Barbara Levenson - Mary Magruder Katz 03 - Outrageous October Read Online Free

well. I know they shouldn’t mind each other’s business, but this is such a small village that it’s bound to happen.”
    “No, I didn’t get along with my parents. Dad kept pushing me to go into the business, but he ended up selling the mill anyway. He just couldn’t stand the thought that his only offspring wanted to be an artist. Mother was of the ‘old school’. She went along with whatever Dad wanted. She never approved of my friends or lifestyle, never called me anything but Thomas. She acted like we were part of some royal family. If it hadn’t been so damn annoying it might have been funny. I couldn’t wait to get out of here and get a life.”
    “That’s why Jimmy questioned you. He has nothing to go on, not a clue, so of course he turned to you, hoping to uncover some theory. And then there was the disappearance of Bridey. Whoever came in must have known the dog.”
    “People came and went from the house all the time. The handyman that found Mother walked right in. There was the housekeeper too. And you came and went on many occasions. Did Jimmy question you or anyone else?”
    “I don’t know who he questioned. He’s trying to do his job.”
    “You know that a lot of people hated our family. When the mill closed, they blamed Dad for selling out to a foreign company. I can’t blame the workers for being angry. There aren’t many places for jobs in this state. Taxes are high so businesses don’t want to locate here, and the winters are long and hard. If Jimmy doesn’t have the brains to figure out that there are plenty of suspects right here in the Upper Valley, and he wastes all his time trying to make me the murderer, then he should be voted out of his job, and you can tell him I said so.”
    Tom began buttoning his drenched raincoat and moving toward the door.
    “Wait, Tom, I’m not your enemy. Don’t walk out. We haven’t even gone over the details about your property here. I don’t even know how to reach you.”
    “Here’s a card with the post office box to forward any papers. I’ll think about the house. In the meantime, I’ll take care of hiring a property manager. The house is mine, so I’ll take care of it. I don’t need any help from anyone in this village.”
    Tom threw the card down on the desk and slammed the front door as he left
    Dash realized that Tom had a volatile temper triggered by what appeared to be hatred for his family and High Pines. It hadn’t taken much to unleash those feelings. Tom was the perfect target for Jimmy Parson’s suspicions. Dash decided that the sheriff wouldn’t look any further to solve this murder. He sighed and settled comfortably into his chair, propped his feet on the desk and retrieved the bottle of scotch from the drawer.

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    CHAPTER
    SEVEN
    One year later, Miami, Florida
    I fought my way through the evening rush hour on the causeway to Miami Beach. Even though it was crawling along, I still felt a sense of ease. The causeway surrounded by the aqua water of Biscayne Bay has a tranquil effect. Small pleasure boats darted by. The view of the receding Miami downtown skyline sparkled in the waning sunlight making the high-rise buildings look like so many crown jewels. The causeway ended as I inched through familiar territory. My old high school, the Katz Kosher Super Market where I stopped after school with my friends for candy treats from my grandfather. It all looked the same.
    Then I turned down Fiftieth Street. The second lot from the corner is where our old house should be standing. Instead there were two townhouses squished onto the lot I slowed to view it all. The yard where my two brothers, William and Jonathan, and I played endless hours of football and soccer was filled with the faux Spanish architecture that has become the new Miami look. I stared in bewilderment as I recalled mother’s garden that decorated the front of the house. Now the front of the new buildings consisted of a brick courtyard without a bit of grass or a