Killer Listing by Vicki Doudera Read Free Book Online Page A

she wanted to be a part of the dysfunctional Cameron clan?
    Darby climbed into the comfortable bed and willed herself to stop thinking about the day’s events. In the morning she would help Helen to figure out her next step with the business, and on Wednesday she would fly back to California. In the meantime, she needed rest. She rolled over on her side and visualized herself running through the woods behind her childhood home in Maine. In minutes, she was fast asleep.

Tuesday morning dawned reliably hot and sunny. Over a breakfast of freshly squeezed orange juice, poached eggs, and grapefruit, Darby asked Helen whether Mitzi or any of the other Camerons had known of Kyle’s plan to join Near & Farr Realty.
    “I don’t think so,” Helen said, handing Darby a plate of buttered toast. “Mitzi has never said anything about it, so I think Kyle kept it quiet. These things can be so sensitive. I never felt it was my place to talk about her plans. Now that Kyle’s dead, I’m still not sure if I should say anything.” She glanced at Darby. “What do you think?”
    “I agree that it is tricky. When I’m in doubt, I keep my mouth shut.” She paused. “Had Kyle told Barnaby’s that she was leaving?”
    “I don’t know for sure, but I think so. A man named Marty Glickman is in charge of the office, and he gave me quite a glaring look when I saw him on Friday at the County Clerk’s office. Kyle represented a very big chunk of that office’s sales, so I wasn’t surprised at his reaction.”
    A knock at the front door startled Helen and Darby. “It’s only 8:30,” Helen said, rising from the table and looking at her watch. “Who could be coming by this early?”
    Darby listened as she spoke with someone with a deep, slightly Southern drawl. A moment later Helen was back in the kitchen with a tall man wearing tan pants and a light jacket.
    “Darby, this is Detective Jonas Briggs,” she said, wringing her hands as she spoke. Darby had often noticed that the very appearance of a police officer was enough to make even the most law-abiding citizens nervous.
    “Briggs, Ma’am,” he said politely. He turned to Darby and nodded. “Good morning. I’m sorry to intrude on your breakfast.”
    “Please, sit down,” Helen said. “Can I get you something? Eggs? Orange juice? Coffee?”
    “A cup of coffee would be nice. Thank you, Mrs. Near.”
    Helen poured the detective a cup of coffee and indicated the cream and sugar. “It’s Miss Near, Detective. I’m not married.”
    “Excuse me, Miss Near.”
    Darby thought all of the politeness was a bit excessive, but this was, after all, the South. She wondered what information the Detective hoped to glean from Helen. With Kyle Cameron’s murder part of a serial killer’s pattern, there probably wasn’t much local questioning to be done.
    “I’m here as part of a routine follow-up into the murder of Kyle Cameron,” the detective explained. “As you’ve no doubt heard, we have good reason to believe that Ms. Cameron was killed by the same person responsible for two murders on the east coast of the state. Nevertheless, I have to ask a few questions.”
    Helen licked her lips and nodded. “Of course.”
    “When was the last time you saw Kyle Cameron?”
    Helen thought a moment. “Saturday morning. I was at my office downtown—that’s Near & Farr Realty, on Main Street—and Kyle dropped by. She told me she was excited about a new listing, and that she’d tell me more about it when we got together here—at my house—on Monday afternoon. She said she was looking forward to it.”
    “Was that unusual for her to drop by your office? You did work for competing companies.”
    “It wasn’t unusual. Kyle was leaving Barnaby’s and coming to work with me. She was prepared to buy my late partner’s share of the company from Darby.”
    The detective glanced back at Darby. “I see. Did Barnaby’s know about her plans?”
    “I’m not sure. I think she was planning