“I love you, Frannie, but you’re out of control. I have to end it, once and for all.”
She pulled back Felicity’s head to draw the knife across her throat. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out.
“No you don’t, Frannie!”
A figure flew past me and tackled the two sisters to the ground. The struggle lasted less than a minute. Johnny Scarvino held Corinne in a tight grip, her hands behind her.
“Felicity, call the police,” he ordered.
Felicity stared at him.
Johnny glared down at Corinne. “I knew you killed them and framed my father, but I had to hear it for myself.” He tapped his chest. “I got it all down on tape.”
I wanted to hold Felicity in my arms, but something primordial kept me from moving forward. “I’ll call the police,” I offered.
“Thanks, Lexie,” Johnny said, sending me a beautiful smile.
He knew I was there all the time. I started for my house when I heard a police siren coming closer. Then another. I grinned as a wave of relief sweep over me. Brian! He’d figured it out.
He was at my side a minute later, then he closed in on Felicity and Corinne or Catherine and Francisca. Johnny stepped back to let the police officers do their job.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“So tell me, Is it true you guys are planning to move in together?” Mike shouted above the soft rock and conversation buzz in the elegant Skyler Room of The Lion’s Head Inn.
I didn’t answer. Neither did Brian. Instead, he leaned over to nuzzle my neck.
“Well?” Mike persisted. His third vodka martini had made him oblivious to how close I was to taking a swing at his face. He had no business asking about something I’d agreed to but hadn’t quite accepted in the deepest recesses of my soul.
Mike remained standing before us, grinning like a fool. Clearly, he wasn’t walking away until he got a satisfactory answer.
“That’s the plan,” Brian answered, “soon as Lexie can wrap her mind around the idea.” He planted a kiss on my nose. Despite my best intentions, I giggled. “Al’s the most considerate landlord,” Brian continued. “He told her to stay in the house as long as she likes.” He tilted my head so he could kiss me full on the lips. “And I’m amenable to letting her take the rest of the year to make her decision.”
Now I wanted to kick Brian in the shins for being so damn clever. So I was frightened. I was scared. He had no right to turn this into a joke. Though I knew he was serious about the deadline. Less than three weeks remained to the year, but who was counting?
“You guys will be happy. Like Joy and me.” Mike zoomed in to hug us, and managed to drop his lemon peel on my shoe.
I pushed him away. “Mike, you’re turning into a sloppy drunk. You’re the host, remember?”
My words had no affect on him. He planted a resounding kiss on my cheek. “I’m the host. I can have as many martinis as I like.”
I breathed a sigh of relief when he finally wandered off to ask, God knew what other personal questions, of his guests.
The song changed. Brian took my hand. “Care to dance?”
The dance floor was small, forcing us to hold each other close. He hummed as he wove me around Joy and Mike’s guests, most of whom I knew.
I felt safe in Brian’s arms, secure with a tingle of sexual anticipation. So why was I terrified of moving in with him?
“Don’t fret, Lexie. We’ll be fine together,” he whispered.
“I know. I want to. I just—”
“Have cold feet. Had bad experiences. Need my space,” Brian finished for me.
I laughed. “All of the above.”
He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. “I’ll give you plenty of space,” he said softly. “And you won’t have to make dinner most nights.”
I nodded. “I want us to live together. It’s just taking some getting used to.”
And that was it, I realized. I was terrified of making changes in my personal life for fear of making another wrong decision.
But Brian wasn’t a wrong decision. He was decent through and through, and I loved him. I rested my head on his shoulder and smiled up at him.
We wandered over to the hors d-oeuvres table and helped ourselves to mini quiches and skewers of chicken satay. We managed to find an empty table. A minute later, Marge and Evan joined us. We chatted about Joy, who looked amazingly sexy in a slinky black dress, and the delicious food. Then Evan leaned over to kiss my cheek.
“I never thanked you for getting me to spill everything to this guy.”
I patted his arm. “I knew you weren’t at that thieves’ den on your own volition.”
Marge’s face turned a stormy gray. “That Corinne, or whatever her name is, is as evil as Lucifer.”
“She helped bring Eloisa to you,” I said.
“And tried to force Evan to steal for her gang,” Marge said. “Her greed has no limits.”
Sadie sank into the empty chair and fanned herself with a paper napkin. “She’s more monstrous than Simon in Brat Farrar—killing her parents, robbing the bank where she worked.”
Joy came to stand behind me. “Come to think of it, she took on a male role like Lee Searle. Who would have thought.”
I couldn’t resist saying, “I told you, didn’t I? You underestimated her.”
“What’s happening with poor Felicity?” Sadie asked.
“I’m afraid the whole episode’s caused her to have a nervous breakdown. She’s in a facility, getting the proper care,” Joy said.
“And Johnny Scarvino’s looking in on her,” I said. “Odd how that worked out.”
“They’re working on releasing his father from prison,” Brain said, “though he probably belongs there for all the other crimes he’s committed.”
I took the last bite of what remained on my plate and let the conversation swirl around me. Corinne was behind bars and the rest of us had resumed our lives. I was glad to be in the company of friends, all of whom were dear to me. Hard to believe I’d known them for four months and Brian for all of six months.
I giggled.
“What’s so funny?” he wanted to know.
“Nothing.” The trio was playing an old Cole Porter song. “Wanna dance?”
Brian stood. “I thought you’d never ask.”
To my readers:
Writing the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mysteries gives me the opportunity to share some of my favorite mystery authors with my readers. Josephine Tey is one of the best, and I hope that reading Murder the Tey Way has inspired you to read some of her novels.
Marilyn Levinson
About the Author
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and books for kids.
Marilyn loves traveling, reading, knitting, doing Sudoku, and visiting with her granddaughter, Olivia, on FaceTime. She is co-founder and past president of the Long Island chapter of Sisters in Crime.
Her website is: www.MarilynLevinson.com
Her Amazon Author’s Page is: http://amzn.to/K6Md1O
If you’ve enjoyed reading Murder the Tey Way,
please consider writing a short review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Murder the Tey Way: A Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mystery (The Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mysteries 2) Page 24