Murder Most Maine by Karen MacInerney Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karen MacInerney
if it had been earlier; when I’d picked up the skeleton key, I didn’t remember seeing any missing keys, but I hadn’t been paying much attention. How had she gotten in, I wondered.
“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Caterina was asking Vanessa as I walked into the living room a few minutes later. Dirk was gathering up exercise mats and stowing them under the window, and most of the guests had moved to the dining room, helping themselves to the thermos of hot water and the herbal tea bags I’d laid out on the sideboard. I glanced at Elizabeth; her dark eyes flickered to mine, then away.
“Breakfast at eight,” Vanessa responded with a smile so white it made me wonder if she sprayed her mouth with Clorox every night. “You’ll want to wear your workout clothes, because Dirk has an excursion planned for everyone.”
“Where? A restaurant?” Boots asked, a touch of sarcasm in her voice.
Vanessa smiled. “We’re going to jog out to the historic Cranberry Point Lighthouse,” she said.
“The one that was flashing tonight,” Sarah said.
“Exactly.”
“Let’s hope the weather clears up,” I said, glancing at the window, where fat drops of rain were splattering against the glass.
“I’m sure everyone has rain gear,” Vanessa said cheerfully.
“Can we bring snacks?” asked Carissa meekly. Her mother reached over and squeezed her arm, giving her a stern look.
“We’ll have a little pick-me-up when we get there,” Vanessa said. “Don’t worry. We want you to lose weight, but we don’t want you to starve!”
“Too late,” someone muttered, and I stifled a laugh. I had to agree with her; I’d been following the program along with the participants, and even though we were only hours into it, my stomach was protesting loudly.
As the women drifted back to their rooms, I headed to the kitchen to check on Gwen—and maybe snag a gingersnap to get me through the rest of the evening. My niece was elbow-deep in suds, scrubbing a skillet.
“How’s it going in here?” I asked.
“Almost done,” she said. “Need any help prepping for breakfast?”
“It’s Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal or soft-boiled eggs and toast, so I think I’ve got it under control.”
Gwen made a face.
“The pumpkin oatmeal’s yummy,” I said. “Trust me.”
“I think I’ll nuke one of your cinnamon rolls instead,” Gwen said, and my stomach rumbled just at the mention of something sweet. There were cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins in the freezer, I knew. It would take only a moment to heat one up …
No, Natalie. I forced myself not to stare at the freezer.
Gwen rinsed the skillet and set it on the counter, then drained the sink. “Did you know that Dirk guy was just handing out pills in there, by the way?”
“Again? He just gave them some at dinner.”
“I wonder what’s in them?” she asked, drying her hands on a dish towel.
“I saw the ingredient list in his room,” I said. “Green tea, some Siberian herb, and two things I’ve never heard of. One of them was something called EPH, and the other was crea-something. Creatine, I think.”
“Creatine,” Gwen confirmed. “Bodybuilders use it a lot,” she said. “I dated a guy who was into that stuff for a couple of months. He popped those pills all the time; it made me kind of nervous.”
“Me too,” I admitted. “By the way, we need to make sure the key cabinet is locked.”
Gwen slung the dishtowel over a hook and looked at me. “Why?”
When I told her about Elizabeth, she sucked in her breath and said, “Are you going to tell Dirk someone was in his room?”
“I’m tempted to let it go,” I said. “I don’t want to upset anyone, and it didn’t look like she did any damage.”
“But wouldn’t you want to know if someone had been going through your things?”
I thought guiltily of the drawers I’d opened in Vanessa’s room. Did that qualify as “going through someone things”? “If it happens again, I’ll mention
“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Caterina was asking Vanessa as I walked into the living room a few minutes later. Dirk was gathering up exercise mats and stowing them under the window, and most of the guests had moved to the dining room, helping themselves to the thermos of hot water and the herbal tea bags I’d laid out on the sideboard. I glanced at Elizabeth; her dark eyes flickered to mine, then away.
“Breakfast at eight,” Vanessa responded with a smile so white it made me wonder if she sprayed her mouth with Clorox every night. “You’ll want to wear your workout clothes, because Dirk has an excursion planned for everyone.”
“Where? A restaurant?” Boots asked, a touch of sarcasm in her voice.
Vanessa smiled. “We’re going to jog out to the historic Cranberry Point Lighthouse,” she said.
“The one that was flashing tonight,” Sarah said.
“Exactly.”
“Let’s hope the weather clears up,” I said, glancing at the window, where fat drops of rain were splattering against the glass.
“I’m sure everyone has rain gear,” Vanessa said cheerfully.
“Can we bring snacks?” asked Carissa meekly. Her mother reached over and squeezed her arm, giving her a stern look.
“We’ll have a little pick-me-up when we get there,” Vanessa said. “Don’t worry. We want you to lose weight, but we don’t want you to starve!”
“Too late,” someone muttered, and I stifled a laugh. I had to agree with her; I’d been following the program along with the participants, and even though we were only hours into it, my stomach was protesting loudly.
As the women drifted back to their rooms, I headed to the kitchen to check on Gwen—and maybe snag a gingersnap to get me through the rest of the evening. My niece was elbow-deep in suds, scrubbing a skillet.
“How’s it going in here?” I asked.
“Almost done,” she said. “Need any help prepping for breakfast?”
“It’s Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal or soft-boiled eggs and toast, so I think I’ve got it under control.”
Gwen made a face.
“The pumpkin oatmeal’s yummy,” I said. “Trust me.”
“I think I’ll nuke one of your cinnamon rolls instead,” Gwen said, and my stomach rumbled just at the mention of something sweet. There were cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins in the freezer, I knew. It would take only a moment to heat one up …
No, Natalie. I forced myself not to stare at the freezer.
Gwen rinsed the skillet and set it on the counter, then drained the sink. “Did you know that Dirk guy was just handing out pills in there, by the way?”
“Again? He just gave them some at dinner.”
“I wonder what’s in them?” she asked, drying her hands on a dish towel.
“I saw the ingredient list in his room,” I said. “Green tea, some Siberian herb, and two things I’ve never heard of. One of them was something called EPH, and the other was crea-something. Creatine, I think.”
“Creatine,” Gwen confirmed. “Bodybuilders use it a lot,” she said. “I dated a guy who was into that stuff for a couple of months. He popped those pills all the time; it made me kind of nervous.”
“Me too,” I admitted. “By the way, we need to make sure the key cabinet is locked.”
Gwen slung the dishtowel over a hook and looked at me. “Why?”
When I told her about Elizabeth, she sucked in her breath and said, “Are you going to tell Dirk someone was in his room?”
“I’m tempted to let it go,” I said. “I don’t want to upset anyone, and it didn’t look like she did any damage.”
“But wouldn’t you want to know if someone had been going through your things?”
I thought guiltily of the drawers I’d opened in Vanessa’s room. Did that qualify as “going through someone things”? “If it happens again, I’ll mention