The Murder of a Queen Bee by Meera Lester Read Free Book Online

world.”
    â€œThe way I see it, Abby, Lucas needs a good woman in his life. The whole town felt bad when his wife passed away so young, being pregnant and all. I’d just like to be there for him.”
    Abby smiled. You and every other single woman between twenty and sixty. But your heartfelt sentiment is sweet. Kat was gorgeous, openly flirty, intensely funny, and had a heart of gold. If Kat wanted to start something with Lucas, Abby wouldn’t stand in the way.
    â€œHas he asked you out?” Abby asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
    â€œNot yet,” Kat replied. “And I never seem to catch him here at the feed store.”
    Her spirits suddenly buoyed, Abby grinned . “So people don’t usually dress up to buy feed. What were you going to tell him you were shopping for?”
    â€œDunno. Don’t have any pets. There’s a mouse in my house. Maybe a trap?”
    â€œSeriously?” Abby snorted. “Wouldn’t that be just the thing? A trap?”
    Kat chuckled. “I see what you mean.” She glanced at her watch. “Listen. I have to go in a minute, but about the estate sale . . . I’ve heard there will be lots of antiques and dishes and farm tools.”
    â€œGreat,” said Abby, relieved the conversation had taken a new direction.
    â€œI happen to know that old lady Richardson collected gobs of fine china. I’ll be looking for porcelain and pottery marks while you hunt for garden stuff and old books.”
    â€œYou know I like good china, too,” Abby replied. “But back to Fiona for a moment. I saw a box or two of old gardening books in her shop that she planned to donate. What do you suppose will happen to those volumes?”
    Kat’s brow puckered. “I couldn’t say. At some point, there’ll have to be a funeral. Might be a good time to ask her brother, who has to settle her affairs.”
    â€œTo hear Fiona tell it, he was the only stable person in her crazy quilt of a life. How’s he taking her death?” Abby asked.
    â€œLike a man who has lost a loved one to a murderer. He’s grieving. Wants her killer brought to justice.”
    Abby nodded. “We all want that. What did Fiona’s autopsy reveal?”
    Kat glanced at her watch again. “Cardiac arrest due to asphyxia was the cause of death. No trauma to the body. The coroner’s report is inconclusive. And, as you know, the toxicology report takes as long as it takes. For now, that’s about all we have.”
    â€œAsphyxia?” Abby blinked with bafflement. “Drowning causes asphyxia. Inhaling a toxic gas causes asphyxia. Choking . . .”
    â€œBefore you ask me if she was choked,” Kat said, “the answer is no. There were no marks on her neck or the rest of her body.”
    â€œWell, that’s just weird,” Abby said. She recalled Fiona’s body in the car, with the front windows down. Fiona was seated behind the wheel and was leaning back in the seat. But her feet, as far as Abby could tell, didn’t quite reach the brake or the gas pedal.
    â€œYou and I were a great team, Abby. We still are. But Chief Bob Allen told me not to involve you in this case, so what I tell you can go no further. Abigail, I’m dead serious about the need for secrecy. Otherwise, I could lose my job.” Kat’s expression reflected the sober reality of what she apparently felt.
    â€œI would never do or say anything to jeopardize your job, Kat. I hope you know that.” Abby suddenly lurched as Sugar pulled against the leash with a high-pitched yip , yip , yip , apparently after spotting a pair of squirrels scrambling along a limb of the tree.
    Kat nodded. “Of course, but I need assurances that we’re on the same page. So, here’s a scoop. Fire investigators say an accelerant was used, but the coroner says no smoke or soot in her lungs, meaning—”
    â€œFiona was dead when someone