Murder at the Azalea Festival by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter Read Free Book Online Page B

show, said, "Good to meet you, Joey. I admire your work."
    "We're looking at historic houses," Melanie said by way of explanation, "and thought we'd pop in here to check it out. We didn't expect such a line though."
    She went on to tell Joey that I was her sister and that Jon and I restored old houses.
    "Maybe you can restore mine when I find it," Joey said. "I've got my heart set on something like this." He looked up at the red brick mansion with its tall tower.
    "Second Empire?" I inquired. "Is that what you like?"
    "Yeah, this is way cool." Glancing at Melanie, he asked, "Is it for sale?"
    She shook her head. "But never fear, we'll find one for you."
    It isn't unusual for celebrities who come here to make movies, and for visitors who come for the Azalea Festival or the Candlelight Tour, to fall in love with our town, buy homes and stay. In the past, Alec Baldwin and Kim Bassinger had lived here for a while, and Andy Griffith, and now Linda Lavin. It seemed that Joey Fielding intended to be added to the list.
    "I grew up in Litchfield," he told me, "so old houses like these seem the norm to me. Will you keep an ear out for me, Ashley? You're bound to hear when a house like this might be coming up for sale."
    "I'll be glad to," I said. Then seeing the storm brewing in Melanie's eyes, I added, "But no one's better connected to the real estate scene than Melanie."
    I turned to her. "I'm surprised to see you here. Don't you have festival duties to attend to?"
    "There's the garden tour ribbon cutting, but Jillian's handling that. Besides, the festival officials are very aware that I've got a business to run."
    "Same for me," Joey said. "My character's not in today's shoot."
    "How is the show handling Mindy's absence?" I asked.
    "They wrote her out. That's why they wrote me out too. Our characters are supposed to be off together, rekindling their love affair."
    He grew serious. "What happened to her, Ashley? You were there. I've already asked Melanie about it, but she didn't see anything. I was in the tent, and I saw you standing right next to where Mindy was sitting when it happened."
    "I'd turned my back," I explained. "She made a weird sound that alerted me something was wrong. She seemed to be in pain. She had some sort of seizure, then she was unconscious. The crown fell off her head, and the glass dropped out of her hand."
    "Glass? What glass?" he asked intently. "Someone said a bee stung her."
    Melanie was studying him like he was a foreign specimen.
    "I don't know about that," I said. "If she was allergic to bees, her folks didn't know about it. They said she wasn't." I shrugged my shoulders helplessly. "I don't know what happened."
    "But what's this about a glass?" Joey seized on it. "What was in the glass?"
    I told him about how Mindy had objected to sweet tea, and how she had demanded sugarless tea. "Tiffany offered to get it for her."
    "From where I was standing I saw Tiffany carry a glass of tea out to where you all were gathered, and I saw her hand it to Mindy," Joey said.
    "Yes, that's what happened."
    Jon was getting impatient, fidgeting, and then the line surged forward and we reached the ticket sales table where we purchased our tickets.
    "This is what I'd like to know, Ashley," Joey asked, pursuing the subject of Mindy's collapse. "Did you see who gave the glass to Tiffany?"
    I frowned. What was he asking me? "What are you suggesting?" I asked.
    "I'm not suggesting anything," he replied. "But I would like to know how much you saw."
    How much? I shook my head. "No, I didn't see where Tiffany got the glass."
    The front door opened. "Oh, look, we're next," I announced, happy that the inquisition was over. Joey Fielding was much too intense for my tastes.
    We passed between leaded glass doors beneath a leaded glass fanlight and on into the main entry hall. The tour was self-guided so I took Jon's hand and pulled him into the south parlor where the light was bright and the colors spring-like.
    "What was that all