Murder Most Mellow (A Kate Jasper Mystery)

by Girdner, Jaqueline

  “So, she said, ‘whoops,’ “ I concluded for him. It was an interesting theory, but I had my doubts. It didn’t sound like a concept that Sarah would understand, even in death.

  “I’ve been thinking, too,” began Tony diffidently. The spikes of his Mohawk were beginning to wilt in the steam. “Sarah was an immortalist. She believed she could live forever. And her will was so strong she probably would have, too.”

  “Perhaps,” Peter granted impatiently.

  “But isn’t immortality in this lifetime the ultimate limitation?” Tony argued. His eyes were wide and moist with emotion. It felt good to be able to trust his sincerity again. “Maybe it was important for her to go on to the next stage—”

  “But—” Peter began.

  “I think that’s what she realized when she sent us ‘whoops,’ “ Tony finished quickly.

  Peter opened his mouth to object again, but apparently thought better of it. He let his mouth close and leaned back against the tub’s wall, his face pinched in thought. I leaned back too and considered Tony’s theory. I didn’t really buy it. It supposed a message from the dead in the first place, and insight from Sarah in the second place. Before I could get to the third place, Sarah’s voice came into my mind reminding me that nothing was impossible. All right, all right, I told myself. Maybe it’s true.

  Peter’s face began to relax, the flesh loosening around his jaw and cheekbones, hints of a smile at the corners of his mouth. Tony’s Mohawk was even more relaxed. It looked less like a fan now, more like a row of colorful spider chrysanthemums. I smiled, then noticed the crisp blue sky for the first time, and the smells and sounds of October that were lazily floating around us. A radio was playing rock’n’ roll somewhere; someone was barbecuing, and C.C. was meowing.

  She came racing around the side of the house, her eyes blinking with pleasure. The object of her excitement was shuffling close behind: Wayne.

  I gazed at his battered face. I couldn’t remember a lovelier sight since I had retrieved my teddy bear from premature burial in the garbage can some thirty years ago.

  Wayne kept his eyes on the ground as he walked toward us, lifting them only for a quick nod at Peter and Tony, then lowering them again.

  “Brought you something,” he growled softly.

  He moved close enough to the tub to touch me. But he didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. He stuck his hand in his pocket instead and pulled out a small purple velvet box.

  He brought his eyes up from the ground again briefly. I saw the uncertainty in them; then they were obscured by his brows as he looked back down.

  “Here,” he said. He held the box out to me on his open palm like a tourist feeding a wild animal.

  I reached a wet hand through the steam and plucked the box from his palm. I examined it cautiously. It looked like a jewelry box. Wayne rubbed his empty hands together anxiously.

  “For God’s sake, open the thing!” Peter snapped.

  I opened it. A ring was nestled inside, a ring with an unusual setting. Small sapphires sketched a rod and a circle. The circle was filled with tiny sparkling diamonds. Damn. What did it mean?

  I looked up at Wayne. His gaze remained fastened on the ground. “An award for the best sleuth I know,” he explained in a low rumble.

  Finally, I recognized the shape. It was a detective’s magnifying glass. I leaned my head back and laughed.

  A magnifying glass set into a ring. What a great present! Then my stomach lurched. Was this an engagement ring?

  “No,” Wayne said, as if he had heard me. Was everyone psychic now? He lifted his head and gazed at me with an intensity that could have fried eggs.

  “It’s a living-together ring,” he said, his rough voice stronger now. “I’m offering to make you a dishonest woman.” He paused. “Okay?” he asked softly.

  “Okay!” I agreed and launched myself out of the water and into Wayne’s arms, triggering a small tidal wave which soaked everyone.

  C.C. and Peter howled in unison. Tony yelped, “My hair!”

  But Wayne didn’t complain a bit.

  Table of Contents

  Kate Jasper Mysteries

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five