Murder Is Private by Diane Weiner Read Free Book Online Page B

still around Lynette’s shoulders? Susan wondered .
    “You saw that on Dateline , right, Mom?”
    Susan ignored her daughter’s snide comment. “She was seeing someone. She was planning on leaving her husband.”
    “Really?” said Kevin.
    “Mom, that’s just hearsay. You know how rumors fly around schools.”
    “I got it from a reliable source. Her best friend told me,” said Susan. Annalise cried from upstairs.
    “I’ll go get her,” said Lynette. “She had a nice long nap.”
    “Hope she can get to sleep tonight. You know I used to wake you and Evan up if you napped longer than two hours.” Lynette didn’t respond to her mother’s comment. Susan quickly took Lynette’s spot on the sofa.
    “Lynette and Jason are terrific parents. They’ve created a beautiful family together.” Susan emphasized the word beautiful, beaming at Kevin.
    “I’m sure they have. Jason’s a lucky guy.”
    “Kevin, I want to ask you about something I saw,” said Susan in a whisper. “If someone, say some hoodie- clad student, hands over a wad of cash to another student, what might he be buying?”
    “Pot is the most common, but a wad of cash? Pot’s not that expensive. These kids usually buy just a little at a time,” he explained.
    “What else could it be?”
    “Lately, we’ve seen an increase in illegal gun sales. Made more arrests this year than in the past five put together.”
    “Guns?”
    “Yeah.”
    “To use in robberies?” asked Susan.
    “And for protection. Florida has a Stand Your Ground law. If someone breaks into your house and you perceive it as a threat, you’ve got a right to protect yourself.”
    “That really happens here?” said Susan.
    “As a matter of fact,” said Kevin, “Celia herself shot and killed an armed robber in her own home about ten years ago. The robber was with his brother. The brother’s in jail.”
    Lynette came down the stairs with Annalise. Susan scooted next to Kevin on the sofa, planting herself between him and Lynette.
    “I gotta get back,” said Kevin, rising. “Stop by the station tomorrow, Lynette. We can grab lunch.”
    “Sounds good,” Lynette said, rising and walking him to the door. she locked it and returned to her mother.
    “Lynette. You’d better stop leading that man on! You’re a married woman. A mother!” Susan demanded.
    “What? Are you crazy? There’s nothing going on between us,” said Lynette sitting down next to her mother with the baby in her arms.
    “Maybe not on your part, but I see the way he looks at you. I’ll bet he’s still in love with you.”
    “That’s so ridiculous!” Lynette chuckled. “Let’s drop this, Mom. I love Jason and would never cheat on him.”
    “I’m just telling you to watch out before he gets the wrong message.” Lynette huffed and took the baby outside.
    Susan decided to ignore her daughter for the moment and follow up on something Kevin had said. She grabbed her laptop and searched home invasion/stand your ground. She scrolled through the results and found what she was looking for. The first article was from the day of the robbery that Kevin had mentioned. Like Kevin had said, two robbers had invaded Celia’s home in the middle of the night. She’d come downstairs with a gun, and saw one of the robbers was armed. When he took a step toward her, she shot him. She’d called the police before coming downstairs and soon heard sirens. Turns out the robbers were brothers. Celia had killed one of them. The other was arrested.
    Susan kept reading. The next articles were about the trial. Celia wasn’t charged. According to the newly implemented Stand Your Ground law, she had the right to protect herself. The trial of the surviving brother lasted less than a month. He was found guilty of armed robbery and sentenced to ten years in prison. According to one article, he stood up and screamed at Celia after the verdict was read. He warned her that he’d get revenge for his brother’s death no matter how