Dying to Be Murdererd
Page 19
“What do you mean?”
“He told me I’d done what Mary paid me to do, but I never told him that Mary had given me money. As to whether or not he knew at that point how far Mary planned to go to frame Eileen, I doubt we’ll ever know. He’d be an idiot to confess. He was fine with letting Eileen be suspected of murder, even with ruining her reputation. It’s hard to say exactly when he would have said enough is enough.”
“Mmmmm. It’s difficult. Once you make that choice to be silent,” Teri said. “Speaking up just gets harder and harder.”
“Is this a private conversation or can anyone join?” Leigh Ann put her arms around their necks and stuck her head between theirs. “What I want to know is how you explain the ghost sightings.”
“All I can do is speculate,” Jennifer said, “but we know Mary used the lantern when she came through the passageways. If the light was seen from the street by someone with an overactive imagination, he or she might believe it was Amy haunting the house.”
“Well, you haven’t convinced me it wasn’t Amy Loggins, like the book says,” Leigh Ann insisted, stubborn as always.
“She just made your case,” Teri said.
Leigh Ann swatted at her and then hugged them both tight. “It’s down to the three of us, my friends.”
“Yep,” Teri agreed. “April’s deserted us for the land of the published.”
“She’s right, isn’t she?” Leigh Ann asked. “We’ll all get published one day, won’t we?”
“One day,” Jennifer promised. If they all lived long enough.
Epilogue
Eileen had asked Jennifer to come to the mansion and help her pack up Juliet’s belongings. She couldn’t get rid of any of them, not yet, but it was time they were out of that room, time Juliet’s memory was put to rest. Melba couldn’t bring herself to help, and Eileen didn’t feel right asking Monique.
When Eileen stepped out of the room to get them both some iced tea, Jennifer found a small volume when she’d tried to move the dresser after a barrette had fallen behind it. The book had been pushed to the far back corner next to the leg.
She’d taken it, shamelessly, without a word to Eileen, and tucked it into her pocket. Alone in her apartment, Jennifer ran her fingers over the leather volume stamped with the word Diary. She opened the cover and flipped through the pages searching for the last entry. She was violating Juliet’s privacy for the final time. “I promise,” she whispered to herself. “No more.”
The date read October 13, 1972.
Malcolm must think I hate him. We said such horrible things to each other. Once I’ve done what I’m planning, he will have to somehow know that it’s not because of him or anything he said to me, not because of his anger. It’s because of me, because of what I did. It was my decision to make, not Mary’s. It was me who didn’t have the courage to tell her no.
I asked the doctor if he could tell what sex the baby would have been. He said it was a boy. Our little Darren.
Please forgive me, Malcolm. I will always love you.
Juliet
Jennifer closed the book, an overwhelming sadness engulfing her once more. She went to her desk, and, from the left hand drawer, dug out a padded envelope. She slipped the diary inside, and sealed the flap. Across the front she wrote Malcolm Reed. Then she copied the post office box number from the copy of the free paper that Monique had left with her.
She was not going to allow Mary to control the rest of Malcolm’s life. He had to know he wasn’t the reason Juliet committed suicide.
She felt something tickle the back of her neck, and she whirled. But it was only an unexpected breeze coming through the window. She turned back and listened to it whistle through the leaves outside. Surely she only imagined she heard thank you.
If you enjoyed this book, Jennifer’s adventures continue in book six of the series, Dying to Get Her Man. Purchase it at
http://www.amazon.com/Dying-Jennifer-Marsh-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0076RBAW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1336160135&sr=1-1
For a complete list of Judy Fitzwater’s books, descriptions and links to Amazon for purchase
Visit her web site at:
www.judyfitzwater.com
Contact her at judyfitzwater@gmail.com
The Jennifer Marsh Mysteries:
Originally published by The Ballantine Publishing Group
Dying to Get Published
Dying to Get Even
Dying for a Clue
Dying to Remember
Dying to Be Murdered
Dying to Get her Man
CHECK OUT HER NEW, JUST RELEASED SUSPENSE NOVEL:
DROWNING IN AIR
http://www.amazon.com/Drowning-in-Air-ebook/dp/B007YS9CQO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1335779319&sr=1-1
Other Books by Judy Fitzwater:
No Safe Place
A Silhouette Bombshell published by Silhouette Books.