Murder Is Binding

you to see it, to see what you think.'

'I love it.' And it was far enough away from the village that Angelica might not want to drive into town come winter when the roads were reputed to be icy and treacherous. Bad Tricia wanting to keep her sister at bay! And really, she wasn't sure she felt that way anymore. Well, at least some of the time, and that had to be progress. Didn't it?

'Do you want to walk around the yard?' Angelica asked, hope coloring her voice.

'Sure.'

The sisters got out of the car and walked ten or so yards to stand before the cottage. 'Isn't that slate roof just incredible?' Angelica asked.

A few tiles looked skewed; did that mean it leaked? Tricia sidled between a couple of rosebushes, shaded her eyes, and peered in through one of the leaded glass windows. The room inside was bare, but the walls, in neutral tones, looked freshly painted and the floors shone like they'd just been sanded and sealed.

'That's fir flooring, and look at the wonderful fieldstone fireplace. Imagine how cozy it would be on a cold winter's night,' Angelica said wistfully.

Tricia stood back. 'It's delightful. I had no idea a sweet little place like this was even available locally.'

Angelica's smile was tentative. 'I'm glad you like it. I thought you might be angry with me for wanting to live near you. It might not be forever, I just-I need you right now. Is that too terrible a thing for a sister to say?'

Touched, Tricia rested a hand on her sister's arm. 'No, and I'm happy you feel that way. I just wish I could leave all the baggage from our childhood behind.'

'I have none. But then why should I? I was the cherished child they never thought they'd have, and you were…well, you weren't expected. By that time Mother had moved on to other pursuits.'

Angelica's words were nothing Tricia hadn't considered for herself too many times over the years, yet it did hurt to hear them. She withdrew her hand.

Angelica frowned. 'I've spoiled the moment, haven't I?'

Nothing new, Tricia felt tempted to say, instead she turned and walked back to the car. Angelica took the hint and followed. Once inside, she started the engine, backed into the turnaround, and headed down the drive for the highway once again.

'Where to now?' Tricia asked, not caring what the answer was.

'I thought it might be fun to have dinner at the inn tonight. My treat. What do you say?'

Since the idea of cooking for herself was always a turnoff, and Miss Marple wouldn't be expecting her dinner for several hours anyway, Tricia nodded.

As she drove, Angelica gave a running commentary about the cottage's charms and its drawbacks, including the lack of closet space and how she thought she might like to add a patio and lap pool to the backyard and did Tricia know anything about pool maintenance?

'No.'

Meanwhile, Tricia turned her attention back to Winnie's newspaper clippings. She must have circled forty or fifty addresses and Tricia wasn't sure she had a detailed map of the area to check them out. Stoneham had no map store, and she wasn't aware of any of the bookstores catering to local history, either. Maybe the chamber of commerce had done an advertising map. If she ran into Bob, she'd ask. Other than that she decided to just call Frannie at the C of C office on Monday.

Others must have had the same early-dinner idea as Angelica because the inn's parking lot was jammed, and though she circled the lot twice, there simply were no empty spaces. 'Darn. Now I'm going to have to park behind the inn in the bungalow lot.'

'So, there's a back entrance, isn't there?'

'Is there? I don't know.'

Once behind the inn, Tricia pointed out the door that led to the building's secondary entrance, and Angelica parked the car next to the Dumpster, the only available spot in the back lot. They got out of the car and she pointed to the white Altima with the Connecticut plates that sat in front of the door. 'Look, there's that stupid car that's been taking all the desirable parking places in the village. I've had enough. I'm going to ask Bess who owns it.'

Angelica marched ahead, leaving Tricia struggling to keep up.

Bess was once again stationed at the inn's reception desk, but she was helping another guest and the sisters had to wait to gain her attention. Tricia wandered over to a wooden rack that held brochures detailing the local attractions, and much to her delight found a stack of chamber of commerce maps of Stoneham. She scooped one up. Dinner now seemed unimportant.

Angelica stepped up to the reception desk.

'I hope you're enjoying your stay, Mrs. Prescott,' Bess greeted at last.

'Very much so. In fact, I'm so impressed with the whole place, I'm thinking of moving to Stoneham.'

'That's wonderful. Now, how can I help you this evening?'

'There's a car in the back lot with Connecticut plates: 64B R59. Does it belong to a guest?'

Bess's smile faltered. 'I'm not sure I should give out that information.'

'But I'm about to become a townie,' Angelica insisted.

'That's villager,' Tricia corrected.

Bess frowned. 'I guess it can't hurt,' she said, although she didn't sound convinced. Angelica repeated the plate number. Bess tapped a few keys on her computer. 'Let's see. Oh, here it is. The car belongs to Deirdre Gleason; she's in bungalow two.'

Her words tore Tricia's attention away from the map.

'It can't be,' Angelica asserted. 'That car was here when I arrived on Tuesday, which was the day Doris Gleason died.'

Bess checked the register. 'Ms. Gleason checked in on the third.'

'And Doris was murdered on the fifth,' Tricia said.

'What difference does it make what day she checked in?' Bess asked.

'Until Saturday no one knew Doris even had a sister,' Tricia said.

'I did,' Bess said. 'Deirdre Gleason told me so.'

'When did she tell you?' Angelica pressed.

'I don't remember exactly.'

'Why didn't you report it to the sheriff after Doris's death?' Angelica insisted.

'I didn't think about it. I mean why would I?' Bess said, sounding defensive.

Bess was right; she wouldn't have known the sheriff was looking for next of kin. Tricia turned her attention back to her map.

'Tonight's Ms. Gleason's last night with us. She's moving into her sister's home tomorrow,' Bess said.

Angelica leaned against the counter, bending closer. 'Really? Tell me, have you gotten to know Deirdre during her stay?'

Tricia unfolded another section of her map and rolled her eyes, only half listening to the conversation.

Bess shook her head. 'Not really. She keeps to herself. Has all her meals in the bungalow.'

'Has anything about her changed since her sister's death?' Angelica asked.

'Changed?' Bess echoed.

'Her appearance: clothes, glasses, makeup?'

Bess thought about it. 'She got her hair cut real short.'

'Did she really?' Angelica said slyly.

Tricia refolded her map and changed the subject. 'Bess, do you know what tonight's special is?'

It took a moment for the question to register. 'Um…seared scallops with tropical salsa.'

Angelica glowered at Tricia. 'Sounds yummy.'

Snagging Angelica's arm, Tricia pulled her away from the reception desk. 'Thanks, Bess.'

'Trish!'

'Shhh,' Tricia warned and steered Angelica toward the dining room. 'What was all that about?' she whispered.

'I'm working on a theory. I'll tell you about it later.'

The hostess arrived to seat them, and they followed her to a far corner of the crowded dining room. The