A Murderer Among Us Read Online Free Page B

know to yourself. I’m sure Marshall learned his lesson and put all those shenanigans behind him.”
    “That’s being naive, Peg. For all we know, he killed his wife.”
    Peg looked at Lydia as if she’d accused the Pope of going out on a date. “How ridiculous! Marshall’s not capable of hurting anyone, much less Claire. They were deeply devoted to one another.”
    Lydia stiffened. “The man’s a Lothario—as deceitful as they come.”
    “How can you say that? You hardly know him!”
    “I’ve no idea if he killed his wife or not, but I intend to find out.”
    Peg blinked. “What do you mean?”
    “Exactly what I said. Someone made a big mistake when he used my car to kill Claire Weill. I won’t stop till I find out who he is. Good-bye, Peg. I have work to do.”

Three
    Now that she was finally alone, Lydia found she was too restless to do much of anything. Last night’s encounter with the Mannes/Weills followed by Claire’s death had shocked her system. Though thoroughly exhausted, she was much too agitated to nap. If she closed her eyes, she feared she’d see herself in prison garb, sitting on a thin mattress in a cell. God, what had she gotten herself into?
    She made herself a cup of tea, then settled down at her desk in the den to pay bills. The phone rang. “Hello?”
    No answer. It happened again. Disgusted, Lydia disconnected the phone. She reconnected it fifteen minutes later. Immediately, it started to ring.
    “Hello!” she thundered.
    The caller identified herself as Viv Maguire, a good friend of the Weills. Lydia recognized the raspy voice of Claire Weill’s staunch supporter.
    “You killed a wonderful woman. I’ll see that you pay for it!”
    Shaken, Lydia hung up. She had to get away from Twin Lakes. She opened the residents’ directory and dialed Barbara’s number. When Barbara answered, Lydia gave a gasp of relief.
    “Barbara, it’s Lydia. Lydia Krause.”
    “Just a minute. I’ll be right back.”
    Barbara was gone for such a long time, Lydia was beginning to think she had no intention of speaking to her. She was about to hang up when Barbara came to the phone sounding breathless.
    “Sorry, Lieutenant Molina just left. How awful, Lydia, that someone took your car and killed Claire while she was out jogging.”
    “Yes.” Lydia’s heart pounded like a jackhammer. “What did he want?”
    “To talk about you, about last night. I don’t know why, since I told the other policeman all I knew. But some of his questions were a bit different.”
    Lydia heard herself panting. She was hyperventilating. “How different?”
    “For one thing, he found it odd that I knew nothing about the incident between you and the Weills in the ballroom. I explained I was too sick to discuss anything and you were too busy looking after me.”
    “Did he ask anything else?”
    “Let’s see—was I sure you’d spent the night. I told him you most certainly did. I knew since I was up most of the night.”
    But not early in the morning. Molina was right. Barbara gave her a partial alibi at best. “Barbara, I was wondering. Are you busy right now?”
    “I was going to run to the supermarket, but that can wait.”
    Suddenly an ordinary trip to the supermarket was as appealing as a weekend in Paris. “Would you mind if I came along? I could use a few things.”
    “Of course, Lydia. I’d be happy for your company.”
    “The truth is I’ve received some unpleasant phone calls. I’d like to leave the house, but the police impounded my car to examine it for clues.” She shivered. “Not that I want to set foot in it ever again.”
    “Poor Claire, killed—for God knows what reason. And poor you—to be embroiled in this mess when you’ve just moved in.”
    “Thanks, Barbara.”
    “I’ll come by in half an hour.”
    A shower did much to revive Lydia’s spirits. She got dressed and decided to wait outside for Barbara. An old Cadillac slowed down as it approached her house. Lydia jumped out of the