No Way to Kill a Lady by Nancy Martin Read Free Book Online Page A

commanded the reins and balanced a tall whip in her capable hands. “Whoa!” she called to her team as she caught sight of Emma. “Whoa, there!”
    The horses and dogs came to an obedient halt, and Emma stepped out to catch the bridle of the lead horse. “Hey, Shirley,” she said, easily controlling the huge animal. “How’s it going?”
    â€œEmma Blackbird,” the woman replied, her accent still slightly tinged by her European roots. Her voice was a deep smoker’s rasp, surprising coming from such a diminutive person. She plunked the whip into its holder and rearranged the reins in her gloved hands while eyeing Emma with disapproval. “You’ve brought shame on your family, I see. Or are you just getting fat?”
    â€œNo, it’s a baby, all right.” Emma gave her belly a lascivious rub.
    â€œYour grandfather would have disowned you.”
    â€œGood thing he’s not around to see me, then. How come you’re still alive, you old crone?”
    Shirley van Vincent didn’t take offense, but rather warmed to Emma’s taunting tone. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from one of the many pockets on the fisherman’s vest she wore and drew a cigarette into her mouth directly from the pack before tucking it back into her pocket. She thumbed a plastic lighter and lit up—­all without losing control of her team of horses.
    Blowing smoke over her head, she said, “I’m too tough to die. Somebody’s going to have to kill me if they want rid of me.”
    â€œCareful,” Emma cautioned. “You might have people standing in line for that opportunity.”
    â€œAre you saying I’m not the most popular woman around?”
    Emma patted the neck of the horse she held. “You’ve been known to cross a line now and then, Shirley.”
    â€œOnly in the pursuit of excellence,” the old woman retorted. “I have a competitive spirit. So do you. Speaking of which, will we see you at the Classic next week? I could use you.”
    â€œMaybe I’ll be helping another team.”
    â€œDoubtful.” Shirley van Vincent grinned. “You like to win as much as I do. And I always win. What are you doing out here today, may I ask?”
    â€œVisiting Aunt Maddy’s estate. You heard she died?”
    â€œI read it in the newspaper.” Gruff again, the old woman fiddled with the reins. “I expected that news a lot of years ago, to be honest. I never thought Madeleine would live to such a ripe old age.”
    â€œYou knew Madeleine?”
    â€œOf course I knew her. We were neighbors.”
    â€œClose?”
    â€œThat’s none of your business,” Shirley snapped. “But she could have been more generous with her tilting green. It would have made just the right spot for practicing tight turns.”
    â€œFair enough,” Emma said. She had a respect for horse training. “How about giving us a lift?”
    â€œWhere to?”
    â€œInto New Hope? I’m starving.”
    â€œAnimal appetites,” Shirley said with more disapproval. “That’s what got you into trouble in the first place. These are your sisters?”
    â€œYes, Nora and Libby.”
    â€œI can guess which one is which. Elizabeth was the one who pranced around pretending to be a princess all the time.” She gave us a cold inspection. “You hardly look like royalty today, young lady. More like you’ve been run over by a milk wagon. What’s the matter?”
    â€œWe’ve had a shock,” Libby obediently piped up. “There’s a dead body in the elevator.”
    The cigarette fell from Shirley’s lips. “Good Lord, nobody’s been in that house for years. Who is it?”
    â€œIt’s not much of a body.” I stepped on the cigarette before it could set dry leaves alight. “More of a skeleton, actually. It looks as though somebody was trapped in the