Elaine Orr - Jolie Gentil 02 - Rekindling Motives by Elaine Orr Page B

and I wondered what fascination it held.
    “You said that he would never have left you. Did you think he’d had an accident or…”
    “Nonsense,” she said briskly. “I firmly believe Peter killed him. They were having some kind of running fight about their business, but Richard never said exactly what.” She shrugged, “Probably over money. Peter put more money into their business than Richard did, but Richard thought he did a lot more of the work. He felt that Peter treated him more like a lowly employee than a partner.”
    She leaned her head back and her expression was drained. I realized I had probably stayed too long, and decided to try to talk more tomorrow. Maybe I could work in a discussion of the building she had for sale. Or, the photo albums might bring more memories to light. I stood to leave, and as I did so she grasped my hand very tightly with both of hers. “Do you believe me?”
    “Of course.” I paused. “The photos of the two of you show a couple very much in love.”
    “Yes, yes. We really were.” She dabbed at her eyes again.
    “I’m sorry if I upset you,” I said.
    She dismissed my apology with a wave of the hand. “It’s been a long time.” She smiled up at me. “I’m really looking forward to seeing those pictures.”
    I WALKED TOWARD the lobby so deep in thought that I did not pay attention to the person coming toward me in the hallway. When she called my name I came to a quick stop and looked into Annie Milner’s eyes.
    “Jolie, you look…” she paused, “Is your aunt here?”
    “No, in fact, I was visiting your Aunt Mary Doris.” Was it my imagination or did she look shocked?
    “I didn’t realize you knew her.” She shifted a shopping bag from one arm to another.
    I thought fast. I didn’t want her to think I was bothering her aunt. “I don’t, but I saw her photo in the albums, the albums from the Tillotson’s attic,” I explained, at her puzzled expression. “I thought she might like to know of them. I told her I would bring them back tomorrow.” I nodded at her bags. “Looks as if you’re getting ready to move in.”
    She smiled, tightly. “Aunt Mary Doris is allergic to fragrances, so I take her nightgowns home to launder.”
    “That’s really good of you.” I made a mental note to see if Aunt Madge was allergic to anything. I couldn’t remember her talking about any allergies.
    “She and I have been close all my life. It’s no trouble.” We looked at each other awkwardly. “I’ll see you,” she said as she continued down the hall.
    I looked at her back for a few seconds. She’s quite a bit taller than my five feet two inches and has very erect posture, almost like a model. I watched her neck-length dark brown hair bounce up and down with a couple of steps and then turned toward the automatic door.
    What is she up tight about? It seemed to me that Annie Milner doing her aunt’s laundry was the kind of thing that would give her a few points with voters, at least the ones Aunt Madge’s age.
    SCOOBIE WAS READY TO BE DONE with inventorying the attic. “You aren’t up there sneezing your brains out,” were his exact words when I met him for coffee at Java Jolt the next day.
    I nodded slowly as I sipped my coffee. “That’s true. What if…”
    “You’re going to say what if you did some of the work upstairs, and the answer is still no.”
    I pointed at the book he had sitting in front of him, the first edition of All Quiet on the Western Front . “You sure you don’t want to find any more treasures like that one?”
    “I should probably find something less depressing to read.” He nodded at two younger men as they came in the door, apparently fresh from a stroll on the cold beach, and turned his attention back to me. “I know what you’re doing. You want to guilt me into it.”
    Scoobie knows me too well. “Guilt, no. I guess the whole thing has my…”
    “Dander up?” he asked, not concealing his smile. “Hard-headed nature in