Lester Marshall. Great.
When I'd found Bob's body, Lester was convinced I'd murdered him to gain access to his fortune. Lester had done everything he could to try to pin it on me, and I'd nearly ended up singing the "Jailhouse Rock" in a hideous orange prison jumpsuit. Now here I was again, at the scene of another death. One that my fingerprints would now be all over.
Uh-oh!
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." Lester headed toward me with his usual obnoxious swagger. If he were an animal, he'd be a gorilla—short, chunky, thick neck, macho. Maybe just a little less hairy though. "Another suspicious death, and you're in the thick of it again. You're like some kind of death magnet."
See, what did I tell you about the whole death-magnet thing?
He jabbed a stubby finger in my direction with a triumphant gleam in his eye. I could practically hear the cogs of his brain turning as he was working out how to pin this one on me, too, so he could notch up another arrest and get back to reading the paper and drinking coffee.
My stomach lurched up to my throat. "Yes, well, we can explain what we're doing here." I stood up, forcing myself to exude confidence.
He folded his arms in front of his chest, and I noticed a stain of what looked like black-currant jelly on the elbow of his shirt. A few crumbs adhered to his chin. "I can't wait to hear all about it." He raised mocking eyebrows at me.
"Oh, don't be so ridiculous, Detective." Ruby glared at him. "We both arrived and found Pandora like that."
"You don't say?" Lester tilted his head, giving us a this should be good expression.
"I do say, actually." Ruby's lifted her chin defiantly.
"Well, I'm all ears."
"Um…can I sit down again?" I nodded toward the chair. The adrenaline from trying to save Pandora had worn off, and I was trembling.
Lester pulled out a chair and sat down. He leaned back and resumed his arm-crossing position, giving me the beady eye. "Right. What's your story? How come you turned up at a second suspicious death in the space of two months?"
"We were due for a crystal healing appointment with Pandora at four," Ruby started. "As we pulled up outside, we saw Tim Baxtor leaving the house in a hurry. He looked…I don't know, a bit crazed."
"Crazed?" Lester looked pointedly at me, as if I knew all about being "crazed." "Right. Then what happened?"
"Well, I was in shock at seeing him there, and I was trying to get my head round it for a moment, so we sat in the car for a little while. Oh no!" She threw her head in her hands. "If only we'd gone in sooner, we might've been able to save her. It was my fault."
"It wasn't your fault," I said, rubbing Ruby's back. "You couldn't have known what was going on inside the house." I turned to Lester. "When we rushed inside, we found Pandora in the kitchen. She was slumped over the table, and I couldn't feel a pulse. I managed to get her on the floor and attempted CPR, but she was already dead."
"And you knew she was already dead, how? Did you kill her?"
"Of course not!"
"Weren't you listening?" Ruby dropped her hands to her lap. "Usually, when there's no pulse, it means someone is dead."
"We'll see about that. Are you both doctors?"
"Um…no." I clenched and unclenched my fists to try to stop them from shaking.
"Exactly." Lester placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward, keeping eye contact with me.
"It's not us you need to speak to," Ruby said. "It's Tim Baxtor. He was here just before we found her, and Pandora and Tim didn't get along."
Lester turned his attention to Ruby. "Really? And why is that?"
"It's a long story, and an old one."
Lester jerked his head in the direction of the house. "It looks like Pandora's not going anywhere at the moment, so I think we've got time for you to tell me."
Ruby narrowed her eyes at his insensitivity. "Twenty years ago Pandora's daughter, Jenna, disappeared."
"And why is that relevant?" Lester looked bored.
"If you'll let me finish , I'll tell you
When I'd found Bob's body, Lester was convinced I'd murdered him to gain access to his fortune. Lester had done everything he could to try to pin it on me, and I'd nearly ended up singing the "Jailhouse Rock" in a hideous orange prison jumpsuit. Now here I was again, at the scene of another death. One that my fingerprints would now be all over.
Uh-oh!
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." Lester headed toward me with his usual obnoxious swagger. If he were an animal, he'd be a gorilla—short, chunky, thick neck, macho. Maybe just a little less hairy though. "Another suspicious death, and you're in the thick of it again. You're like some kind of death magnet."
See, what did I tell you about the whole death-magnet thing?
He jabbed a stubby finger in my direction with a triumphant gleam in his eye. I could practically hear the cogs of his brain turning as he was working out how to pin this one on me, too, so he could notch up another arrest and get back to reading the paper and drinking coffee.
My stomach lurched up to my throat. "Yes, well, we can explain what we're doing here." I stood up, forcing myself to exude confidence.
He folded his arms in front of his chest, and I noticed a stain of what looked like black-currant jelly on the elbow of his shirt. A few crumbs adhered to his chin. "I can't wait to hear all about it." He raised mocking eyebrows at me.
"Oh, don't be so ridiculous, Detective." Ruby glared at him. "We both arrived and found Pandora like that."
"You don't say?" Lester tilted his head, giving us a this should be good expression.
"I do say, actually." Ruby's lifted her chin defiantly.
"Well, I'm all ears."
"Um…can I sit down again?" I nodded toward the chair. The adrenaline from trying to save Pandora had worn off, and I was trembling.
Lester pulled out a chair and sat down. He leaned back and resumed his arm-crossing position, giving me the beady eye. "Right. What's your story? How come you turned up at a second suspicious death in the space of two months?"
"We were due for a crystal healing appointment with Pandora at four," Ruby started. "As we pulled up outside, we saw Tim Baxtor leaving the house in a hurry. He looked…I don't know, a bit crazed."
"Crazed?" Lester looked pointedly at me, as if I knew all about being "crazed." "Right. Then what happened?"
"Well, I was in shock at seeing him there, and I was trying to get my head round it for a moment, so we sat in the car for a little while. Oh no!" She threw her head in her hands. "If only we'd gone in sooner, we might've been able to save her. It was my fault."
"It wasn't your fault," I said, rubbing Ruby's back. "You couldn't have known what was going on inside the house." I turned to Lester. "When we rushed inside, we found Pandora in the kitchen. She was slumped over the table, and I couldn't feel a pulse. I managed to get her on the floor and attempted CPR, but she was already dead."
"And you knew she was already dead, how? Did you kill her?"
"Of course not!"
"Weren't you listening?" Ruby dropped her hands to her lap. "Usually, when there's no pulse, it means someone is dead."
"We'll see about that. Are you both doctors?"
"Um…no." I clenched and unclenched my fists to try to stop them from shaking.
"Exactly." Lester placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward, keeping eye contact with me.
"It's not us you need to speak to," Ruby said. "It's Tim Baxtor. He was here just before we found her, and Pandora and Tim didn't get along."
Lester turned his attention to Ruby. "Really? And why is that?"
"It's a long story, and an old one."
Lester jerked his head in the direction of the house. "It looks like Pandora's not going anywhere at the moment, so I think we've got time for you to tell me."
Ruby narrowed her eyes at his insensitivity. "Twenty years ago Pandora's daughter, Jenna, disappeared."
"And why is that relevant?" Lester looked bored.
"If you'll let me finish , I'll tell you
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