happened. I explained all this to the police. Even gave them a copy of my hotel receipt.”
“Any idea why someone would kill Forester? And in the way they did?”
“I can’t speak as to the method, but the motive seems obvious, doesn’t it? Randolph Manor. If you are looking for someone with motive, I suggest you speak with that snake in the grass Victor Hamilton.”
I thanked Raintree for his time and exited the store. At the small bridge I paused to study my reflection in the goldfish pond. Dead Lines Books appeared to be doing okay. Customers milled around the cash register. The shelves were orderly and well stocked, baseboards swept clean of spiderwebs. By all indications, the bookstore was surviving.
But I wondered:
How many books does Raintree have to sell each month to pay the rent? Retail lease space can’t be cheap, noton Main Street. Figure the net profit per book sold is a couple dollars and he’d have to sell, what? A thousand books a month? Ten thousand?
I had no idea what sort of income Raintree earned from selling books. But I couldn’t help but wonder if serving as head of a nonprofit would provide Raintree with a nice salary — maybe a very large one. Which made me wonder: What would Raintree do for another shot at the Randolph estate? Would he go so far as to kill Forester? And if so, who better suited to make Forester’s death look like a vampire slaying than a man selling books on witches, potions, and deadly curses? I decided the one person best suited to answer that question would be the man in charge of the murder investigation.
I pulled out my map and located the police station. Folding the map, I tucked it in my back pocket and started down the sidewalk toward the Red Wolf Gallery to meet Aunt Vivian.
CHAPTER SIX
DEADLY GAMES
G oogle ‘Dead Lines Books’ and see what comes up.”
We sat outside a coffee shop on Main Street. I’d met Aunt Vivian at the Red Wolf Gallery, picked up Meg at the coroner’s office, and swung by her house so she could get her laptop. Now the three of us sat huddled around a table sipping coffee and discussing the case. Well, actually, Meg and I were discussing the case. Aunt Vivian was busy with her knitting.
“It’s a chemo cap for one of the women in my prayer group,” Aunt Vivian explained. “I’m stitching the words of Psalm 23 into the pattern.”
Meg hit keys on her laptop and looked over the top of her screen at me. “What makes you think he’s lying?”
“Raintree? His eyes. When I asked if he’d killed Forester, he looked up and to the left. That’s a pretty good indication he was making up his answer. If he’d looked to the right, it would have indicated he was trying to remember something.”
“Is this what you’re after?” Meg spun the laptop so I could see the screen.
I scooted my chair around the table and studied the bookstore’s website.
Our paranormal section is designed to help you find books related to your specific vampire reading interests. For example, we have vampire books for children, young adults, and adults. We also have a section dedicated to Dracula, plus historical novels, urban fantasy, and, of course, romance.
At the bottom of the page was a row of icons for sponsors. Pointing to a button of a gothic mansion, I said, “Click that one.”
Another browser window opened, bringing up a new page for THE FULL MOON VAMPIRE SLAYER GAME. At the top of the game’s web page was a black-and-white picture of Randolph Manor. Meg and I read silently, scrolling down every few seconds to study the gruesome images.
Finally she said, “Seriously? Who would pay that kind of money to chase a vampire around a spooky mansion?”
“Judging from the customer comments, lots of people. Told you Raintree was hiding something. When I asked if he knewanything about the manor, he told me no. But obviously he knows something if he’s willing to link to this game’s site from his bookstore page. Click on the Frequently Asked
“Any idea why someone would kill Forester? And in the way they did?”
“I can’t speak as to the method, but the motive seems obvious, doesn’t it? Randolph Manor. If you are looking for someone with motive, I suggest you speak with that snake in the grass Victor Hamilton.”
I thanked Raintree for his time and exited the store. At the small bridge I paused to study my reflection in the goldfish pond. Dead Lines Books appeared to be doing okay. Customers milled around the cash register. The shelves were orderly and well stocked, baseboards swept clean of spiderwebs. By all indications, the bookstore was surviving.
But I wondered:
How many books does Raintree have to sell each month to pay the rent? Retail lease space can’t be cheap, noton Main Street. Figure the net profit per book sold is a couple dollars and he’d have to sell, what? A thousand books a month? Ten thousand?
I had no idea what sort of income Raintree earned from selling books. But I couldn’t help but wonder if serving as head of a nonprofit would provide Raintree with a nice salary — maybe a very large one. Which made me wonder: What would Raintree do for another shot at the Randolph estate? Would he go so far as to kill Forester? And if so, who better suited to make Forester’s death look like a vampire slaying than a man selling books on witches, potions, and deadly curses? I decided the one person best suited to answer that question would be the man in charge of the murder investigation.
I pulled out my map and located the police station. Folding the map, I tucked it in my back pocket and started down the sidewalk toward the Red Wolf Gallery to meet Aunt Vivian.
CHAPTER SIX
DEADLY GAMES
G oogle ‘Dead Lines Books’ and see what comes up.”
We sat outside a coffee shop on Main Street. I’d met Aunt Vivian at the Red Wolf Gallery, picked up Meg at the coroner’s office, and swung by her house so she could get her laptop. Now the three of us sat huddled around a table sipping coffee and discussing the case. Well, actually, Meg and I were discussing the case. Aunt Vivian was busy with her knitting.
“It’s a chemo cap for one of the women in my prayer group,” Aunt Vivian explained. “I’m stitching the words of Psalm 23 into the pattern.”
Meg hit keys on her laptop and looked over the top of her screen at me. “What makes you think he’s lying?”
“Raintree? His eyes. When I asked if he’d killed Forester, he looked up and to the left. That’s a pretty good indication he was making up his answer. If he’d looked to the right, it would have indicated he was trying to remember something.”
“Is this what you’re after?” Meg spun the laptop so I could see the screen.
I scooted my chair around the table and studied the bookstore’s website.
Our paranormal section is designed to help you find books related to your specific vampire reading interests. For example, we have vampire books for children, young adults, and adults. We also have a section dedicated to Dracula, plus historical novels, urban fantasy, and, of course, romance.
At the bottom of the page was a row of icons for sponsors. Pointing to a button of a gothic mansion, I said, “Click that one.”
Another browser window opened, bringing up a new page for THE FULL MOON VAMPIRE SLAYER GAME. At the top of the game’s web page was a black-and-white picture of Randolph Manor. Meg and I read silently, scrolling down every few seconds to study the gruesome images.
Finally she said, “Seriously? Who would pay that kind of money to chase a vampire around a spooky mansion?”
“Judging from the customer comments, lots of people. Told you Raintree was hiding something. When I asked if he knewanything about the manor, he told me no. But obviously he knows something if he’s willing to link to this game’s site from his bookstore page. Click on the Frequently Asked
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