Gone But Knot Forgotten by Mary Marks Read Free Book Online Page A

print out a hard copy of the master inventory with all the details.”
    â€œI love technology. This’ll save me a ton of work.”
    Birdie always dressed for work in her blue denim overalls and white T-shirt. She cut the babka while I poured three cups of Italian roast. We settled in the living room and my friends listened intently as I brought them up to date on my conversation last night with Abernathy.
    Birdie tugged on her braid. “Heavens, dear, do you think the maid came back after Harriet’s death and poked around her things?”
    I shrugged and swallowed a bite of heavenly pastry laced with ribbons of hard chocolate. “The intruder must have been someone with a key because Abernathy said the police forced their way in.”
    Birdie sipped her coffee. “Are you sure there were no signs of a B and E?” My 75-year-old friend never missed an episode of Law & Order or CSI and spoke forensics as a second language.
    â€œI didn’t search very hard yesterday. Mainly I wanted to get a feel for the place. Today we’ll go methodically through as many rooms as we can. We’ll find out if any of the insured pieces are missing.”
    Lucy grinned and rubbed her hands together. “Oh, this sounds like Nancy Drew. Did Harriet have an attic? A basement? Shall we take flashlights?”
    A half hour later we hit the 405 south toward Brentwood. We pulled up into Harriet’s driveway in Lucy’s vintage black caddy with the shark fins. Malo jumped out of his maroon SUV and headed our way, wearing a black leather jacket and heavy motorcycle boots. This pumped-up Latino sported a long black ponytail and a series of short black vertical lines tattooed on his cheeks. Crusher told me Malo operated an earthmover by day. At night he played drums in a pickup band. They occasionally performed in a biker bar called Bubba’s—also known by the regulars as Tits and Tequila.
    He sized up the three of us, then grinned at me. “You Crusher’s lady?”
    Although it’s perfectly fine for me to tell Lucy and Birdie everything, I hoped Crusher never revealed we once slept together or that he wanted to marry me. On the other hand, who knew what guys talked about? If I did, I might not have so many trust issues. Or maybe I’d have more.
    I offered Malo a handshake. “I’m Martha, and these are my friends Lucy and Birdie. Thanks for agreeing to work on such short notice. I’m sorry you spent the cold night in your car.” I reached in my purse and handed him the duplicate key. “From now on, you can stay inside. Just pass this along when you go off shift.”
    The noisy guttering of an engine announced the arrival of a motorcycle.
    â€œSounds like my replacement is here.”
    Carl, the youngest member of the Eagles, parked his bike and removed a helmet from his sandy-colored hair. His black leather jacket had a purple “VE” on the back for Valley Eagles. Carl spotted Birdie and grinned. Without a word, he strode over to her, bent his six-foot frame, gently encircled her with his arms, and twirled her around as she whooped in delight.
    Four months ago Carl helped clear my neighbor, Ed, from a murder charge. He met Birdie and immediately bonded with her because she reminded him of his grandmother. She, in turn, adored Carl and treated him as the child she’d never had.
    Birdie patted the shoulder of his leathers with a blue-veined hand. “Put me down before I fall, dear.”
    Carl set her down gently and kissed her forehead. Birdie put an arm around his waist.
    I walked over to them. “Hey, Carl, are you going to work this security day shift? Don’t you have a job?” Carl earned a degree from Caltech in computer science. He developed fraud detection and prevention software for the SEC. He also carried a gun.
    â€œCrusher said you need help, so I volunteered. I can hook up my computer anywhere.” He stared at the ground.