Two Birds with One Stone (A Marsden-Lacey Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Sigrid Vansandt Page A
Authors: Sigrid Vansandt
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until I say otherwise,”Johns was saying. “We ’ re treating this as a murder
investigation now. I ’ ve got forensics looking at the
murder weapon and we ’ ll be able to go through the security
videos once Mr. Cousins delivers them to us Monday. Thank you, gentlemen, and I ’ ll talk with you soon.”
Martha noticed both Cousins and Devry looked anxious and
tired. Louis Devry ’ s face showed more strain than earlier.
He excused himself and headed to his room upstairs. Piers came over to Helen
and Martha and sat down.
He wove a piece of card stock between his fingers.
“Is everything alright, Piers?”Helen noticed his nervous behavior
begin to slow down.
He looked at the card in his hand and slumped. “They ’ ve found some incriminating evidence against me.”He took a deep
breath and let it out fast. “The weapon used to kill Carstons was one of the
door stops we keep at the reception area. It had been chucked over the wall of
the front garden. A piece of one of my business cards was stuck to it.”Cousins winced then
continued. "Sir Carstons’blood was the glue holding it in place. It ’ s grizzly. ”
Then he added, “While we were in giving our statements, I
remembered to tell Chief Johns that last week we had installed a few new
security cameras at The Grange. I ’ m hoping they may have
caught something. It may save my neck anyway. I seem to be their prime suspect.”
“You and Helen,”Martha teased.
Piers looked back and forth between the two women.
Helen grimaced. “Martha and I were also asked not to change
our location for a while. Chief Inspector Johns can be persuasive.”
The main door opened and in came one of the tennis pros,
Andy Todd. Seeing Piers he called out to him. Piers rose from his chair.
“Let ’ s put this aside for the evening,”he said. “I ’ m sure it will work out. When you ’ re
ready, please come down to the garden. We ’ ll be dining al
fresco tonight. It ’ ll be a perfect night for it.”
Cousins excused himself and Helen and Martha returned to
their room. Soon, the lights on the tennis lawns went down. The girls were
enjoying their pretty room. They took showers, worked on their hair and shared
stories about their childhoods in Arkansas. When they heard people laughing and
talking along the corridors, they checked the time and made their way down the
stairs toward the dinner party.
A slim crescent moon appeared over the tops of the old oak
trees along the river. The balmy, summer night air lightly ruffled Helen and
Martha’s hair as they entered the fairy-land garden their
host had imagined and prepared for his dinner guests. Strands of tiny white
lights and hanging lanterns created a delicate canopy stretching across the
entire stone wall enclosure.
Every round dining table was laid with pure white china
dinnerware, silver cutlery, white linens, crystal stemware, centerpieces of
fresh flowers, and long, tapered candles flickering inside glass hurricanes.
Roses and gardenia plants perfumed the evening air and soon laughing guests
were sipping champagne and basking in the beauty of Healy
House.
Everyone, including Helen and Martha, filtering into the
area marveled at the enchanted garden. As if on cue, a piano quintet began to
play “Some Enchanted Evening.”It appeared to be the beginning of a night to remember.
Chapter 14
THE PARTY WAS GOING WONDERFULLY. Dinner was delicious and
people were dancing to music by Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Perry Como. Helen
and Martha were talking with Andy Todd, the tennis pro. He had recently won his
fifth tennis open and, out of friendship with Piers, flew all the way from
Australia to play at Healy.
They met his beautiful wife, Alex, who decided half-way
through the evening to remove her shoes and dance barefoot. Beauty has its
privileges Martha thought with a smile as she watched the young, handsome
couple laughing and enjoying each other ’ s company.
“Helen, may I
until I say otherwise,”Johns was saying. “We ’ re treating this as a murder
investigation now. I ’ ve got forensics looking at the
murder weapon and we ’ ll be able to go through the security
videos once Mr. Cousins delivers them to us Monday. Thank you, gentlemen, and I ’ ll talk with you soon.”
Martha noticed both Cousins and Devry looked anxious and
tired. Louis Devry ’ s face showed more strain than earlier.
He excused himself and headed to his room upstairs. Piers came over to Helen
and Martha and sat down.
He wove a piece of card stock between his fingers.
“Is everything alright, Piers?”Helen noticed his nervous behavior
begin to slow down.
He looked at the card in his hand and slumped. “They ’ ve found some incriminating evidence against me.”He took a deep
breath and let it out fast. “The weapon used to kill Carstons was one of the
door stops we keep at the reception area. It had been chucked over the wall of
the front garden. A piece of one of my business cards was stuck to it.”Cousins winced then
continued. "Sir Carstons’blood was the glue holding it in place. It ’ s grizzly. ”
Then he added, “While we were in giving our statements, I
remembered to tell Chief Johns that last week we had installed a few new
security cameras at The Grange. I ’ m hoping they may have
caught something. It may save my neck anyway. I seem to be their prime suspect.”
“You and Helen,”Martha teased.
Piers looked back and forth between the two women.
Helen grimaced. “Martha and I were also asked not to change
our location for a while. Chief Inspector Johns can be persuasive.”
The main door opened and in came one of the tennis pros,
Andy Todd. Seeing Piers he called out to him. Piers rose from his chair.
“Let ’ s put this aside for the evening,”he said. “I ’ m sure it will work out. When you ’ re
ready, please come down to the garden. We ’ ll be dining al
fresco tonight. It ’ ll be a perfect night for it.”
Cousins excused himself and Helen and Martha returned to
their room. Soon, the lights on the tennis lawns went down. The girls were
enjoying their pretty room. They took showers, worked on their hair and shared
stories about their childhoods in Arkansas. When they heard people laughing and
talking along the corridors, they checked the time and made their way down the
stairs toward the dinner party.
A slim crescent moon appeared over the tops of the old oak
trees along the river. The balmy, summer night air lightly ruffled Helen and
Martha’s hair as they entered the fairy-land garden their
host had imagined and prepared for his dinner guests. Strands of tiny white
lights and hanging lanterns created a delicate canopy stretching across the
entire stone wall enclosure.
Every round dining table was laid with pure white china
dinnerware, silver cutlery, white linens, crystal stemware, centerpieces of
fresh flowers, and long, tapered candles flickering inside glass hurricanes.
Roses and gardenia plants perfumed the evening air and soon laughing guests
were sipping champagne and basking in the beauty of Healy
House.
Everyone, including Helen and Martha, filtering into the
area marveled at the enchanted garden. As if on cue, a piano quintet began to
play “Some Enchanted Evening.”It appeared to be the beginning of a night to remember.
Chapter 14
THE PARTY WAS GOING WONDERFULLY. Dinner was delicious and
people were dancing to music by Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Perry Como. Helen
and Martha were talking with Andy Todd, the tennis pro. He had recently won his
fifth tennis open and, out of friendship with Piers, flew all the way from
Australia to play at Healy.
They met his beautiful wife, Alex, who decided half-way
through the evening to remove her shoes and dance barefoot. Beauty has its
privileges Martha thought with a smile as she watched the young, handsome
couple laughing and enjoying each other ’ s company.
“Helen, may I
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