Murder the Tey Way: A Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mystery (The Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mysteries 2) by Marilyn Levinson Read Free Book Online

the events of the day. A murder in the neighborhood leaves us feeling vulnerable. That word again . We’re terrified of becoming the killer’s next victim.
    Though my neighbors were odd, I wished I could comfort my sister as easily as Corinne had comforted Felicity. Instead, I’d handed over her cell phone number to Brian like a passive bovine. I prayed she’d destroyed it, because if Brian decided to put out an alarm for her, that Shawn Estes might see it and get to her first!
    I pulled over to the side of the road and called Gayle. Nothing. A good sign, I told myself. She’d gotten rid of her phone! Still, I wanted to hear her voice. Make sure she was safe. Frustrated because I couldn’t do anything more, I headed for the bowling alley.
    Brian wouldn’t be so intent on contacting Gayle if he had a few solid suspects right here in town. I had no idea if Leo Lionni had been spying on one of the book club members, or if he’d been casing my house and planning to rob me. Regardless, the members were my only lead, and I had to start from there.
     

 

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    Rosie downed the last of her apple martini and set the glass down with a thump.
    “Ask your pal Joy. I bet she can uncover all sorts of dirt about the other book club members. Maybe even find a hidden link between one of them and the dead man.”
    “Joy was at the meeting last night,” I pointed out, “which makes her a suspect like everyone else. She’s strong, fearless, and lives two houses from me. She could have killed Leonni, slung him over her shoulder, and dumped him on my lawn.”
    “True. But why would she want to kill the guy?” Rosie burped. “Sorry. I’m not used to this high powered stuff.”
    “Which is why I’m drinking slowly. See.” I sipped my martini.
    Rosie let out a snort. “So speaks the woman who, in our college days, could drink every guy under the table. Returning to our subject, Joy is your friend. She has no reason to incriminate you by leaving the body on your back lawn.”
    “I’m glad you think she’s innocent because she’s my friend,” I said.
    “It’s common sense, dodo. From what you’ve told me, she has enough on her hands without setting out to murder someone first thing in the morning.”
    Rosie held up her left hand to tick off her fingers. “First off, she has three young kids. I can’t see her leaving the house to meet some gonzo at dawn. Her husband or one of the older kids might have awakened and followed her outside”
    I nodded. “Maybe.”
    “Second of all, she’s preoccupied with her husband’s affair.”
    “The bastard,” I mumbled. “And Mike seems like such a nice guy.”
    “If she was planning to kill anyone, he’d be her target.”
    “And finally,” finger number three, “she’s former FBI. They say anyone’s capable of homicide, but FBI agents are trained to protect us. It’s in their blood. And your friend Joy sounds like a good gal.”
    “I like to think so,” I agreed. “Rosie, these are all good reasons for me to put my trust in Joy, but none is foolproof.”
    Rosie shrugged. “What’s foolproof? Dead people are foolproof.”
    “Right. I’ll drink to that.” I drained my glass and raised my hand to catch the waitress’s attention.
    “I’ll have another—” I began when the waitress appeared, but Rosie overrode me.
    “We’d like something to eat,” she told the young woman. “May we see a menu?”
    I pressed my lips together so I couldn’t ask why Rosie who, unlike me, had eaten dinner, was about to eat again. She’d never lose those thirty pounds she kept talking about.
    “We don’t have menus,” the waitress said. “We serve hamburgers, cheeseburgers, turkey club and tuna salad sandwich. Only the tuna’s all gone.”
    We both opted for a cheeseburger, medium rare, one order of fries very well done, and two colas.
    “All right,” I said when the waitress left, “if I ask Joy to help me check out the others, do I tell her about