The Ginseng Conspiracy (A Kay Driscoll Mystery) by Susan Bernhardt Page B

myself so Phil was on the side nearest the store. I wanted to see into the building while talking to him. I needed to get a better look around. I stopped and drew closer to Phil, giving him a long kiss, all of the time looking into the store and surveying around the area.
    “Hon, can’t you wait until we get home?”
    The inside of the store was dark without any sign of life in the building. Across the street, I noticed the flickering amber glow of a cigarette. Someone was there in the shadows. Someone watching the store. I laughed, and we continued walking home. Tomorrow morning, after I walked with Deirdre and Elizabeth, I'd head over to the professor's house to see if he was all right. I could say I was collecting for the free clinic if he or his wife answered the door. The clinic was always looking for donations. I had this bad feeling I wouldn't find him there.
    Phil started laughing.
    “What, Phil?”
    “I couldn’t get over Elizabeth’s costume tonight. I thought she was going to fall out of it a number of times.”
    Here I was totally immersed in the strange happenings of the evening, and all Phil wanted to talk about was Elizabeth’s skimpy costume. “I think she went a little overboard with her sexy Miss Marple look.”
    “Bet she has a lot of men wanting to join her mystery book club after tonight. There are lots of Miss Marple fans now.”
     

Chapter Five
     
    Sunday, October 30
     
    Sunday morning after early church, I met Deirdre and Elizabeth at the end of my driveway. A heavy chill hung in the air. I couldn’t tell if it was the weather or if it came from within. We did our usual walk through the college grounds and headed out into the open space toward the parks. All the while Deirdre and Elizabeth talked about the fun they had and laughed about everyone’s costumes.
    “Sudbury Falls sure has its share of good dancers,” Elizabeth said.
    Deirdre laughed. “You ought to know.”
    “I suppose. I think I drank a bit too much. When my head hit the pillow, I fell dead to the world.”
    “When Mike and I walked you home, you wanted to see if any clubs were still open.”
    My head was still spinning from the events of last night, and I had gotten almost no sleep. I barely heard Elizabeth and Deirdre prattle on about the Ball. “What time did you end up leaving?” I managed, just to contribute to the conversation.
    Deirdre looked at Elizabeth, who shrugged. “Around two o'clock,” Deirdre said with a small smile.
    As we made the turn into the open space and went over the wooden bridge, Deirdre said, “Look…down at the river’s edge.”
    I looked. Deirdre led the way down a narrow path toward the water. Our feet crunched over fallen leaves. As we came closer, she stopped dead in her tracks.
    “I feel something…a heavy energy…something weird in the atmosphere,” Deirdre said. “Terrible forces. What is that?”
    “Deirdre, you're seeing things again,” Elizabeth said. “Let's get out of here and finish our walk. I'm leaving.” Elizabeth started going back up the path.
    My heart raced. I had a feeling I knew what we would find. “No Elizabeth, I think she's right. There's something there.”
    Deirdre rushed down the path to the riverbank. In her haste, Deirdre's foot caught on a treacherous root protruding from the pathway. She flailed her arms to keep from tumbling to the ground as she stumbled down to the water’s edge.
    “Look! Look over here! What...oh my gosh!” Deirdre's voice was harsh. “He's...he's dead.” Deirdre backed away, both hands to her mouth and looked up at us.
    I had been expecting to find a dead body, but all the leaves covering his body made it hard at first to know who it was. Then I recognized the camel-colored coat, his body shape.
    I hesitated before making my way down to the professor. Conflicting forces wrenched my body in opposite directions. A medley of curiosity and professional experience yearned for me to run to the riverbank, to get a closer