Free Murder by the Book by Melanie Jackson Page A

good day for her.
    I wore a cream-colored dress with a floral print. I also had on a cute cropped sweater with sleeves against the early morning chill. In moderate heels, I thought I looked pretty. Alex complemented me. He wore his new business suit and tie.
    As we drove in the car to pick up Lawrence and Agatha, I hoped that Alex and Lawrence had a good day planned for all of us. I felt a bit at his mercy, which I never like. So, I asked him straight out.
    “Alex, where are we going and what are we going to do there?”
    “We’re going to Agatha’s place to pick up Lawrence and Agatha.”
    “Did you know they’re sleeping together?”
    “I’d rather not talk about it.”
    “But what will we do after we pick up the soon-to-be newlyweds?”
    “You know, you ask a lot of questions.”
    “So I’ve been told. Recently.”
    “Why don’t you just sit back and see what happens this time?”
    We found Lawrence and Agatha waiting for us at the curb. Lawrence was dressed in a nice gray double breasted suit with blue pinstripes and a blue tie. He looked extremely nervous and uncomfortable. As we pulled up, I noticed they were holding hands. Agatha was equally nicely attired. Lawrence guided Agatha into the back seat then went around to get in on the other side of the car. I exchanged hugs and kisses with the couple over the back of my seat.
    “Well, my friend, are you ready to face whatever trials and tribulations might come?” Alex asked, smiling into the rearview mirror.
    Lawrence did not smile back. He returned a deadly serious glower. His expression made me shiver. Alex stopped smiling.
    “I’m ready to do what has to be done,” he explained.
    The ride into town was quiet. Everyone seemed absorbed in their own thoughts. My thoughts were split between my excitement over the day ahead and curiosity concerning our destination. We pulled up to the curb on a side street in the older part of town. I realized we weren’t far from the Rankles and Edwards construction site. Lawrence led Agatha up a steep flight of stairs that led to a door. Alex and I followed.
    “ The Fraternal Order of Owls ,” Agatha said aloud as she read the sign on the glass pane inset into the door. “Lawrence, you’re an owl?”
    “As were my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather before me.”
    “I would have never guessed.”
    “You weren’t expecting we’d have feathers, were you?”
    Agatha laughed off the suggestion.
    “We can’t go in there, can we?” she asked.
    “Actually, you’re expected,” Lawrence replied, opening the door wide and leading the way inside.
    I knew little about the FOOeys , as we used to call them. I knew that they were a secret brotherhood that had been in existence for centuries in the Pacific Northwest. I knew that they gathered money that they used to fund charities and hospitals. I also knew that it was an extreme honor to be allowed into one of their ceremonial halls.
    I stepped through the door with Alex close behind.
    The foyer we entered was broad and dimly lit by bulbs set into the walls behind decorative sconces. The walls were paneled in rich dark mahogany. Doors led off to either side of the room including a large pair of double doors beside us. The floor was also made of dark wood but covered with richly colored Persian rugs. Lawrence stepped away to the corner of the room to a large gong mounted in a stand and grabbed the striker. He rang the gong three times, pausing between each strike to allow the sound waves to resonate through the building. I assumed that each strike was meant to announce a single outsider.
    A man dressed in purple robes and wearing a beaver-skin fez with large horns coming out of the sides of it came down the hall to greet us. He was wearing necklaces and rings signifying his place in the order. He also carried a gold staff with ornate scrollwork and jewels at the head which I took to symbolize his office. He looked like a cut-rate Merlin.
    “Grand Master, I