Murder Has No Class Read Free Page B

girls. Arguing over some young wastrel. What a stupendous waste of time.”
    Essie raised her eyebrows at Meredith, who shook her head. Felicity’s apparent hatred of the male species was legendary. “It was nothing. I took care of it.” She glanced over at the empty chairs. “Sylvia hasn’t arrived yet.”
    “With any luck she’ll have something pressing to take care of and leave us in peace.” Felicity threw herself down on her chair. “Lord, these shoes will be the death of me.” She frowned at the offending black Oxfords sticking out from under her long skirt. “I swear I’m getting gout or something.”
    “It’s because they are new.” Essie poked a dainty foot out from under her frock. “These hurt me when I first started wearing them, but now they are quite comfortable.”
    “I don’t see how,” Felicity murmured. “All those straps digging into your foot. Give me a sensible lace-up anytime.”
    Meredith drew a deep breath. “I saw a red glow in my office this morning!”
    Two faces turned to stare at her in astonishment.
    Meredith gave them both a weak smile. She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, but any minute Sylvia Montrose could stroll in and her opportunity to discuss the matter with her friends would be lost.
    She needed that reassurance from them, to free her mind from worry in order to conduct her classes that afternoon with any degree of competence.
    “A red glow?” Essie looked confused. “Do you mean the sunrise?”
    “I think she means something else,” Felicity murmured. “Were you thinking it was another ghost, perhaps?”
    Essie gasped, her eyes growing wide. “Oh, no, Meredith. I thought you were finished with all that.”
    “So did I.” Meredith leaned over and retrieved her knitting bag from the small cabinet at her side. Holding knitting needles helped to steady her hands whenever she was out of sorts.
    “Are you sure it was a ghost?”
    Felicity had sounded skeptical as usual. Meredith sighed. “No, I’m not. In fact, I’m not even sure now that I actually saw a glow. I was having a rather tense conversation with Roger Platt at the time and may well have imagined the whole thing. I merely wanted to mention it so I could perhaps put the entire incident out of my mind.”
    “It could have been a trick of the light,” Essie said, looking anxious.
    “Or your eyes deceiving you.” Felicity leaned forward. “Perhaps you need them examined. You may need to wear spectacles. After all, staring all day at those atrocious paintings your students produce must have an adverse effect on your eyes.”
    Meredith tried to curb her resentment. Felicity was well known for her sharp tongue and rarely meant her words in the way they were presented. Still, she couldn’t help getting just a little defensive. “My students do quite well considering they are not accomplished artists.”
    “Oh, bosh, Meredith, don’t take offense.” Felicity passed a weary hand over her forehead. “You know I wasn’t casting aspersions on your ability to teach. It’s the student’s fault if she’s unable to share your visions and produce them adequately on the page.”
    “Well, perhaps I should pay a visit to the opticians.” Meredith drew out a length of knitting from the bag and laid it in her lap. “Much as I detest the idea of wearing spectacles, it is far better than having to deal with another ghost.”
    “The last one almost killed you,” Essie said, her voice fearful.
    “Considering she was supposedly just a child, her presence really did seem to cause a lot of trouble for everyone.” Felicity leaned down to rub at the toe of her shoe.
    “It wasn’t her fault.” Meredith grasped the needles in her lap and examined the stitches clinging to one of them. “She asked for my help. How could I deny a child whose life had been so tragically shortened, not to mention those of her entire family? I had to find out who was responsible.”
    “Well, you can certainly deny this