Free Killing the Carnations (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery) by Cindy Bell Page A

to turn before she could.
    Vicky didn't want to be caught off guard so she ducked into the shadows of the hallway. It was still dim enough that the focus of her hunch did not notice her . She hoped he would get into the elevator. It would give her a chance to search his room. Instead he paused in front of Charleston's room. He stared into the open doorway, and then he spoke, causing a shiver to race along Vicky's spine.
    “ Why did you want to see me?” he asked. Vicky was about to assume he was talking to a ghost, when she heard another voice reply.
    “ You know exactly why I wanted to see you,” Amanda said with a growl. “Just because Charleston's dead doesn't mean that our deal doesn't still apply.”
    “ You can't be serious,” he scoffed and shook his head. “Let's talk about this,” he suggested and stepped into the room. Vicky's heart was racing. She had suspected that it wasn't Emily who had committed the crime, but someone she was willing to protect. Someone like Jeremy Minkle. Watching him disappear into the very room where Charleston was killed, but this time with Amanda, made Vicky very uneasy. She crept up to the door to listen in.
    “ Amanda, you don't want to toy with me,” Jeremy said with that confident arrogance.
    “ I'm not toying,” Amanda shot back sharply. “Charleston blew his money as fast as it came in, he was counting on that CEO position. I won't even get his properties because we weren't married. I want the money you were going to give him. I won't say a word if you just give me the money.”
    “ What words will you say if I don't?” Jeremy asked gruffly, Vicky could tell that he had moved closer to Amanda by the volume of his voice.
    “ I'll tell them all about you,” Amanda threatened. “I'll tell the police that you're the one that killed Charleston, and why.”
    “ And you think they'll believe you?” he growled. “I'm a very powerful man. There is nothing that is going to stop me from retiring and living a life of luxury. You, you're just a gold digger, they'll see right through you.”
    “ Really?” Amanda countered. “Are they going to see through your little girlfriend, too? Weak Jeremy. You picked someone like that to waste your time with? You could have had someone like me.”
    “ The last thing I would ever want is someone like you,” he nearly shouted, then Vicky heard something slam against the wall. She couldn't wait any longer. She knew that whatever dirt she had on Jeremy he was willing to kill to cover up, he had already done it once after all. Without thinking too much about the danger she was about to put herself in Vicky opened the door to the room. She caught Jeremy with Amanda pressed against the wall. When Jeremy glanced back to see who had opened the door, his eyes were full of rage.
    “ Get out of here. Can't you see we're having an intimate moment?” he demanded.
    “ Doesn't look too intimate to me,” Vicky countered and met Jeremy's eyes directly. He was trying to figure out how much she knew. She was trying to figure out how to get his hands off Amanda's throat.
    “ All right, all right,” he nodded a little and released Amanda. “I think I've had too much to drink. Right Amanda?” he asked as he shot her a glare.
    “ Yeah,” Amanda rubbed at her neck which was already bruising. “He had far too much to drink.”
    Nervously , Amanda walked past Jeremy, who looked like he'd rather grab her again then let her go, but he didn't want to risk it in front of Vicky. Vicky waited until Amanda was safely out of the room, and then was about to follow her, when Jeremy slammed the door shut by leaning forward from behind her. She stared at the suddenly closed door and drew a sharp breath.
    “ You know, I warned you about my lawyer,” he murmured beside her ear as she stood frozen. “Now, do I need to warn you about anything else?”
    “ Did you give Charleston a warning?” Vicky asked as she turned around to face him. He was towering over