes and dark thoughts, like hundreds of black flies, buzzed in my head.

C HAPTER 6
    Before Lucy and Birdie arrived Friday morning, I ran over to Larry the Locksmith and Bea’s Bakery to pick up a chocolate babka for this morning and a raisin challah for Shabbat. They showed up at nine, just as the coffeepot stopped gurgling and blew out the last bit of steam.
    Lucy wore her working clothes—jeans, with a crease pressed down the leg, and a dark blue cashmere cardigan over a blue and white gingham blouse. A red bandana covered her orange curls, and gold gypsy hoops hung from her ears. Under her arm she held a cardboard carton with an iPad and some electronic equipment.
    I pointed to the box. “What did you bring?”
    Lucy pulled out her tablet and waved it. “This has a bar-code generator app. You type in the name or data you want to use and a code is generated. Tap a button and the program sends the code wirelessly to this printer, which then spews out a label to stick on your item.”
    The simplicity of the system impressed me. “How do I decipher the code?”
    She picked up a small metal wand. “You use the handheld scanner to read the bar code. You can