Dusted to Death by Barbara Colley

Carol I would babysit the twins for a couple of hours, that would be the time they would call for me to come back to work.”
    Still and all, maybe it was simply a wrong number, or someone looking for a maid, or…“Oh, for pity’s sake, just answer it,” she whispered. With a sigh, she picked up the receiver. “Maid-for-a-Day, Charlotte speaking.”
    “You’ll never guess what I just found out.”
    Great! Bitsy!
    “The police have arrested Angel Martinique for murdering that boyfriend of hers,” Bitsy continued without waiting for Charlotte to comment. “I believe the boyfriend’s name is Nick Franks or Franklin, something like that. But then you probably already know that, don’t you?” Without waiting for an answer she continued. “They say that Angel stabbed him with a letter opener, of all things. Do you think she did it on purpose or was it an accident?”
    When Charlotte didn’t answer, Bitsy said, “Oh, never mind. Anyway, not only did they find her fingerprints all over the letter opener, but there’s been some talk that Angel and this Nick person have a history that goes way back to when they were teenagers.”
    For several moments, Charlotte was too stunned to speak. Even though she’d witnessed two separate altercations between Nick Franklin and Angel, and one had even been a bit violent, she just couldn’t picture Angel stabbing Nick.
    “Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” Bitsy demanded.
    Charlotte took a shaky breath. “First of all, is this just gossip or facts? And second, if what you’ve just told me is true, where did you get your information? There was nothing on the morning news about any of this.”
    “No, it’s not ‘just gossip.’ I don’t gossip.”
    Charlotte rolled her eyes. Yeah, right, and I’m the Queen of England .
    “I’ll have you know,” Bitsy retorted, “I have my sources. I may be old, but in case you’ve forgotten, I still have connections to City Hall.”
    Oh, boy, now she’d gone and insulted the old lady…again. She knew she should be ashamed for being so impatient and judgmental, but Bitsy had a way of getting on her last nerve.
    “And by the way,” Bitsy continued, obviously still miffed, “while I’m thinking about it, you should have told me that you were the one who discovered the body.”
    Dear Lord, give me strength . “Bitsy, I’ve already explained to you why I couldn’t do that.” Charlotte forced herself to soften her tone. “I just want to know who told you about the arrest.”
    “Well, if you must know, my neighbor called me. Don’t you remember? She’s the one whose son works over at the jail. She’s also keeping me informed about the goings-on around my house while I’m gone.”
    Charlotte was still trying to wrap her mind around the idea of Bitsy having a snitch when the old lady said, “So, what do you think? Did Angel do it? I figure since you’ve been around her for a couple of days, surely you have some kind of opinion about it.”
    Charlotte had no intention of discussing her own speculations about Angel’s guilt or innocence with Bitsy or prolonging the conversation, for that matter. Purposely ignoring the question, she said, “Bitsy, I really appreciate the information and I hate to cut this short, but I was on my way out the door when you called. I promised Carol that I would babysit Samantha and Samuel this morning.”
    For several moments, the only sound Charlotte heard was heavy breathing, then, “Humph! When you finish babysitting , call me.” The next sound Charlotte heard was a loud click.
    Charlotte pulled the receiver away from her ear and stared at it. “I can’t believe it. She hung up on me.” She shook her head. “Guess there’s a first for everything,” she told Sweety Boy as she picked up her purse and headed for the door. Just as she reached for the doorknob, she remembered the detective’s warning about reporters camping out on her doorstep. “Might be a good idea to check