Lemon Pies and Little White Lies by Ellery Adams Read Free Book Online Page A

side, but not long after she gets all comfy and starts readin’, Mrs. Mercer feels the need to close her eyes for a spell.”
    “The chimney vent isn’t open, so the gas from the logs must have made her very sleepy. But then the whistle from the kettle roused her.” Ella Mae abruptly shook her head. “No, this reconstruction doesn’t work. If Mrs. Mercer got up to return to the kitchen, why didn’t she make her tea? Why suddenly decide to take a bath?”
    Reba pursed her lips in thought. “She must have been pretty far gone when she got in that tub. She filled it all the way up, and then it looks like she settled into the water and blacked out. Slid under the surface and wasn’t even aware of it.”
    “You think she lost consciousness because of the gas fumes and then came in here and drowned?”
    “The whole thing seems crazy, but the cops will come and do their thing and then we’ll have a clearer picture,” Reba said.
    Ella Mae glanced around the kitchen again. “Before they arrive, we should search for a clue as to where Mrs. Drever’s gone. If I was worried about her before, it’s nothing compared to what I’m feeling now. She’s missing, and there’s a dead woman in her bathtub.”
    “We can dig around, but we’d better not touch anythin’. You never know what the cops will look at.” Using the dish towel again, Reba began opening drawers and cabinets while Ella Mae entered Fiona’s bedroom.
    The room had been done in shades of lavender and moss green. Like the living room, it was filled with keepsakes, but there was an order to the objects Fiona Drever had collected over the years and there wasn’t a speck of dust in sight. Framed photographs covered the dresser, books and several porcelain figurines of barn animals occupied the nightstand, and a tartan blanket was folded across the end of the bed. Ella Mae opened the closet, feeling a prick of guilt for invading Mrs. Drever’s privacy, and saw gaps in between the clothes where items had been removed and empty hangers left to hold their place.
    “Your car and purse are gone. Some of your clothes are missing, and another woman is staying in your house. What’s going on?” Not finding any obvious answers, Ella Mae took a moment to study the photographs. She’d never been to Scotland, but she guessed that the images were from the Orkney Islands. There were weather-hardened men posing by their fishing boats, school-age children standing on rocks overlooking the sea, and a lovely young woman waving from the doorway of a whitewashed cottage. Ella Mae recognized the woman as Mrs. Drever’s daughter, Carol.She was in her forties now, but her face hadn’t changed much since the picture had been taken.
    “Any luck?” Reba asked from the hall.
    Ella Mae joined her in the living room. “I wish we could find an address book or a day planner. Maybe she’s gone on a trip. Some of her clothes are missing, but I didn’t rifle through the drawers. Someone must know why Joyce Mercer is here. If we can discover that, we’ll know where Mrs. Drever went.”
    At the sound of car tires crunching over gravel, Ella Mae and Reba moved to the front door, which Reba had propped open to allow more fresh air into the house.
    Officer Jon Hardy passed through the doorway and raised his cap in greeting. “Are you ladies all right?”
    “We are,” Ella Mae said, and stood aside to allow room for Officer Wallace to enter. The pretty policewoman, who had thick brown hair and a round, freckled face, smiled briefly at both women.
    “Mrs. Mercer is in the bathroom,” Ella Mae said in a quiet voice, and pointed down the hall. “We opened a bunch of windows and turned off the gas logs.”
    “Good,” Hardy said, and strode off.
    Wallace lingered behind. When Hardy was out of earshot, she asked, “Is she one of us?”
    Ella Mae shook her head. “No. Neither is Mrs. Drever. I think this is just an accident. A tragic accident. It doesn’t really make sense to me, but