Murder at the Miramar (Augusta Burnette Series) by Dane McCaslin Read Free Book Online Page B

suite?’ She practically screeched the words at me, gesturing dramatically around the room, taking in the fireplace and flat screen television.
    I smiled smugly. ‘Yep. And housekeeping service once a week, too.’ Ellie’s mouth gaped open. ‘Cool, isn’t it?’ I was almost preening, enjoying being one-up on her. For once.
    For some reason, I was feeling the necessity to paint the Miramar in as good a light as I could. Maybe Ellie would forget about her mission to save me from terrors unknown and calm down long enough for us to enjoy our visit.
    It didn’t work.
    ‘Maids and room service won’t save your skin when trouble comes hunting for you, AJ. And it’s coming. The cards said so.’ Ellie folded her arms defiantly and I sighed. There was no moving this woman when she had her mind made up.
    ‘Ellie, nothing’s going to happen. That body had nothing to do with me …’ And that was as far as I got.
    ‘Body? What body? Augusta Jerusha Burnette, you had better spill the beans and you’d better make it snappy!’ Ellie’s voice had elevated to such a degree that I was afraid someone would call the front desk and complain. I made a shushing motion at her and sank onto the couch. The food would have to wait.
    ‘Look, we had a lost child this morning, I mean yesterday morning …’ Another squeal, more flapping of hands, this time accompanied by eye rolling. Ellie was the Master of Eye Rolling, a gift she’d perfected in our teens, and this time she almost outdid herself.
    I raised my hand. ‘If you insist on interrupting me, Ellie, I’m going straight back to bed. Can you be quiet long enough for me to talk?’ I stared at her with my best ‘angry mom’ imitation. It worked. Ellie nodded meekly, settling back onto the couch next to me.
    ‘Like I was saying, we had a lost child, a six-year-old girl who apparently sleepwalks. I have no idea where they found her, but I do know they discovered a body, a man, somewhere nearby. We, the employees, spent most of the morning talking to some detectives.’
    Here an errant dimple wormed its way into my memory and I blushed. Ellie narrowed her eyes. I would be interrogated the first chance she got.
    ‘And after dinner, we had a dance out on one of the side patios and the keyboard player was electrocuted and died. That’s all. I can’t imagine why your cards would think I was the one in danger.’ I stopped to take a breath.
    Ellie stared at me. I could almost hear the windmills of her mind turning furiously in a wave of curiosity. Finally she spoke, stretching her back into the luxurious cushions and plopping her feet onto the coffee table.
    ‘I’ll take coffee and a croissant or two, as long as you’re ordering, AJ. I can’t think on an empty stomach.’ Ellie looked at me expectantly. ‘Well? Are you or aren’t you?’
    ‘Fine,’ I grumbled. Sometimes I could kick myself for the things I offer to do. I cringed when I thought of the kitchen staff. I’m sure they thought that Emmy had hired an adolescent bottomless pit instead of a grown-up assistant concierge. Oh, well. I might as well take advantage of it and get myself something as well. And not cookies, AJ, I scolded myself.
    I placed an order for croissants, scrambled eggs, and coffee, feeling a mite foolish but delighted when the voice on the other end said, ‘And will you want cookies as well, Ms Burnette?’
    Well, why not? Life’s too short and all that. ‘Sure. Send whatever you have.’ I replaced the phone with a grin on my face.
    It wasn’t such a bad thing, having folks around who knew what I liked. Too bad David hadn’t been like that. His conversations tended to be one-sided, now that I thought about it, and rarely did we do what I wanted. A smiling Detective Baird popped into my mind and I could feel the tell-tale flush creeping up my neck. I’ll bet he’d be game to try something if I suggested it. And that particular little thought made me blush even more, and Ellie’s radar