Free 1 Death Pays the Rose Rent by Valerie Malmont

what the hell is that supposed to mean, Seligman?”
“I’m talking about the screwing you gave Farmer Fenstermacher, when he came to you to list his property for sale. You convinced him it would be hard to sell, but you’d buy it from him as a ‘special’ favor. You knew damn well it was worth four times what you paid him.”
“Come off it, Hy,” Richard said. “Everyone here knows you wanted to buy that land from Fenstermacher yourself. You’re still angry because I beat you to it.”
“I was willing to pay him a fair price and you knew it, but you never took my offer to him.”
“Listen here, Seligman—” Richard started, but was interrupted by Sylvia.
“I’m tired of all this arguing. Doesn’t anyone want to talk about something interesting?”
Evidently not. Even the priest joined in. “Along those same lines, Richard. How about that vacant property next to the church school that I wanted for a parking lot? I was negotiating with the owner privately, until you stepped in and convinced him to ask twice as much for it as I could pay. Now there’s a convenience store there, where my kids hang out after school. I’ve even heard stories about drugs being sold there. I hope you enjoyed spending that commission, Richard.”
Judge Parker harrumphed and, seeing he had everyone’s attention, gave Richard the kind of look that
    had probably struck terror in the heart of many a criminal. “Mexican oil,” was all he said.
    I was astounded by Richard’s violent reaction to those two words. He leaped to his feet, his face contorted with rage. If Twanya hadn’t caught him by the back of his shirt, I think he would have struck the old judge.

CHAPTER 6 
    I sat cross-legged on the grass, under moon-dappled trees, and watched Fred and Noel hunt some invisible prey through the marigolds. The night sky was dotted with flashes of icy green fire from thousands of fireflies; a scene from my childhood’s dream of fairyland.
    But behind me the dream had become a nightmare. Through the door that opened from the porch to the kitchen, I could hear Richard and Alice-Ann continuing the argument that had started as soon as we left the castle.
    Sylvia had put an end to the evening by announcing bluntly that it was time for everyone to go home. She pried Richard away from Twanya and walked with him to the front door. Alice-Ann and I trailed a little behind as we said our good-nights to the others.
    I reached the door just in time to see Sylvia bend down to whisper something privately in Richard’s ear. It was obvious she had a hearing problem because her whisper was so loud I could clearly hear every word. “Be sure you get it here early. I want it set up before the others see it.”
    “I don’t like the idea of the seance, Sylvia,” Richard said. “It’s too soon.”
    “Just do what I say,” she commanded. “You’re in no position to argue with me.” With her final word, she shoved him out the door.
    She saw me and realized I had overheard her. “We’re going to record the seance tomorrow,” she explained. “I understand it’s the scientific thing to do.”
    “Of course. And thank you for having me over.”
    “My pleasure, Victoria,” she said with a tight smile that belied her words.
    During the walk back to the cottage, the angry words began. Once inside, Richard went directly to the bar setup in the living room, where he poured a tumbler full of Scotch and downed it in several gulps.
    “You’ve had too much already,” Alice-Ann said, slamming her purse down on the hall stand.
    “You ought to try drinking more, Alice-Ann. Maybe it would loosen you up. Make you fun for a change.”
    “Then you wouldn’t have an excuse to find your ‘fun’ in Twanya’s bed, you bastard!”
    “Leave her out of this!”
    “I most certainly will not. How could you have asked her to come to Silverthorne tonight? How could you have humiliated me like that in front of all our friends?”
    He shrugged infuriatingly. “If