Free Who'll Kill Agnes? by Lea Chan Page A

back with open arms telling her that she could live here forever and be her lady companion. Penny accepted, extremely grateful.”
    “Doesn’t Penny have any family?”
    “Yes, but she never felt wanted. She’s the only child of only children. Her parents are eccentric anthropologists who never intended to have children. To them, Penny was an accident, and she was brought up in boarding schools.”
    Bernie pondered this for a few moments. She was sure she and her siblings were unwanted accidents also but her parents didn’t have any choice in what to do with them.
    “Where are her parents now?”
    “Living a comfortable retired life in Kenya writing books on their experiences.”
    “Where’s that?”
    “Africa.”
    “Geez, and Penny never goes to visit them?”
    “She can’t afford it and they’ve never invited her. I think they just shut her out of their minds.”
    “Is that why she latched onto Agnes? Maybe she wanted a family.”
    “That’s very perceptive of you, Bernie. I’m sure Penny used to view all of us that way, and in some ways still does but now she thinks the way I do. She assumes that Agnes ruined her life.”
    “But why did Agnes do all that to her? How can she be that jealous?”
    “I think Agnes subconsciously felt that she was Penny’s surrogate mother and she wanted to control her. Jealousy, control, desire for power, that’s Agnes. She preys on the weak and Penny is rather weak.”
    “Well, she certainly is now with all that’s happened to her. I guess she doesn’t have any fire left.”
    Audrey was amused at Bernie’s instinctive observations. “If she had any to begin with, that is. One of the reasons Agnes hates you so much is that you stand up to her.”
    “She’d hate anyone married to Kevin.”
    “Maybe. She fully expected to handpick a society girl for Kevin, someone well bred, meek, and proper. Someone to provide suitable grandchildren. But you’re a Tucker, you don’t fill the bill.”
    “Hmmph! I ain’t having no kids.”
    “Well, I don’t imagine Agnes would let you anyway.”
    “What the hell do you mean?”
    “Oh, I’m sure she has plans to get rid of you. She’s just biding her time.”
    “Well, I’ve got plans, too.” She hesitated, “What do you mean? Get rid of me?”
    Audrey looked distracted. She didn’t know if she really should be telling Bernie all the things she suspected about Agnes. After all, that’s all they were, just suspicions. “I-I don’t know. Maybe she thinks Kevin will come to his senses and divorce you and she’ll fix it so you don’t get a penny.”
    “What? Kevin divorce me? He adores me.”
    “Of course, that’s the whole problem. Just-just watch out for her.”
    “Hmmph! I’ll be okay. But speaking of divorce, if Lester hates Agnes so much, why doesn’t he divorce her?”
    “On what grounds? He would have to have an extremely good reason.”
    “Oh, that one everybody uses. You know, some big word with differences.”
    “Irreconcilable?”
    “Yeah, that one.”
    “Agnes wouldn’t let Lester try such a thing. It would cause a huge scandal, and he wouldn’t get a penny.”
    “So he’s conniving to get one of us to kill her.”
    “Very good, Bernie. I think you’re right about that.”
    “So why’d he marry her in the first place?”
    “Are you kidding? The Briar fortune.”
    “So he’s never had to work?”
    “Not a lick. Completely dependent on Agnes. But to give him some credit, I think he’s tried to work from time to time, but Agnes would always put a stop to it.”
    “What kind of work?”
    “He was an auto mechanic when they first met.”
    “Why did Agnes stop him?”
    “Control again. Desire for power. And the fact that a mechanic was not very prestigious.”
    “Geez, that’s silly. Why didn’t she buy him a shop or dealership? The Demonts across the street run a car dealership, and they’re even more stuck up than Agnes.”
    Audrey hooted again. “Agnes has kept that money for