Lethal Legend by Kathy Lynn Emerson Read Free Book Online Page A

letter.
    “Well?” Diana prompted. “Who is your patient? What’s wrong with him?”
    He’d value her opinion, Ben realized. She’d give them a fresh perspective on the situation. “Not him. Them. The letter I sent you didn’t give any specifics. I didn’t want you involved in this. I didn’t think you’d want to be.”
    “Explain.”
    “Do you remember what you said to me a little over three weeks ago? About not wanting anything more to do with crime?” She nodded. “I believe there has been a crime committed here, Diana. A particularly insidious one, if I am correct in my assumptions.”
    She did not look surprised. “Go on.”
    “There is an archaeological excavation on the island. You can see where they are working from there.” He gestured toward the promontory. “Come and have a look.”
    Diana hesitated, then moved closer to the railing, wincing as she put weight on her right foot.
    He could have predicted she’d balk at first. He knew she did not like heights. But the expression of pain was both unexpected and alarming. “What’s wrong?” He came up beside her, taking her elbow to guide her to a nearby boulder the right height for sitting.
    Even through her jacket and the blouse beneath, he felt her muscles tense when he touched her. As soon as she sat down, she jerked her arm free.
    “It’s nothing,” she insisted.
    “Did you fall?”
    Her color deepened. Huffing out a breath, avoiding his eyes, she mumbled her answer. “I bruised my toe when I kicked your friend.”
    Fighting a smile, he risked sitting beside her. He resisted the urge to lift her injured foot onto his lap and massage it for her. He contented himself with inhaling Eau de Gardenia .
    Her gaze drifted back to the promontory. “Tell me about the excavation and how it is connected to crime. What are they looking for? Indian relics?”
    “An archaeologist friend of Graham’s is searching for evidence of an early settlement and a long-ago shipwreck.”
    The water looked deceptively peaceful, a pretty picture. But Ben had seen it during a fierce gale. On this side of the island there were hidden ledges everywhere.
    “Only days after the work began, several of the archaeologists began to complain of dizziness and nausea. All of them were lethargic. One suffered bouts of unconsciousness. Another couldn’t stop vomiting.”
    “That’s why Graham sent for you.”
    Ben nodded, even though it was not a question.
    “What illness afflicted them?” She sat very still, but tension radiated from her as she waited for his answer.
    “Graham assumed it was bad meat or shellfish. Or tinned food that had gone off. He asked me to come in secret because he shies away from publicity.” Ben didn’t mention the curse on the island. It was too preposterous and he knew the real reason Graham was so leery of wild rumors.
    “And was it something they had eaten?”
    “In a way. They’d been systematically dosed with morphine, most likely added to their food. They were poisoned, Diana. If Graham hadn’t sent for me when he did, they might all be dead by now.”
     

Chapter Three
     
    Ben’s announcement left Diana uncharacteristically speechless. She tried to think how this might fit in with what Mr. Palmer had told her but she could make no sense of it.
    While she’d brushed her clothes, washed her hands and face, and repinned her hair she’d debated whether or not to tell Ben what the detective had said. She hadn’t yet decided what to do when she’d ventured back outside. She’d been hoping a dose of fresh air would clear her head ... and she’d wanted to avoid running into Graham Somener again.
    She’d been certain Ben would find her wherever she wandered, as he had. Now, however, she had to wonder if she had been wise to leave the safety of the house.
    “Are you saying that someone attempted to murder those men?”
    “I believe that is the case, yes. I am completely certain of my diagnosis,” he added in a tired voice,