Murder in the Marigolds by Dale Mayer (good books to read for 12 year olds txt) 📗

wondered because two divorces followed, involving other partners in the law firm. As she read some of the gossip columns, she found some reports of liaisons between Robin and the partners in the law firm where she worked. That would make sense, if she had slept her way to the top.

Apparently Robin had slept her way into other advantageous positions as well. Maybe that’s the only way she knew how to be a success in life. Sad if that were the truth. But Doreen wouldn’t get hung up on that right now. There was just so much else. She searched the first husband because that could make for another suspect. But, as she searched, she didn’t find a whole lot. He was a lawyer in Vancouver, married, with two kids. She frowned as she searched for anything more, but she found nothing. She quickly sent Nick a message back. The first husband seems clear.

Agreed.

And she kept searching, looking for anything, but nothing was to be found. She groaned, as she sank back. “Come on,” she said, to no one in particular, though Thaddeus looked interested. “If you got involved with any of the lawyers in your firm, then potentially one of the wives did something about it. That would be awfully hard to find out for sure.” On impulse Doreen picked up her phone and made a long-distance call to the law firm where Robin worked, until her death. When one of the receptionists asked who was calling, Doreen said she had heard about Robin and that she was an old friend.

“I’m so sorry,” the receptionist replied. “It’s been a shock to all of us here.”

“She said her boyfriend was one of the other lawyers there. Could I talk to him, please? I really want to know she was happy her last few months.”

“I’m sorry.” The receptionist’s voice turned stiff. “To the best of my knowledge, she didn’t have a boyfriend.”

“Oh, yes, she most definitely did,” Doreen said in a gushing voice. “I know she did. She told me how wonderful he was and that they worked together all the time.”

“Sorry,” the receptionist said stiffly, “I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, with an innocence to her voice that she was really proud of. “I’m really not trying to step on toes, but she was a really good friend of mine.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said, “but I can’t help you any further.”

“Wait, could you at least put me through to him, so I can talk to him myself?”

The woman hesitated.

“Surely it won’t hurt anyone,” Doreen whispered. “My heart is breaking for my friend.”

“I’ll pass on the message,” was all the receptionist said, and then she hung up.

“You’ll pass on the message,” Doreen said out loud. “Fascinating. So the receptionist knew that Robin had a relationship with somebody. Too bad I didn’t get his name.” She quickly texted the information to Nick. It wasn’t helpful, yet it was affirming.

Nick called her and said, “You know that Mack won’t be happy with us.”

“Ah, but you can see just how addictive this sleuthing can be?”

“Very,” he said, chuckling. “But all we know is that she had an affair with some lawyer in her office.”

“Plus several others earlier, I believe, but then she also had an affair with my ex,” she said. “So, what if some disgruntlement is there?”

“Then we lay the names and places in Mack’s lap, and he can find out.”

“I suppose,” she muttered, “but I’d really rather find out myself.”

“It is a current case. Remember that,” he said.

“Right, in which case Mack will be mad at me.” She sighed. “Is there anything suspicious about her and her ex?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if there was a cold case involving her and her ex-husband, then I could look into it.”

He started to laugh. “I have no idea,” he said. “How would we possibly find out? We both did some initial looking without any luck. So what do you suggest?”

“If only their names came up in connection to something,” she muttered.

“Well, his parents were murdered, but I don’t know that it’s a cold case.”

Her ears perked up, and she sat up straight, a big grin on her face. “Seriously? We’ll need to find out,” she said urgently. “That would be huge.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said. “You’re not getting me hooked into this. I don’t want to get on the wrong side of my brother.”

She snorted. “Are you scared of him?”

“Absolutely, and you should be too,” he warned. “We definitely do not want him upset at us.”

“Nope,” she said, “I don’t. I’ve mostly avoided that, so far. But, if it’s a cold case, then I would be fully justified in going down that pathway.”

“I’m not sure how the justification works,” he muttered, “but I can give you the names of the parents.”

“Perfect,” she said. “That’ll work.”

“In what way?”

“I have my ways and means,” she said. “What are their names?”

“Ralph and Jennifer Waldorf,” he said. “And their deaths were over a decade ago.”

“Oh boy,” she muttered. Hmm.

“What does that mean?”

“As cold cases go, a decade isn’t too bad, but it can be hard to get accurate information. Twenty years ago, we had that switch from paper to digital, and then after 2010 and beyond,” she said, “we would have social media to mine.”

“Oh, that’s interesting,” he said. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

After the call, it took quite a bit of digging, but finally she found what she was looking for. It was apparently a breaking-and-entering case gone wrong. The parents were supposed to be at the symphony for the evening, but Jennifer hadn’t been feeling well, so she’d stayed home, and so did Ralph. The intruders snuck into the basement. The father went down to investigate; there was a tussle, and he fell down the basement stairs, broke his neck, and died almost instantly. The wife heard the fight and called the police but then panicked and raced down the stairs after her husband, where they knocked her out.