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Cabot Meg Dziewczyna ameryki Dziewczyna Ameryki
Cabot Meg Porzuceni 01 Porzuceni
Cabot Meg Pamietnik ksieznicz Ksiezniczka na rozowo
Cabot, Meg Allie 03 Allie setzt sich durch
Cabot, Meg Allie 01 Vorhang auf fuer Allie
Cabot, Meg Prinzessin Mia 10 Dein Herzensprinz, Prinzessin!
Cabot, Meg Susannah 05 Auch Geister koennen sich verli
Cabot, Meg Heather Wells 03 Mord au Chocolat
Cabot Meg 1 800 Jesli Widzial Kryptonim Kasandra
Cabot, Meg Heather Wells 02 Schwer verliebt

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.“I know how the thing works.What I saw wasn’t consistent with any kind of accident with a kerosene lamp.But it’s exactly what would happen if you poured gasoline around the shed and then threw in a match just as Cordelia showed up.”“And you think it was your neighbor, Theo Weaver, who did this?” Stanley asked.“Damn right I do,” Cordelia said.“I told you, I saw him slinking away from the shed and hopping over the fence.”Hopping over the fence? It was eight feet tall if it was an inch.Was their neighbor a recreational pole vaulter? I could see Stanley frown at this, too.“You recognized him?” he said aloud.“Wasn’t it dark?”“It wasn’t that dark.There was a full moon, so with all the snow around, you could see pretty well when there was a break in the clouds.And not that bad even when the clouds were there.Wasn’t so much the darkness as the glare from the flames that made it hard to see.Hard, but not impossible.And I know Weaver well enough to recognize him.He was carrying something that could easily have been one of those red plastic gas cans, slipping along the hedge and then jumping the fence into his own yard.”Stanley glanced over at me.If he was waiting for a signal, or the answer to some unspoken question, he was doomed to disappointment.I shrugged.Whatever question he was asking, that answer seemed to satisfy him.“It does sound as if there may be some scope for investigation,” Stanley said.“Good,” Annabel said.“You can start today.No time like the present.”“There are a couple of things I need to do before I agree to go forward with this,” Stanley said.“First, I need to consult my client.”“Consult away,” she said.“If you two want some privacy, use the study.”“My client is actually Meg’s grandfather, Dr.Blake,” Stanley said.“Wait—Blake hired you to find Cordelia?” Annabel asked.Stanley nodded.Annabel looked puzzled, and not entirely pleased.“A little late in the day, don’t you think?” she asked.“Better late than never,” I said.Annabel’s face wore a thunderous look.Clearly she was not a fan of her late cousin’s lover.“Dr.Blake was unaware, until a few years ago, that his relationship with Cordelia had produced a son,” Stanley said.“He should have known it was a possibility,” Annabel retorted.“Some biologist he is.”Stanley nodded, conceding the point.“Technically, I’ve completed the task Dr.Blake hired me for,” he said.“Find Cordelia.If she was alive, see if she wanted any contact with her son and his family.If she was dead, tell him what I’d learned about her life since their parting.We never anticipated this—finding she’d been murdered and being asked to investigate it.I need to clear it with him before I can continue.”“And if Blake says forget about it, case closed?” Annabel snapped.“What then?”“Then Stanley will talk to my dad,” I said.“Who obviously has an even stronger reason for wanting to find out what happened to his mother.For that matter, so do I, and I bet my brother and sister will, too.”“I feel reasonably sure Dr.Blake will authorize the expanded investigation,” Stanley said.“And if he doesn’t, I can terminate my contract with him and work with others in the family.But I do have to talk to him first.”“That works,” Annabel said, with a brisk nod.“And you know, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of old Monty footing the bill for this.From what I hear, he can certainly afford it.So one way or another, you can move ahead, then, once you clear up the question of who’s the client.”“Correct,” Stanley said.“I’ll also need to talk to the local police.” His pen was poised over his notebook.“Can you give me the name of the police detective who worked the case?”“Detective!” Annabel snorted.“We don’t have police detectives here in Riverton.We have Chief Heedles and four patrol officers.The chief did the investigation, if you can call it that.”“Chief Heedles,” Stanley repeated.“No involvement from the county sheriff’s office, or the state police?”“Riverton’s an incorporated town,” Annabel said.“County doesn’t have jurisdiction.I hear they offered, but Chief Heedles didn’t seem to want any interference.”“I’ll need to talk to Chief Heedles, then—could you spell it?”“H-e-e-d-l-e-s,” Annabel said.“First name, Mo.”I could tell from her tone that she probably wasn’t crazy about Stanley wanting to consult the chief.Evidently, Stanley picked up on that as well.“It’s a touchy business,” he said.“Coming onto a law enforcement officer’s turf and conducting an investigation of what’s probably considered a closed case.It’ll go better if I contact the chief up front, try to smooth any ruffled feathers beforehand.”“Suit yourself,” Annabel said.“Just don’t let her snow you.”“Her?” Stanley was the one who made the mistake of saying this aloud.“Surprised?” Annabel’s tone was sharp, and just a little triumphant.“The Mo is short for Maureen.So you think a police chief has to be a man?”“No,” he said.“But I know quite a few very competent women law enforcement officers who are still banging their heads against the glass ceiling.I’m pleasantly surprised that Riverton is so progressive.”“Nice save,” she said.“And we’re not that progressive—her daddy was the chief of police before her, and she didn’t have any brothers.Anyway, don’t let her snow you.There was nothing accidental about Cordelia’s death.Wait a minute.I’ve got something for you.”She stood up and strode briskly across the room to where some papers were lying on a side table.My heart beat faster suddenly.I had the feeling she was about to show us something of Cordelia’s.A photo, perhaps.Or a letter she’d left in case her son or any of her grandchildren ever showed up after her death.Romantic nonsense, I knew, but still—“Here’s a copy of my file on the case,” she said, holding out a slender manila folder.“I put it together so I’d have something to show the state police if I ever got them interested.”Stanley took the folder and tucked it under his arm.Annabel must have seen my disappointment.“Not what you were hoping for?” She patted my arm.“Don’t worry.Give me her killer and I’ll give you her life story, all of it.Dwight, see them safely on their way.”She turned and left through a door at the back of the room.I suspected it led to the kitchen [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]