Deadly Deception. Brenda Gunn
you haven’t signed the papers yet,” Jane said.
“Okay,” Brenda took a deep breath. “So what would we have to do next?”
“First we have to make them an offer. I’ll take care of that if you’ll trust me.”
“You’re my best friend. Of course I trust you. I just need a little time to think about this. It’s a big move and really expensive.”
“What about you, Glen?” Jane said softly.
“I’m all for it.” He looked back at Jane for a long moment. “I guess this is the first time you and I have agreed on something, but Brenda controls the purse strings,” he said curtly. “We’ll have to wait if that’s what she wants,” he said bitterly and walked out of the house without another word and got into the car.
“I’m sorry,” Brenda said embarassedly to her friend. “We’d better go.”
“Glen, I didn’t say no.” No one said anything. “I just said I needed some time,” Brenda said on the way home. “I talked to Suzy about selling our house and she doesn’t think I should.”
Glen’s temper flared. “That’s the damn problem, Brenda. I’m your husband, not Suzy, and I want to get out of that house and that’s all there is to it.”
“But I—”
“Oh, shut up. We’ll discuss it at home,” he said.
For the rest of the trip no one said a word.
It was twilight when they arrived home and then, just as Glen and Brenda began to get out of Jane’s car, a blue convertible which had been parked by the side of the road, the motor idling, came out like a shot, nearly knocking the two of them over. Russell Morgan leaned out the window and, as if he were a friend playing a practical joke, waved to them as the car sped by.
“Damn nut,” Glen muttered to Brenda. “He’s been doing that all week. I don’t like being watched or teased. You’d better tell your boss to do something about that guy or I will.”
He knew her habits from careful and stealthy observation. He knew how she usually drank a warm glass of milk before bed, sitting at the kitchen table and looking over her appointments for the next day in her blue book. He knew what time she usually woke, the time she allotted for dressing and a quick breakfast. He knew how she scheduled her first appointments for late morning. And he knew where she kept the spare key for the house.
Quietly letting himself in, he went straight into the kitchen and washed the milk glass in case there was residue from the sleeping pills he’d peppered the milk with the previous day. Then he went over to the refrigerator, took out the milk container, poured the remainder in the sink and rinsed it out as well, collapsing it to put it in the garbage. Next he dried the milk glass and placed it in the cabinet.
“Don’t worry, sweet Brenda. I’m definitely not going to wake you up,” he said to himself and started humming, “You Are So Beautiful To Me.”
He looked under the sink and pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol. He’d placed it there several days before when no one was home. Afterward, he lay on the floor and stuck his upper body under the sink. It was a tight fit, but he made it. He’d done it before so he knew he could. He removed a trap door at the back of the sink. It was intended to be used by plumbers to reach pipes when they needed repair, but he had hidden something in the space between the trap door and the outside wall. He pushed aside the insulation, reached in and felt around. Finally, he snagged what he was feeling for and pulled out a box. The label read CALCIUM CARBIDE.
He replaced the trap door and climbed out from under the sink. He stood, picked up the box, happily tossed it in the air, turned around and caught it behind his back. He chuckled because the move reminded him of a majorette.
Stop fooling around and get on with it.
He quietly walked to the bathroom door and listened. Silence greeted him. He opened the box, pulled a mask over his nose and mouth and began to sling the calcium carbide into the air. The fine, gray powder with its acidic smell settled on the floor, furniture, everything. It left a ghostly dust throughout the house.
He went back to the kitchen, removed his mask and took a soda from the fridge. He swished it around in his mouth and spit it out in the sink. His mouth was dry and he wanted to wash any of the carbide residues out before he took a drink. He took a sip and swallowed.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.