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

there!
    “ ‘You’re thinking, why don’t I just name him or her right now and have d one with it? I could, but why? I’ m a mystery writer, for Christ’s sake! This is the best mystery I’ve ever come across—better than Clue or a Mystery Train or spooky tales around a campfire! Besides, the whole time my Treasure - cum-Murder Hunt is in progress, my killer gets to sweat. That alone’s worth the price of admission, kiddies. Hell, I had little enough time left on this planet, and now this interloper has stolen it! It’s only right I should make him, or her, suffer.
    “ ‘Oh, and one more thing. It probably wouldn’t be wise for any of you to skip town right now since I have no doubt the cops would be mighty interested in anybody who did, if you get my drift.
    “ ‘Okay! Are we ready? Clue Number One for each team is in a sealed envelope inside this packet. Damn, I love a good mystery! Let the Murder Hunt begin!’ ”
    “That’s all there is,” Evie said. “It’s been signed and notarized.”
    Outside, a crow screeched and scolded, and a brisk wind rustled the branches of a nearby alder tree. Inside, only the burble of water as it tumbled down the rocks broke the thick silence. Max viewed each guest in turn.
    Lorna looked like she’d just been slapped. Next to her, James locked gazes with Max, then looked away. Barlow’s face was the picture of amused calm. Mrs. Stanley glanced questioningly at Barlow, then refocused her attention on Evie, while Earl sat shaking his head as he cleaned his fingernails with a penknife. Madame Grovda smiled wistfully; there were tears in her eyes. Edmunds moved forward to stand next to Evie, his blue eyes clouded with confusion and concern.
    “Oh, Edmunds,” Evie whispered, placing her open hand on his chest. He immediately covered it with his own. “How awful. Thomas was dying of cancer and never said a word. I wish I’d been able to comfort him. And then someone tried to kill him, and he carried that burden by himself, too? After all he did for me, I feel like I should have known somehow, like I let him down in the end …”
    Edmunds’s eyes darted around the room as though he were searching for words he’d never used before. “Please don’t blame yourself, Evangeline. He said nothing to me, either, nor gave any indication. I—I am at a loss as well, my dear.”
    Max watched the interaction between Evie and the butler with growing displeasure. Okay, sure, she’d known the guy for half her life and didn’t know Max at all, and what she did know, she didn’t like. So why did it bother him so much she’d turned to Edmunds and not to him for solace?
    Dammit. He needed to get a girlfriend. A woman whose only interest was getting into his bed, screw ing him blind, and then moving on down the highway. That was his kind of woman. He didn’t need to stand here and wish a woman like Evie Randall with her soft eyes and tender heart would turn to him for comfort. Didn’t need it, didn’t want it.
    Reaching into the packet, Evie pulled out three identical envelopes and read the labels. She handed one to Edmunds, another to Lorna, and kept the third.
    Barlow rose from his chair and began gathering up his things. “As the treasure hunt has now begun, I’ll be heading on back to the mainland.”
    “Not planning on leaving town, are you, Bar low?” Max said.
    “And wouldn’t that be a stupid move,” he answered with a congenial grin. “Guilty or innocent, a mad dash for the Canadian border to buy imported Irish lace in a Victoria shop would be ill advised, I should imagine. Call my office if you need anything, Detective. And remember, if the seventh clue is not found by midnight in two weeks’ time, there will be no winner. Neither the will nor the codicil provides for the dilatory nature of a police investigation, inclement weather, acts of God, or simple bad luck. Good night.”
    When the lawyer had gone, Evie turned to Max and said, “Thomas accused one of us