Free Set the Stage for Murder by Brent Peterson Page B

“The tea is Earl Grey. I know it’s your favorite.” He looked at his long-time partner, Kirby, and smiled knowingly.
    In fact, it wasn’t her favorite, not even close. But Walter had been serving it to her for several years now with that same knowing smile and that same glance at Kirby. She had let the moment to protest pass, perhaps because Walter had seemed a trifle insecure that day, so now she sipped Earl Grey tea and nodded. “You know me so well, Walter. Whatever would I do without the two of you?”
    “Try the crab sandwich,” Walter said, excitedly. “It’s a new recipe Kirby got from a chef friend.” Kirby was forever trying new recipes from chef friends Caroline was convinced were no friends at all, as they clearly always left out some key ingredient that would make the dish palatable before they passed on the formula. Whatever was omitted from the crab concoction had evidently been replaced with bits of shell. Caroline surreptitiously deposited the offending shards in her laced napkin while the two men prepared their cups of tea.
    Walter glanced again at Kirby as he took a sip from his cup. Apparently it was up to him to bring up the troubling subject, since Kirby rarely spoke and Caroline seemed to be pretending nothing was wrong. Well, he simply couldn’t ignore the incredibly large elephant that had entered his delicate living room and sat right down on one of his wonderful chintz-covered chairs. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he forged ahead. “Dearest Cary, we are soooo very upset about that despicable item in this morning’s paper. Kirby and I are considering legal action and we think you should go along with us.”
    Caroline took a moment and tried to think of the best way to handle this situation without making Walter cry and run from the room. “Walter, darling, I couldn’t bear to see you put in that situation. I simply care about you too much to see you go through all that.” There. Let him take offense to that.
    “ You don’t think I’m strong enough?” Walter asked, with a quivering lip. “I can assure you I am, aren’t I, Kirby?”
    Well, bloody hell. She really didn’t have the energy for this right now, not with everything else going on in her life. After all, she was the truly injured party in this whole fiasco. Her marriage, and more important, her pride and reputation were on the line, thanks to that bitch Rosamund Whiting. Walter and Kirby just had their damned feelings hurt. She suddenly had the mother of all headaches.
    “ You misunderstand me, Walter,” Caroline said, her strained smile wearing even thinner. “I know you have the fortitude for such a battle, I just don’t think it wise to pursue the matter. The less attention paid, the better.”
    Walter sat up straighter and looked her in the eye. Clearly, someone somewhere had crossed a line and he wasn’t about to back down. “Caroline, I don’t think you understand the situation. The truth of the matter is that attention is already being paid. Kirby and I feel that we simply must respond to this … this insult to our manhood; our very reputation is at stake. We’ve been slapped with the glove and we are accepting the challenge. I can’t believe you don’t grasp the importance of this moment.”
    Caroline looked at him for a moment as she struggled to maintain her composure. However, she simply couldn’t contain herself. It started with a twitch in her left eye and slowly but surely crept down her face. When it actually started, it wasn’t a polite high-pitched tinkling or a childish giggle, but rather a full-blown snort that startled all three of them. After that, holding back was a lost cause. In a most un-dame-like fashion, Caroline laughed until tears were rolling down her face. Attempting to lean back in the impossibly uncomfortable chair made her laugh even harder, as did the look of shock on Walter’s face, which was as pink as his “M’lady” teacup.
    “Really, Dame Caroline,”