The Weekend Was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon Page B

whispered.
    “What do you mean?” They both moved forward.
    I raised my head and murmured, “I had to lie. I had no choice. My life is in danger.”
    They gasped, and I realized I might have gone just a little too far and I’d better tone it down. Eileen had told us we’d have to stick to the script. “I was told what to say, but no one must know this,” I whispered. “Don’t tell anyone, not even your teammates.”
    Their eyes shone with excitement, and Mrs. Larabee even raised her right hand as though making a pledge.
    “I knew it!” Mrs. Bandini said. “I knew you wouldn’t hit someone on the head, Mary Elizabeth.”
    “And not take his pulse.” Mrs. Larabee looked smug.
    “And sneak around pretending someone else killed him.” Mrs. Bandini smiled and gave me a little hug. “Your secret is safe with us, Mary Elizabeth.”
    Mrs. Larabee tugged at the shoulder of her friend’s shirt. “Let’s go find the rest of our team! Quickly!”
    They scurried off, leaving me with confused feelings. They didn’t ask who put me in danger. They were justhappier that my life was in danger than that I was dishonest. Well, at least they didn’t consider Fran to be a bad companion any longer.
    The telephone rang, and it was Tina. “Hi,” she said. “I’ve got the health club on monitor. Where is everybody?”
    “At the detective’s meeting,” I answered.
    “Meeting … that reminds me,” she said. “Lamar wanted me to remind you to be in Mr. Parmegan’s office at ten o’clock on the nose.”
    I felt like someone had socked me in the stomach. “Lamar’s going to be there too?” I asked. “What kind of big trouble am I in?”
    “Nobody tells me anything,” Tina said. “It’s the classic power-structure syndrome. As long as you know something that someone under you doesn’t know, then you have power over them.”
    “I’ve got zilch power,” I said, “because I’m just a summer employee.”
    “That’s right,” Tina said cheerfully. “You’re on the bottom rung.”
    That didn’t make me feel any better. I wished Tina would hurry up and start working for that degree in psychology. She might not know any more then than she did now about what she was talking about, but at least she’d have the authority to say it.
    “I’ll talk to you later,” I told her, hung up, and hurried to Mr. Lewis Parmegan’s office.
    My knees were shaking as Marie, his secretary, smilingly led me into his office and shut the door. Mr. Parmegan was trimly and expensively dressed, as usual,but I was surprised to see both Lamar and Detective Jarvis on hand too.
    Mr. Parmegan tried to look superior and officious, as he usually did while talking to me, but worry had turned down the corners of his mouth and wrinkled his forehead, so his expression was nothing more than pitiful.
    “Miss Rafferty,” he said, “please take a seat.” I had no sooner settled into one of the chairs than he said, “I understand that you overheard part of a conversation between Mr. Devane and …”
    Jarvis threw Mr. Parmegan a warning look, so he continued by saying, “and someone else.”
    Did he know where I was when I overheard it? Was he going to ask? I held my breath, but he went right past the question.
    “And during this conversation they apparently referred to me?” he added.
    I nodded. Uh-oh. The moment had come. Good-bye, job. Good-bye, Ridley Hotel.
    “Well?” he asked.
    “Well?” I repeated.
    His impatient expression was beginning to overtake the worried one. “Miss Rafferty,” he said, “I would like you to repeat the exact conversation.”
    I knew I was fidgeting, but I couldn’t help it. As I wrapped my legs around the front legs of the chair, I stammered, “I—I m-might not be able to remember it exactly.”
    Detective Jarvis rested a hand on my arm, giving me a little pat of encouragement. “Take it easy, Liz,” he said.“Just calm down and tell us as well as you can remember.”
    I took a deep breath and