A Dose of Murder Read Online Free Page B

cigars and started to relight it.
    I hesitated. Had to, in order to clear my confusion, astonishment and impending fear. A short pause. There. Now I might be able to come up with some questions. “Actually, Fabio, I do have several—”
    â€œGo have Adele introduce you to Goldie. Nick’s out on a job. Goldie’s a vet. Goldie’ll show you the ropes.” He spun around toward the window, set his feet on the counter and leaned back.
    I guessed a nap was in order but didn’t stay around to find out. I left my coffee cup on his desk, thinking it wouldn’t be noticed in the debris and knowing if I tried to carry it, my trembling hands would spill coffee all over my suit. No sense wasting money that I didn’t have on a cleaning bill.
    Adele had her head bent forward with earphones tucked beneath the polka-dotted bow in her hair. She typed on a keyboard, obviously transcribing notes. And with gloves on, no less. I hated to interrupt but needed some motherly comforting—and had a feeling Stella Maciejko Sokol wouldn’t volunteer when she heard about all this.
    The gun part wouldn’t leave my thoughts.
    I tapped at the door, but Adele didn’t turn around. So I went inside and gently tapped on her shoulder. Her head flew up, the wire of the headset caught on her flailing hands and a giant potted fern took the brunt of her actions and ended up on the floor.
    â€œI’m so sorry!” I scrambled to help pick up the pot. Luckily it was plastic made to look like pottery and didn’t break.
    Adele looked at me, took a deep breath and sighed loudly. “Adele doesn’t do well with sneaking up on her. Not since eighty-eight, when I was convicted.”
    I couldn’t help myself, yet I’d never been the nosy type. “You were convicted?”
    She straightened her hair while looking in the shiny part of the electric coffeepot next to her desk and reapplied her cherry red lipstick. “Embezzling. Learned my lesson. Thank the good Lord Mr. Scarpello found it in his heart to hire me after I got out.”
    Got out? Geez. She was adorable but an ex-con. Pauline Sokol never did well with change and this is exactly why. I figured it wasn’t prudent to ask for any more details, since she wasn’t offering.
    Then she said, “My old lady was sick. The big C. Ate her up to nothing. And, to boot, no medical insurance. I needed that money. The jury was right to convict me. Don’t matter the need, you can’t steal.” She held up her gloved hands. “Burned in the joint.”
    I could only nod. Adele sat silent for a minute. I figured she was thinking of her mom, so I said, “Fabio said I should have you introduce me to Goldie. When you’re ready.”
    â€œOh . . . sure . Sure thing.” She leaned near and touched my arm. “Don’t be afraid now,
chéri
. Goldie
can
help you. Don’t pay attention to the outside.”
    Outside? Outside of what? Oh . . . my . . . God. And here I thought the “gun” thing was frightening.
    The hallway behind Adele’s office narrowed toward the end. Stale cigar smoke coated the walls, causing the burnt scent to overpower the musty odor that permeated the reception area. Two doors, one on each side, were at the end. One open. One closed. I guessed that one was Goldie’s.
    Through the open one I noticed a young man and a woman at desks, typing on keyboards, talking on phones. Adele said that was the extent of the office staff and she’d introduce me later. “No one there can help you,
chéri
,” she said as she hesitated outside the closed door.
    â€œMaybe we should call first?” I stepped back, not even admitting how stupid that sounded.
    Adele looked at me. “Hmm. I never thought of that. We have an office intercom, but it don’t work, and Fabio is too cheap to get it fixed.” Again she touched my arm. “Don’t you let