Murder In the Past Tense (A Giorgio Salvatori Mystery Book 2) by LYNN BOHART

invasion,” the officer replied matter-of-factly, glancing back up the street.
    “That’s 1818 right there.”
    He pointed to a big colonial-style home with white pillars holding up the front portico. An ambulance was just pulling out of the driveway and drew alongside Giorgio’s car. The officer waved it by and Giorgio’s eyes tracked the red and white van as it turned the corner and left.
    “The old guy that lived there was shot in the chest,” the cop said.
    Giorgio glanced at Swan and back again. “I need to speak to the officer in charge.”
    “Okay. Pull up over there,” he said, gesturing to his left. “And then ask for Lieutenant Pearson.”
    Pendleton Drive curved out of sight under a canopy of trees about 100 yards away. Giorgio pulled up in front of a red brick house across the street from Springer’s home. Three women stood in front of the house, arms crossed, watching the activity with grim faces. A young boy stood at the curb.
    Giorgio got out of the car, noticing the women and the little boy.
    “I doubt they’ve ever seen anything like this in this neighborhood,” Swan said cynically.
    “No,” Giorgio agreed. “My guess is that there will probably be a run on updated security systems after this.”
    Three police cars were parked in Springer’s driveway, along with the coroner’s van. He and Swan strode up the driveway as the ME and his assistant were climbing into their vehicle. The two Sierra Madre officers climbed the porch steps, but were stopped at the front door by a burly officer in uniform.
    Giorgio asked to speak to Lieutenant Pearson. A few minutes later, a thirty-ish woman with a decent figure and short, brown hair came out and shook his hand. She was dressed in a dark pantsuit and thick, rubber-heeled shoes. She wore her badge on a lanyard around her neck.
    “I’m Lieutenant Pearson. I’m a bit busy here. What can I do for the Sierra Madre PD?” she said in a husky voice.
    “We were coming to interview Mr. Springer,” Giorgio said to her. “It has to do with an old case we’re working on.”
    She regarded Giorgio a moment and then said, “The body found up at that monastery?” When Giorgio nodded, she said, “I saw it on the news. Okay, let’s step over here.” She moved to one side to allow another officer to move past them. “Well, I doubt this guy was your perp for that one,” she said. “He was in his mid-eighties and walked with a cane.”
    “The body we found is over forty years old,” Giorgio said. “So Springer could have been the perp back then. But we were just looking for some information from him.”
    “Well, this looks premeditated,” she said, nodding toward the house. “Someone called his housekeeper early this morning, telling her that her daughter had been in an accident and was all the way over at Santa Monica Hospital. Of course, she took off, leaving Mr. Springer alone. Whoever this was broke in through the kitchen door.”
    “What about an alarm system?” Giorgio asked, glancing around. “These are all pretty expensive homes.”
    She nodded. “The line at the back of the house was cut.”
    She had her hands on her hips and seemed to be considering something. Finally, she said, “Let’s get you checked in and I’ll take you inside.”
    Giorgio and Swan put on the blue paper booties they found in a box at the front door, checked in with the duty officer and then followed Detective Pearson into the foyer of the home. A large chandelier hung from a vaulted ceiling and a big staircase curved up to the second floor along the left wall. To their right was the living room, where two forensics people were dusting for prints. The floor was littered with broken glass, books and random papers.
    “Up here,” Pearson said.
    She led them up the stairs to where a streak of blood ran down the wall just to the left of a bedroom door.
    “He was found here, slumped against the wall,” she said, pointing to the spot where Springer had died.
    Giorgio