Free Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evie by Marianne Stillings Page A

Edmunds?”
    “No sir. I do not.”
    Max looked down at Evie. “Do you?”
    She shook her head. “No. I can’t imagine … ”
    “Barlow? You know anything about this?”
    The lawyer stared at the envelope in dismay, as though it had just plopped to earth from the outer reaches of space. “I couldn’t begin to guess. However, if its contents involves the game, it should come to me.”
    “I couldn’t begin to second-guess Heyworth,” Max said, handing the envelope to Evie. “But if he addressed it to her, I’d say he wanted it to go to her.” Everybody looked at everybody else, and a small hum of anticipatory conversation bubbled through the group.
    Standing, Evie moved to the front and turned to face the others. She broke the seal on the packet and opened it, pulling out a single sheet of paper.
    Barlow reached over to snatch it from her hand, but she quickly turned away, smashing it against her chest. “Excuse me, Mr. Barlow.”
    “But it may be a legal document that I need to evaluate before you—”
    “Take a seat, Barlow,” Max said.
    The attorney’s mouth turned d own and he looked like a cat who had just been denied a bowl of cream. Then he smiled at Evie and returned to his seat.
    “It’s dated seven days before Thomas died,” she said. “He must have written it while he was on tour.”
    Max considered the timing. “He was on a book tour all during May, right? And was shot the day he got back?”
    “Yes, h-he was.” She looked at the paper, her brows knitted in a frown. Licking her lips, she began to read aloud.
    “ ‘ Don’t you just love surprises? What kind of host would I be if there weren’t a few twists and turns thrown in to keep you on your toes? You didn’t really think I was going to make this easy, did you?
    “ ‘True, you were all invited to take part in my treasure hunt, and I wanted you to have a good time. But something has happened to change my original plans, turning my treasure hunt into the hunt for a killer.
    “ ‘You see, a few days ago, somebody tried to kill me. Shocking, isn’t it? Since this codicil only kicks in if I was murdered, they must have tried it again, and succeeded! I’m sure the cops are running around with their heads up their assumptions, as usual, so it’s up to you to make sure justice is done.’ ”
    Evie raised her eyes and locked gazes with Edmunds, who had risen from his chair to stare at her. Returning her attention to the paper, she read, “ ‘Let me cut right to the chase, folks. It was one of you who k-killed me, and I know which one.’ ”
    A collective gasp rose from the room. Barlow choked, Lorna cried out, and Madame Grovda gave a sharp laugh. James stayed where he was and glanced quickly around the room, while Mrs. Stanley began muttering under her breath and her husband slapped his knee and muttered, “No, shit.”
    Edmunds stood stock still and neither said nor did anything, the look on his face unreadable.
    Max considered each person in the room. They’d all had alibis for the time of the murder—save for Madame Grovda and Dabney James, who hadn’t been investigated because they hadn’t been suspects, until now.
    Hey worth had lived on an island. Anybody with an axe to grind, and a boat, could have motored up, gained entry to the house, shot Heyworth, then gone fishing, and nobody would have been the wiser.
    Clearing her throat, Evie cut a glance at Edmunds, who gave her an encouraging smile. She resumed reading.
    “ ‘There are seven clues. Each one leads to the next. Originally, they simply led to my treasure. Now, they lead to my murderer.
    “ ‘The only clue I need to change is the last one, Lucky Number Seven, which I’ll do as soon as I return home.
    “ ‘So you don’t all trip over each other, there are three separate sets of clues. Each set is unique except for Number Seven. That’s the kicker. Find it, and you inherit my estate, and get the goods on my killer. Some fun, huh? Damn, I wish I could be