Free Murderous Muffins by Lois Lavrisa Page B

tenant complained about another tenant, you would try to take care of that, too. To make everyone happy.”
    “I would. However, we all get along pretty well.” Even if I was both fascinated with and disgusted by Xavier, I wasn’t entirely sure how well I got along with him. But Lily was sweet, and Frank and Mr. Phong were fine.
    “What would you do about a noise issue?” Ray asked me.
    “What kind of noise?” Tracy asked.
    “Are you talking about Frank’s issue with Mr. Phong?” I asked.
    “What issue?” Tracy spoke.
    My palms were sweaty as I clasped them in my lap. “He was trying so hard to learn English.”
    “I’m taking an online course. It is a great way to acquire a language. I learned Spanish that way.” Tracy smiled.
    Ray interrupted, “Tracy, thanks for the update, but this is not about you.”
    “Yes, sir, sorry.” Tracy blushed.
    I said, “Mr. Phong listened to a lot of music. That’s how he was trying to learn English.”
    “Using a Rosetta Stone course would work, too,” Tracy said.
    “Anyway, did he sing out loud?” Ray asked.
    “Yes. All the time,” I said.
    Ray whispered something to Tracy.
    Tracy stood and then walked past me to the door. I smelled a spicy aftershave. “I’m getting some coffee. I’ll be right back. Miss Gordon, do you need anything?”
    “No, thank you.” I stifled a yawn.
    Ray waved his hand and Tracy left the room. “Nice kid, and he means well. But I think he’s interfering more than helping out right now. So, it’ll be just you and me for a while. Is that okay?”
    “Sure,” I said.
    “Now let’s get back to where we left off. Mr. Phong sang all the time. He seemed to annoy some of your tenants. You said if you didn’t have tenants, you would lose everything. The house is like a family member to you; it is all you have left. And you would do whatever it took to keep your tenants happy so that you could pay bills and keep the house.”
    “Why, yes. All of that is true.” I rolled my neck, which felt sore from sheer exhaustion. It must’ve been three in the morning, at least. “Except the way they’re lined up like that, it looks bad. I mean, all of those facts are true but taken out of context.”
    Ray chuckled. “You’re right about that.”
    I stretched my legs under the table. I’d decided not to say anything until I was asked to.
    “Your tenant, Frank, added that you also were screwing the top on a bottle of poison while you told him that you would do anything to silence Mr. Phong. Is that the context that we missed?” Ray closed the notebook on the table. He rubbed a hand on his head.
    “That was for ants. Good heavens. Are you suggesting that I used that on Mr. Phong?”
    “I won’t know for sure, but it looks like Mr. Phong either had an allergic reaction or he was poisoned. We’re doing a lab report on what remains on the muffin plate, as well as an autopsy. You see, Miss Gordon, I’m just making sure that I have all the information while it’s fresh.”
    I bit my bottom lip. “At three in the morning, I doubt I’m fresh anymore.”
    Ray let out a chuckle. “We’ll wrap it up soon.”
    “And Officer Ray, yes, I needed money, so why would I kill off a paying tenant?”
    “Perhaps you are a psychopath?” Officer Ray chuckled.
    “No, sir. That I am not. I wouldn’t kill anyone. A tenant or otherwise.”
    “Even a paying tenant who had a very valuable ring? A ring that is now missing?”
    “Are you implying that I took his ring?”
    “Did you?”
    I stiffened my back and looked him in the eye. “I certainly did not. And, Officer Ray, you seem like a fine Southern gentleman, and I know that you would not insult a lady by calling her names like psychopath and thief. You’re just doing your job. However, I have to tell you that I take offense to your accusations.”
    “Please accept my apology.” Officer Ray flipped through some pages. “Do you know of anyone who would want to kill Mr. Phong?”
    “No,