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 Page A

Gayle?”
    Rosie thumped her forehead in disbelief. “Of course you tell her about Gayle!  That’s the purpose of all this. So she can help you. Joy’s not on the Feds’ payroll, and she’s not a cop. But she has connections. She might be able to get you information about the bent cop that killed Gayle’s boyfriend.”
    “And find out more about the other club members,” I mused. “I know nothing about them, aside from what they’ve told me. For all I know, they all have lurid pasts.”
    Rosie grinned. “That’s the spirit!”
    We chatted about her daughters and my son, Jesse, until our food arrived, then we got down to some serious eating. We ordered decaf coffee, and Rosie ordered an apple pie. I must have frowned despite my attempt not to show disapproval, because Rosie said, “I know I shouldn’t, but I have been getting to the gym most mornings.”
    “Working out in the gym is good,” I replied in my best nonjudgmental tone of voice.
    To her credit, she pushed away her dessert plate, the crust mostly intact. I finished my coffee refill and gazed out at the bowlers while Rosie asked for the check.
    “Feel like bowling a game or two?” I asked. “I’m too restless to go home.”
    “Who could blame you for being on edge? Sure, I’m game.”
    We paid the bill then went to rent bowling shoes. As we laced them up, Rosie said, “The last time I bowled was for some charity do.”
    “I think the last time I went bowling was when we were still in college.”
    Rosie pointed at me. “Senior year. During one of your break ups with Godfrey.”
    I nodded, remembering. “You and Hal took me bowling, then out for pizza.”
    We each selected a bowling ball and carried it to our lane.
    “Do we get a few practice balls?” Rosie asked.
    “I sure hope so, considering how long it’s been.”
    It felt good, tossing a heavy ball before me. At first most of our balls ended up in one gutter or the other, but as we played, our skills picked up. Our scores remained close, which infused me with a sense of excitement and the desire to win the game. But Rosie won, by seven points.
    I glanced at my watch. “It’s nine-thirty. Care to bowl another game?”
    “Sure, but after that I have to go home. In fact, I’ll call Hal, then toddle over to the ladies‘ room.”
    “I’ll be here,” I said.
    I sat down and looked around. Most of the bowlers belonged to teams, judging from their same-colored shirts. It was a fun sport, I supposed, but not one I cared to pursue. Actually, I wasn’t interested in any particular sport, though I intended to join a gym and take aerobics and yoga classes. Maybe one day, when things settled down.
    My cell phone rang. It was Gayle.
    “Where are you?” I demanded.
    I heard an intake of air, voices in the background. “At my friend’s house. But I can’t stay here. I’m leaving tomorrow. Did the police tell you who that man was?”
    “He’s a small-time hoodlum from New Jersey.”
    “I knew it! Shawn sent him.”
    “We don’t know that. Why did you—?”  I stopped, afraid to hear what she’d say when I asked why she’d lied about seeing the body before she woke me up.
    “Why did I what?”
    “I meant to say, why don’t you come back here?”
    “I can’t. If Shawn sent that guy, he’ll send someone else to finish the job.”
    I let out a humorless laugh. “Come on, Gayle. This Shawn from Utah isn’t all that powerful.”
    “You don’t know him, Lexie. If he can’t get someone to kill me, he’ll come after me himself.”
    Before I could say Len’s murder probably had nothing to do with her, she hung up. I pressed the call back button before I remembered her phone wouldn’t take my call.
    Angry at myself for not handling things better, I headed outside for a breath of fresh air. I sidestepped a group of noisy teenagers, and walked toward the parking lot.
    Gayle was terrified and believed she had no place to go. Instead of badgering her, I should have asked why she