[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.She withheld all the responsibilities from everyone, demanding that she do all of the work herself.”“I still don’t understand,” I said, sounding like the dullest knife in the drawer, but not knowing what I could do about it.“It was almost as if she were hiding something,” Gabby said, watching me closely to see if I was finally getting it.“Ah,” I replied, still not sure of what she meant.What could Peg have been hiding?“Naturally, Janice has been concerned about the situation, so she came to me the morning the tour was to begin.She thought I could help her, since I’d dealt with Peg before myself.”Gabby sniffed again.“I told you Janice was quite rude about it.”“You also said someone else was mean to you that day, remember?”Gabby frowned.“I’m not about to forget.”It was time to push her a little harder and see what she’d tell me.“It was Peg, wasn’t it?”Gabby looked at me as though I’d slapped her.“What makes you say that?”“It makes sense, that’s all.”“Our last words were an argument,” she said, regret thick in her voice.“On the day of the murder, you mean,” I said.She couldn’t bring herself to speak as she nodded in agreement.After a moment, she said, “I told her we needed to talk, but she called me a bad name, and then hung up.That’s when you approached me.”She looked at her hands a few moments, then added quietly, “I decided to have a word with Peg again myself, to see if I could clear the air a little.I wanted to give her the opportunity to explain herself before anyone else was involved.”“Are you saying she was doing something she shouldn’t have been doing?” I was starting to see where she was going with this now.“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”“When did you two speak again?” I asked, barely able to contain myself.“Just before she left for Marge’s house,” Gabby admitted.“Do the police know about this? Have you spoken to them?” I couldn’t believe Gabby had held back any information, not even considering how important this might be.“I wasn’t sure how it would look,” she admitted.“We shared some harsh words, and I know how Chief Martin can be when he finds a suspect he likes.”I touched her hand lightly.“What exactly did you talk about?”Gabby frowned.“She was angry, accused me of butting into her business.She threatened me, if you must know.I didn’t understand her overreaction; it was completely over the top in response to the simple questions I was asking.”“Gabby, you’ve got to tell the police.”She looked at me as though I were insane.“I can’t.I just told you, if I do that, it’s going to make me look guilty.”I wasn’t about to let it go, though.“Just think how bad it’s going to look if you don’t come forward on your own, and someone else tells Chief Martin first.”She pulled back from me.“Suzanne Hart, is that a threat?” There was an icy stillness in her eyes that made me shiver.“No, you’ve misunderstood me.I would never tell him without your permission.I won’t violate your trust.But someone else might have seen you two talking.Do you really want the chief coming after you?”“I suppose not,” she said reluctantly.“You’re probably right.Every time the door opens here or the telephone rings, I think it’s going to be the police.I haven’t slept a wink since the day of the murder.”“Gabby, would you like me to be here when you talk to Chief Martin?”Her look of horror was easy enough to read.“Why on earth would I want that? I’m a grown woman.I can speak with him myself.”I looked at my watch, then said, “Why don’t you call a lawyer to be beside you, then?”“I don’t need an attorney.I’m not the one who did something wrong.” She hesitated, then added, “You are right about one thing, Suzanne.It’s best to resolve this, and to do it quickly.I’ll call Chief Martin right after you leave.”I felt bad leaving her alone to face the police chief, but her negative reaction to my suggestion that I should stay was pretty apparent, and I didn’t feel like getting shot down again.“It’s the right thing to do,” I said as I walked toward the door.She said so softly I could barely hear her, “Thank you.”“You’re welcome.”I walked outside, and Grace was pacing back and forth in front of the used clothing shop.“What happened?”“Why didn’t you come back in after you were finished with your phone call?”“I thought you might have more luck in there without me.Did you?”I smiled softly at her.“As a matter of fact, I did.She’s calling the police right now.”“Why on earth would she do that?”“It appears that Gabby had an argument with Peg the morning she was murdered,” I said lightly.“How did you find that out? Did she actually tell you that? You’re good, Hart, I’ll give you that.”I kept looking for a police cruiser, but as the time ticked past, I was beginning to wonder if Gabby had undergone a change of heart.“How did you get her to talk to you?” Grace asked.“I told her the truth, and then I just stayed there and listened,” I admitted.She nodded.“I never thought to try that with Gabby.” As her gaze matched mine out the front window, she asked, “What were they fighting about, did she say?”“It appears that Peg made sure that her position as chairwoman handled all of the work, and her vice chair was strictly an honorary position.”“How odd.Usually it’s the other way around.”I stared at her for a second
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]