Grapes of Death by Joni Folger Page A

house.
    â€œHow long do you think it will take for the ME to finish?” she asked Jackson as he pulled the cruiser into a space at the front of the house.
    â€œThat depends on how backed up they are, but I’m hoping to hear something by the end of the week or the first of next week at the latest.”
    â€œI can see by your face that you aren’t expecting good news. You really don’t think this was accidental, do you?”
    â€œAt this point I have more questions than answers.” He turned to her, a calculating look on his face. “But I’m not going to jump to any conclusions yet, and I don’t think you should either. Speculating before all the facts are in is pointless. It’s better to just wait and see what the ME finds and what else turns up at the scene, and then go from there.”
    Although Elise agreed that this was sound advice, it was easier said than done.
    After Jackson spoke to her mother and left, the rest of her afternoon seemed to drag by, and it was impossible to put Edmond’s death completely out of her mind.
    Stuart had called her cell phone several times during the course of the day, and she let it go to voicemail each time. She was pretty sure he was wondering about the weekend and the party they were supposed to attend in Dallas on Friday. To leave town even for the weekend in light of what had happened seemed inappropriate and somehow disrespectful. Stuart would be disappointed, but she knew he’d understand once she explained.
    She tried to do some work to occupy her mind, but it was a losing battle. She ended up knocking off early. By the time she got home she felt like she’d been through the wringer. All she wanted was a nice cool shower to wash off the stickiness of the day, and a bit of quiet.
    That was not to be.
    She hadn’t been home ten measly minutes when her home phone rang. She thought about letting the machine pick it up, but in the end she answered.
    â€œWell, finally! Elise, where have you been?” Stuart asked, concern coloring his voice. “I’ve been calling your cell all day long. I was really starting to worry. Are you all right?”
    â€œI’m sorry, Stuart. I’ve had a really rotten day. I know I should have called you earlier, but with so much happening, I just got caught up. We had a death in the family.”
    â€œWhat? Oh my God! Who?”
    Elise sighed, not feeling up to a rehash of the entire event but knowing there was no way around it. “Uncle Edmond, my dad’s only brother, was found dead on the property by some of the workers this morning.”
    â€œOh, darling, I’m so sorry.” Stuart cleared his throat on the other end of the line. “Uh, not to speak ill of the dead, but wasn’t he the slightly unpleasant man I met during my first visit at the beginning of the year?”
    Elise rubbed the spot just above her left eye that had begun to pound and wondered if this heinous day would ever end. “Yes. That was Uncle Edmond, may he rest in peace.”
    â€œDo you need me to come down and be with you, for support? I would have to rearrange a few things, but it’s doable. I can be in Delphine by tomorrow afternoon.”
    â€œNo!” she blurted before she could stop herself. The last thing she wanted or needed now was Stuart hovering over her like a mother hen. Plus the fact that she hadn’t even mentioned his job proposal to the family yet. If he said something about it in their presence, the result could be disastrous.
    Especially now.
    The guilt she felt over what she was sure was an inappropriate reaction to her boyfriend’s attempt at kindness and support had her softening her response. “I mean, that’s really thoughtful of you, Stuart. But there are so many details the family will need to attend to in the next week or so, and I’ll be neck deep in those arrangements. Plus, I wouldn’t want you to take time away from your