Swan Song (Julie O'Hara Mystery Series) Read Online Free

said, pointing. “The time of death was estimated at ‘thirty to sixty minutes prior to the discovery of the body’. You remember you said how ‘pale’ she looked? Dianna didn’t mess around. She cut once, and deep. She bled out quickly.”
    “But why do it at Lake Eola?”
    “I don’t know, but she drove herself here. The Lexus was parked right on the Parkway. Obviously, she wanted to end it in the swan boat; maybe it was some kind of statement.”
    Julie was reading the police detective’s report, a poor quality copy.
    “Detective…what’s his name here…McPhee?”
    “Yeah, Patrick McPhee,” said Joe.
    “He says here that the blood trail ‘started on the walkway’. Couldn’t she have been attacked by someone…someone who killed her, and then ran off?”
    “There was no sign of a struggle and she had the knife, Merlin. There’s no evidence of assault for sex or money. She was wearing a small purse across her body with a thin strap. It would have been easy to cut it or pull it off her, but it was zipped-up with her license, cash and credit cards inside. Besides, why would she be walking around the Park at that hour in the morning? And what mugger, or rapist, or whatever, would even be awake ?”
    Julie sighed, leaning back in her chair, thinking about it.
    How sad. How odd that I only remember the blood on the dock, beyond the gate. Shock, probably. And they towed the swan boat in. Like everyone else, my attention was riveted on the boat and the dock.
    Now she remembered the CSI unit taking samples from the walkway.
    Wait a minute…
    “If you want to die in a swan boat, why not do it after you’re in it?”
    “She did die in the swan boat,” said Joe.
    “But she cut herself on the walkway, ” said Julie. “What if she bled too fast and couldn’t make it to the swan boat? Why would anyone drive all the way into Lake Eola Park just to die on a sidewalk? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to get in the swan boat, and then cut her wrist?”
    “‘Made more sense’? Who’s making sense when they’re committing suicide?”
    “Hmm, that’s true, I suppose,” she said, conceding the point.
    “Well…let’s narrow down the interviews.” She reached for the stack and handed it to him. “Which of these people, do you think, are most likely to give us some deeper insight about Dianna herself, as a person?”
    Joe thought about it, flipping through the pile.
    “Her partner at Bay Street Realty, Kate Winslow, definitely,” he said, setting that one aside. “Her parents, of course. The cowboy, Lincoln Tyler, from his angle. And Evelyn Hoag, I think.” He pulled them out and added them.
    “Who is Evelyn Hoag, again?”
    “You know Lee Porter, the attorney? She’s his secretary.”
    “Oh, that’s right,” said Julie. “I’ve met him. I didn’t remember her name.”
    “She seemed to be very friendly with Dianna,” said Joe. “Porter and Evelyn Hoag would both be worth seeing again. Dianna and Kate did a lot of commercial business and Lee Porter was their attorney of choice. Come to think of it, someone mentioned a complaint letter about Bay Street Realty. Porter might know more about that.”
    “Okay. Let’s put his interview in there, too. I think we should start with the Wielands, Joe, so they get to know me. Can you arrange that?”
    “Sure,” he said, putting the papers back into the file.
    “Tomorrow or the next day would be good,” she said. “And could you leave the file with me? I’ll need some time to go over it.”
    “Yes, of course. I’m glad you’re getting involved in this, Merlin. Maybe, between the two of us, we can really help Frank and Betty Wieland.”
    His eyes held hers for a moment before an awkward smile took over and he lowered them. He pushed his chair back and stood.
    “Well. I’ll call you later, Julie.”
    She walked behind him a few steps into the reception area. He turned and smiled at her as he exited her office.
    He called me Julie.
    She