Murder on the Astral Plane (A Kate Jasper Mystery) by Jaqueline Girdner Read Free Book Online

meant it. “And let me say that in your case you have both age and beauty.”
    Elsa tilted her head and grinned. Kettering had her.
    “Pretty good for an ole lady, eh?” she replied. “Okay, you cute thing. I’m a Gemini. But I’m not saying my birth date. That’d be telling.”
    “Just the number of the day you were born?” he cajoled.
    “The number?” She looked confused for a moment, her impish face showing its age. Then she grinned again. “Oh, I get it. June sixth.”
    “Wow,” Kettering said, and began flipping through the books on the kitchen table, muttering to himself. “Gemini, numerological six, yeah.” He brought his head up abruptly. “Would you say you’re extroverted, confident, energetic?”
    “Yes,” Justine and Linda answered as one.
    Elsa just winked again from beneath her bifocals.
    “I’ll bet you’re an enneagram three, the achiever type, and a Myers-Briggs ENFJ—”
    “A what, soldier?” Wenger brought him up short.
    “An ENFJ, extroverted, intuitive, feeling, and judging,” Kettering explained.
    “Well, I’m glad someone’s having fun,” Wenger growled.
    Kettering moved on to Isabelle, whom he tagged as an enneagram nine, the mediator, who might have difficulty confronting or making decisions, a Libra, a numerological seven, and an ISFP.”
    This time, Wenger didn’t even ask. He just told Isabelle and Elsa they could leave.
    “And check in with Officer Yuki on the way out,” he ordered. “She’ll take your fingerprints and have a look at your driver’s licenses.”
    I was glad we weren’t just going to be judged on our personality types alone. Then I wondered if fingerprints showed anything about personality types.
    Kettering pounced on Justine next. He waved a book in front of her face, a book by a famous psychic whose very name made Justine groan out loud. That, Kettering heard. And he looked hurt.
    “Don’t all you psychics stick together?” he asked.
    “Lieutenant Kettering,” Justine answered in her most soothing voice. “Do all of you policemen stick together? Do you all believe the same things? Do you—”
    “Wow, I’ll bet you’re an enneagram eight,” he cut in. “That’s the boss, the asserter. Do you always say what’s on your mind?”
    Justine shot Wenger a desperate look, but Wenger just rolled his eyes to the ceiling.
    “Justine does say what’s on her mind,” Linda threw in helpfully. “Even if it makes people mad, sometimes.”
    “And what’s your relationship to Ms. Howe?” Wenger asked, suddenly looking more alert.
    “Oooh, she’s my sweetie pie,” Linda answered affectionately. “My life’s mate.”
    Kettering was rustling through his pile of books again.
    “Do you have a book about lesbians in there?” Linda asked. If it had been anyone else speaking, I would have suspected sarcasm, but I didn’t think Linda was capable of sarcasm. “How about something on cats? Cats are very helpful. A lot like people in many ways. Though some people are more like horses. Or dogs—”
    “Chief Wenger, the crime-scene techs are here,” Officer O’Dwyer broke in before Linda could finish or Kettering could respond.
    “Sir,” Kettering spoke, suddenly standing at attention, books dropping from his lap. “May I go over the scene with them?”
    Wenger shrugged his shoulders. I thought I saw an objection in Officer O’Dwyer’s eyes, but then it was gone.
    We waited, silent in the kitchen as Kettering joined the crime-scene technicians in the next room.
    “Don’t touch,” came floating back from the living room. And then, “Don’t touch, please!” along with Kettering’s excited voice asking questions.
    I wondered just why Wenger allowed Kettering the freedom he did. Obviously he didn’t believe in astrology or enneagrams or numerology—Or did he? I looked at Kettering’s boss where he sat, his eyes half closed like a yogi’s. He may have moaned and groaned a lot, but Chief Wenger was still listening to Kettering, and