Leave No Stone Unturned (A Lexie Starr Mystery, Book 1) (29 page)

"Haunted is fast paced, complex... and has just the right hint of romance."

~Jill Churchill, author of the Jane Jeffry and Grace and Favor cozy mystery series

"I love Lexie Starr. She can get into more trouble without half trying than anyone
else I've ever read. Jeanne Glidewell's books always make me laugh!"

~Alice Duncan, author of the Angels, Spirits, and Pecos Valley series

"Good afternoon, Ms. Sneed. I'm so sorry to learn of the death of your son. How are
you feeling?" Mr. Wright asked with obvious insincerity. The sickeningly sweet voice
he used to speak to her was almost nauseating to me. "We'll need to make some alterations
in your legal documents."

"Who are you?" She asked. She pointed a long, gnarly index finger at him, and then
at me, and asked, "And who's your wife here?"

"I'm your attorney, Ms. Sneed. I'm Sheldon Wright, of Hocraffer, Zumbrunn, Kobialka.
and Wright," he said. Then he pointed my way with his thumb, and spoke in a disparaging
manner. "And, trust me, this woman is not my wife."

"You're an attorney? Am I being sued?" Melba asked. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No, of course not. As you know, your son has recently passed. I'm here to update
your power-of-attorney, and of course, your will. It's routine for my law firm to
keep these documents current, just in case the unexpected happens," he explained.
"We always put our clients first, because we need to protect your interests, of course."

"The only thing I'm interested in is finding out why I'm here and when I'm getting
out," she spat out, literally. Bits and pieces of God knows what flew out all over
the bed. Melba ran the back of her hand across her frothy mouth. I now was in danger
of puking up my lunch.

I'd sat silently up to this point during Mr. Wright's conversation with Melba. I reached
out now and patted the hand she hadn't swiped across her mouth as briefly as I could.
"I imagine they'll be releasing you soon, my dear. I'm sure they'll let you out to
attend Walter's wake this evening. You know, you really don't have to deal with all
this legal stuff today if you don't want to. Next week is soon enough, after things
have settled down, and by then you'll be in a better condition to deal with them."

"Okay," she responded. It was clear she was confused, and I was sure she didn't have
a clue what she was agreeing to. Still, I couldn't resist tossing Mr. Wright an "I
told you so" look. Two could play at his game, I thought.

"And who are you again?" Melba asked me. I realized then that nothing beneficial or
informative was going to come out of this visit with Melba. I doubt she could have
come up with her own name, much less mine, or Mr. Wright's.

"I'm Lexie Starr, Melba. Your son was working for my partner and me when he mysteriously
died. The police have determined that an unknown assailant killed Walter, so I'm trying
to help the detectives discover who that person is. I also feel I should make sure
you're being treating adequately. I feel a bit responsible—"

"Aha!" Melba exclaimed. "So you're the one who's responsible for all this?"

"Oh, no, Melba—"

With Melba's last remark, spittle had sprayed all over my shirt. I couldn't wait to
get home, remove my clothes, and boil them.

"So, Ms. Starr,
are
you responsible for all this?" Mr. Wright asked. Now he had the same "I told you
so" look on his face I'd worn moments earlier. "Why exactly do you feel so responsible?
Is it guilt? Negligence? Or what? Are you here to try to talk Ms. Sneed out of her
money? What exactly do you have to gain personally from being here, trying to pretend
you honestly give a damn about what happens to Melba?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" I nearly shouted. "I honestly do give a damn, you jerk! Walter
was working for me when he was killed. I was at the house when it happened, but I
had no idea what was going on in the parlor while I was in another part of the house.
That's what I meant by feeling responsible. I had nothing to do with his death, I
have nothing to gain from it, and I certainly don't want a dime from Ms. Sneed. Like
I said before, I was very close to Walter. I would give anything, and do anything,
to bring his killer to justice."

"Of course you would," he said snidely.

"At the very least I feel I owe it to Walter to look after his mother," I told the
attorney. "Which is more than I can say for the folks at Hocraffer, Zumbrunn, Kobialka,
and Wright. I think I should have the authorities check you for an alibi and a monetary
motive. You seem terribly concerned about Melba's will, and what will happen to her
money if something happens to her. I might also see what I can do to have you disbarred."

"Humph! Fat chance, lady!" he said as he laughed in disdain. He knew he hadn't technically
done anything unjust, remotely illegal, completely immoral, or anything else he could
be disbarred for doing. He had pissed me off, and that's about the size of it. Pissing
people off was merely part of the job description of a lawyer. There weren't a zillion
lawyer jokes for no reason.

"Watch me, you pompous ass," I hissed.

With that final declaration I stormed out of the room. I knew I didn't have a chance
in hell of getting the man disbarred. Cats would eat with chopsticks before I could
pull off a trick like that. But at least my threat gave the creep something to chew
on for a while.

Haunted

by

Jeanne Glidewell

~

To purchase

Haunted

from your favorite eBook Retailer,

visit Jeanne Glidewell's eBook Discovery Author Page

www.ebookdiscovery.com/JeanneGlidewell

~

Discover more with

eBookDiscovery.com

Also by Jeanne Glidewell

SOUL SURVIVOR

A Novel of Suspense

On a sunny Kansas afternoon, six-year-old Skylar Robbins experiences her first flashback
and claims to have once been Radha Joshi, a young woman who lived in India.

As Skylar's nightmares and flashbacks worsen, her child-psychologist and past-life
regressonist are convinced Skylar is recalling a genuine former lifetime with a tragic
end.

Hoping to find relief for their daughter and to patch up their marriage, Zoe and Trey
leave everything behind for Bombay.

In India, the situation intensifies as the truth about Radha’s disappearance and mysterious
death unravels.

"...suspense with intricate plotting, creative flashbacks, a touch of mystery and
romance. A memorable read."

~Publishers Weekly

To purchase

Soul Survivor

from your favorite eBook Retailer,

visit Jeanne Glidewell's eBook Discovery Author Page

www.ebookdiscovery.com/JeanneGlidewell

~

Discover more with

eBookDiscovery.com

Jeanne Glidewell, a 2006 pancreas and kidney transplant recipient, and her husband,
Robert, reside in the small Kansas town of Bonner Springs. She is a mentor for the
Gift of Life Program in Kansas City, mentoring future transplant recipients. Promoting
organ donation is an important endeavor of hers.

Prior to moving back home to Kansas, Jeanne and Bob owned a large RV Park in Cheyenne,
Wyoming.

Besides writing, she enjoys fishing, traveling, and wildlife photography.

Her second Lexie Starr novel is titled
The Extinguished Guest
and is available for downloading
.
The third,
Haunted
, and fourth,
With This Ring
, will be available in the fall of 2013.

Jeanne has also written a mainstream fictional novel,
Soul Survivor
, which is also currently available for downloading.

She's a member of Sisters-in-Crime and Mystery Writers of America and is working on
the fifth novel of her Lexie Starr cozy series.

Jeanne enjoys hearing from her readers. You can contact her through her website:
www.jeanneglidewell.com