Murder on the Bucket List by Elizabeth Perona Read Free Book Online

out of control is this situation,” he replied. “Look over there. Is Charlotte giving guided tours?”
    She spun around. He seemed to be correct. Charlotte patrolled the crime scene tape, five people in tow. A policeman with the demeanor of a Buckingham Palace guard stood behind the tape, preventing access. Charlotte used her cane to point this way and that with great animation. Then she saw Francine.
    â€œThank God you’re here!” she called, waving. “Stay right here,” she ordered her group. “I’ll be back.”
    Charlotte hurried over as quickly as she was able and pulled them into a huddle. “Can you finish up these five so I can go back and get the next group?” she asked Francine. “Maybe we could work as a team. I could start the tour and you could finish it. We need to process these suspects faster.”
    â€œSuspects? What suspects?”
    â€œAll these people. The murderer always returns to the scene of the crime! I’ve got Toby taking their names, and this gives me a chance to question them while they’re here. We’ve got to help Alice.”
    â€œI don’t think tours are the way to help Alice,” Jonathan said.
    â€œAlice understands why we’re doing this, even if it does creep her out to have people she doesn’t know marching through her house. And if you have a better idea, let’s hear it. I’m told the police will be here any minute to pick her up. Something about Friederich renting space from Larry.”
    â€œHead on back to your group, Charlotte,” Francine said. “I’ll help you out in a minute.” She waited until Charlotte was out of earshot. Jonathan was Larry’s accountant, and this sounded ominous. “Do you know anything about this?” she asked him. “Is this something to worry about?”
    â€œIf I told you, it’d be breaking confidentiality.”
    â€œBut I’m your wife!”
    â€œAnd you have a lot of cronies who will try to get it out of you. Better you know nothing, so you can say so in all honesty.”
    She gritted her teeth. “Just tell me if Alice and Larry have anything to be concerned about.”
    â€œThere’s one little thing that could be a problem,” he said, his face grim. “I don’t think it will be, but, well, I don’t think I should say any more.”
    Francine was momentarily angry, but then she decided he was probably right to handle it as he was, at least for now. She was pretty sure she could get the information out of him later if she needed. “All right. I’m going to try to keep Charlotte out of trouble. You’d better go talk to Alice. If the police are coming over, they might try to get into Larry’s business records. You should be there if they try.”
    â€œI’ll offer, but she doesn’t have to accept my help.”
    She gave him the sigh she usually reserved for Charlotte. “She will. We both know that. Now get.”
    She turned her full attention to Charlotte and the tour group. Alice’s lot was nearly an acre, more narrow than wide, with a good portion of it in the back yard. When Larry’s real estate business boomed in the late ’90s, he’d added the inground pool behind the house. The pool shed, where they’d found Friederich’s body, was at the end of the long pool’s concrete apron, beyond the deep end. Police tape surrounded the outbuilding, extending ten feet beyond the shed.
    An elderly neighbor parked herself in the lounge chair outside the tape. Charlotte was busy coaxing them toward the house. “You can’t just stop now, Cornelia,” she said, yanking on the woman’s elbow, “we’ve got people waiting.”
    Francine hustled to the chair. “I’ll take care of her. You go get the next group.”
    â€œNope. Only five at a time in one area. We let too many people in and we’ll have the same