Shopping is Murder (McKinley Mysteries Book 6) Read Free Page A

point, she had likely been carted off, offered a warm beverage, and extended the courtesy of contacting loved ones.
    As suspected, the mezzanine revealed nothing more than crime scene techs and the medical examiner taking care of the situation. As the phrase occurred to her, she realized that was one large aspect of the job she didn ’t miss. She hated how people were categorized into a bag of parts, their history tallied and scrutinized—and this specific case should call for a lot of scrutiny.
    There were many possibilities that could have led to this man’s death—an accidental shove, potential suicide, or an intentional push, which would mean murder. She recalled what the man in the room had said about the victim’s last words.
    If we shop much longer, I’ll jump.
    Taking the statement at straight value it would lean toward suicide, but on deeper consideration, surely, there must be something more substantial involved. Shopping, even for hours on end, couldn’t drive someone to jump over a railing in the mall—could it?
    As for his personal life, Sara could only surmise at this point. Even though she hadn ’t been a part of Nicole’s adult life, she knew that her friend had married into wealth.
    Still, with the history between her and Nicole buried in thick mire at this point, Sara chose to remember the good times with her friend. She knew now, better than ever, that money possesses the ability to change people, to alter their character, to realign their priorities—and who was she to stand in judgment? In fact, that quality didn ’t even exist within her. Her inability to condone or condemn may have weakened some people’s opinions of her, but she considered it one of her strengths.
    She hadn ’t been around for Nicole’s wedding, despite having dreamed of being there since they’d first bonded in kindergarten playing house. Sara went off to college, while Nicole followed her family’s beliefs, which grounded her with antiquated philosophies about marriage and children being the keys to happiness.
    An arm slipped around Sara’s waist, the touch pulling her from her thoughts. Sean stood tight to her side but didn ’t say anything. He didn’t need to—his contact with her communicated everything.
    She noticed small clusters of mall security chatting it up, and police had secured the scene, which included taping off the nearby escalator.
    “I think we missed her. Do you know where she lives?”
    She faced her husband, thankful for his support, questioning what she would ever do without him. “I believe she lives in New York.”
    “New York?”
    “Yeah.”
    “We could get her information.” Sean pulled out his smartphone, but Sara put her hand on his.
    “She wouldn’t be going there right now. It’s too far a drive. I know where she might be, but we’re going to have to use discretion.”
    “And why do I sense that you don’t care for option two?”
    “Because you’d be right. Nicole’s mother never liked me.”
    “How is that even possible?”
    “While I appreciate the flattery, this woman found a way.” She could still hear the derision in Shelley Townsend’s voice when Sara had told her she wouldn’t be attending her daughter’s wedding.
    “So you think Nicole’s gone to her parents? I assume they still live in town?”
    “Yep.” That was one thing Sara knew to be fact. When she and Sean were in Tuscany, her mom, Jeannie, had mentioned over Skype that she had bumped into Shelley. She’d said that Nicole’s money had transformed the woman into a larger nightmare than she’d been before. It took seconds for her mother to convince Mrs. Townsend to lower her nose in acknowledgement.
    Sara swallowed hard and tried to shake the path her beliefs wanted to follow. She was fabricating a future event that was based on nothing more than speculation. She could see it clearly though. She pictured them ringing the front bell, and Nicole’s mother answering, telling Sara how nice it was