The Busy Woman's Guide to Murder Read Online Free Page A

what happened.”
    “But I didn’t think that.”
    “Well, you know how you’re always getting mixed up in murder. I thought you might figure this was just one more to stick your nose in.”
    “Nope. Not sticking my nose in.”
    “Are you still dating that detective? What’s his name? Oh, right, Tierney?”
    “No,” I said firmly. “I am not. Not at all.”
    “Are you still in touch with him?”
    “In no way.” I hoped that Jack was not paying attention. For some reason, everything about Connor Tierney seemed to set him off.
    “Are you sure? He’s still with the Woodbridge Police, isn’t he? I haven’t seen him for a while, but I hadn’t heard that he’d left.”
    This was tricky. Connor Tierney was dealing with a difficult family situation but that was no one’s business. “Out of town, I believe, for a few months. I don’t have details, but you could try reaching him yourself, Mona.”
    “Are you out of your mind? Do you think I’m going to call a detective and tell him I was thinking about killing someone who then turns up dead ? I suppose he wouldn’t find that suspicious.”
    “He probably would, but we don’t know who it is yet. There’s no reason to believe it’s Serena, no matter how much you might have liked that outcome.”
    “Maybe you’re right. But I’m not going to talk to him anyway. But you could stay on top of the situation.”
    “Actually, I couldn’t. We’re not on the best of terms right now.” And probably never would be. I’d let Tierney know that I wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship with him once I woke up to the fact that Jack was the man for me. Just because Jack was unaware of this didn’t mean I was going out with other people.
    “Someone needs to.”
    “It won’t be me. And for what it’s worth, I don’t believe you would murder anyone, Mona.”
    Jack raised an eyebrow at that.
    There was a long pause before Mona said, “Right. I didn’t.”
    “Okay then. I’ll let you go back to work and I’ll return to my—” Actually, my pizza had lost its appeal. Something about the windshield image and the dead woman.
    Mona said, “I just wanted to let you know that I hadn’t killed her.”
    “Good.”
    She added, “But, one other thing.”
    I turned around so I wouldn’t see Jack staring at me. Reproachful would have been the official name for his expression.
    “Yes, Mona?”
    “The woman who was hit. Do you think she was Serena?”
    “I am certain it isn’t. It will turn out to be a tragic accident. Random.”
    “Oh well. Can’t have everything.” At that, Mona hung up.
    “Don’t look at me like that, Jack. She called me.”
    “You promised, Charlotte.”
    “I know I did.”
    “You swore. No more murders.”
    “Damn straight. No more murders. None.” I felt a knot in my stomach. This wasn’t a murder. Nothing to worry about.
    “Good. You going to eat your pizza?”
    “It’s all yours, Jack.”
    How could he eat after that news? I sure couldn’t. I was too busy thinking about Mona.

Identify the time bandits in your life and give them the boot.

    2
    The small wood-paneled auditorium at the Woodbridge Public Library was bursting at its seams. The confined space already smelled of hot wool and simmering boots. Through the long windows, I could see the drifting white flakes as Woodbridge continued to be blanketed in the whitest spring on record. Even so, it wasn’t enough to keep folks away from my first time-management workshop. That was a relief.
    My organizing business needed a bit of a boost. The Woodbridge economy had taken a slam and businesses like mine had been slammed with it. Having an organizer come in and bail you out seems like a luxury to many people, and people cut luxuries in tough times. Check the magazine covers; everyone wants to reorganize their lives. No one wants to pay for it. I know that having an organized home, business, and schedule saves people lots of time and money. But business was down. Way down.